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Office of Teacher Preparation
Tara McDaniel, Director of the Office of Teacher Preparation
Emily Calhoun Davidson, Assistant Director for Field Experiences and Outreach
Kathy Charleston, Assistant Director for CAEP Evaluation
Jennifer Whitaker, Assistant Director for Teacher Licensure and Student Success
Sheila Seagle, Administrative Assistant
The Office of Teacher Preparation (OTP) manages all aspects of Longwood’s Teacher Preparation Program including admission into the program, all field and clinical experience placements, advising teacher candidates through the licensure process, coordination of the University Professional Education Council (PEC), assessment, and state and national accreditation. Field experiences represent a variety of early and ongoing school-based opportunities in which teacher candidates may observe, assist, tutor, plan, or present instruction. The clinical experience is student teaching, providing teacher candidates an experience that allows a semester-long full immersion in a school setting. Teacher candidates are placed in diverse and rural educational settings for field and clinical placement experiences.
Prior to the first field placement, teacher candidates, at their financial expense, must submit a criminal background check, negative tuberculosis test results, and an automobile insurance form. In addition to Longwood and VDOE requirements, school divisions hosting placements may require additional information from teacher candidates. OTP will provide students placed in these divisions with information on these additional requirements. Travel to and from and lodging, if needed, are arranged and at the expense of the student teacher candidate. Student teacher candidates are expected to regularly monitor email and other communication media for updates regarding requirements, meeting dates, applications for placement, and other essential information.
Teacher candidates should attend one of the information and orientation sessions that are offered multiple times each semester. Explanation of the Tk20 Watermark application process, tips on course planning, and assistance with teacher preparation program requirements will be provided at each session.
Admission to the Teacher Preparation Program is ongoing. Students will need to meet requirements by the applicable deadline (March 1 for summer and fall course registration purposes and October 1 for spring course registration purposes) in order for OTP to guarantee processing before the registration window closes.
Requirements for Admission to Teacher Prep:
- Complete the OTP Admission Application to Teacher Preparation in Tk20 Watermark
- “C-” or better in ENGL 165 or the transfer equivalent
- “C” or better in introductory education courses for your program area as indicated below:
- PK-6, 6-8, Secondary Education 6-12, and PK-12 (Languages, TESL, and Theatre)
- PK-12 Art Education
- Special Education K-12
- Music Education
- Physical and Health Education
- Two of the following four courses:
- Submit in Tk20 Watermark the following requirements:
- VCLA composite score of 470 or higher
- Complete the Child Abuse and Neglect Recognition and Intervention Training Module and submit the official certificate
- Complete the Restraint and Seclusion Training Module and submit the official certificate
- Complete the Dyslexia Awareness Training Module and submit the official certificate
- Middle School Social Sciences Endorsement and History Secondary Education teacher candidates only: Complete the Civics Education in Virginia Module and submit the official certificate
- Submit your Criminal Background Check results
- Submit negative TB test results
- Submit an up-to-date Automobile Insurance Form
- Request by email two applicable faculty recommendations (see chart in Tk20)
- *NOTE: Faculty recommendations are requested and completed through myLongwood
- Maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Prospective teacher candidates who have an overall GPA ranging from 2.5 to 2.99 will be put on a waitlist until the end of the semester during which they applied. See “GPA Factors in Teacher Prep Admission” below for more information:
GPA Factors in Teacher Prep Admission
Individual applicants with an overall GPA of at least 3.0 and who have submitted a completed OTP Admission Application to Teacher Preparation will be immediately eligible for admission to the Teacher Preparation Program and will have their applications to the program processed after the October 1st or March 1st deadline in advance of the following advising and registration period.
Prospective teacher candidates who have an overall GPA ranging from 2.5 to 2.99 will be put on a waitlist and admitted in descending GPA order such that the cohort average GPA remains at 3.0 or higher for that semester. Longwood University requires that the cohort average GPA of students being admitted to the Teacher Preparation Program in any given semester be at least 3.0 (overall).
The Office of Teacher Preparation (OTP) will admit as many other students as mathematically possible while maintaining the cohort’s average GPA at the 3.0 required by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).
These calculations will be done at the end of the fall, spring, and summer semesters, immediately after new grades are reflected in the candidate’s GPAs. Calculations for waitlisted candidates will be done with new GPAs, thereby enabling this policy to serve as a potential incentive for improvement in student performance. From the time the cohort average is calculated, the cohort will remain “open” until the end of the last day of the add/drop period of the next semester.
In the event that candidates cannot be admitted as part of the semester’s cohort, they will be expected to work with their academic advisors to develop a plan for improving their overall GPA, which can include course retakes and/or tutoring services. Students will remain on the waitlist until such time as they have the 3.0 GPA, can be admitted as part of a future cohort, or request that OTP cancel their application to the Teacher Preparation Program.
Clinical Experience (Student Teaching)
Student teaching is the pinnacle of the teacher candidates’ preparation for initial licensure and typically occurs during the final semester of the degree program. The placement is for 13 weeks and determined by the specific program, could be a single placement or two placements.
Two clinical experience forms for the student teaching semester much be completed in Tk20.
- OTP Student Teaching and Professional Semester Initial Placement Request form - DUE April 15 to student teach the following spring; DUE November 15 to student teach the following fall.
- Student request for school division in which they would like to student teach with indication of schools they attended and/or schools where a family member works. Students will NOT be placed in those schools.
- Submission of proof of CPR certification
- If applicable, submission of passing Praxis II scores for second area of endorsement - Middle School area OR Elementary area for Special Education students
2. OTP Student Teaching and Professional Semester Final Requirements form - DUE June 1 for the subsequent fall placement; DUE December 15 for the subsequent spring placement.
- Submission of passing Praxis II scores for the primary area of endorsement - only Theatre and Special Education do not require primary area Praxis II.
- Submission of passing RVE scores for Elementary Education, Elementary/Middle Education, and Special Education majors.
Students must maintain (1) an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher and (2) a major GPA of 2.5 or higher in order to student teach.
Teacher candidates denied placement for student teaching may resubmit their request upon meeting requirements.
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