| The Leading Teacher Program in Secondary Education prepares teacher candidates to teach in Grades 7-12 in Pennsylvania. The program combines professional education with an academic major in English, Mathematics, Social Studies or Foreign Language (Spanish or Latin). Candidates pursuing certification in K-12 content areas, such as Foreign Language, follow the program for secondary certification.
Teacher candidates interested in teaching science in middle or high schools participate in an integrated program that results in a bachelors degree in one of the sciences and a Masters of Science Degree in Education. This program will typically take five academic years and a summer to complete.
- Secondary Science Curriculum
The Secondary Education program is guided by Pennsylvania state standards and by standards of national professional organizations. Teacher candidates will address professional standards in their respective content areas through course projects and will implement the standards in their fieldwork. All of the experiences in the secondary education program reflect the themes of Leadership, Diversity, and Technology and are based on the five domains of the Leading Teacher Program.
Teacher candidates in Secondary Education complete a minimum of 126 credit hours. The General Education Core and the Foundations of the Leading Teacher Program are typically completed in semesters 1-4. Remaining credits are used to build the academic major required for certification in Pennsylvania. Details are provided in the description of the Leading Teacher Program.
In semesters 5, 6 and 7, secondary education teacher candidates complete a minimum of 24 credits of professional preparation. Coursework includes appropriate content area methods, electronic literacy for instruction, content area reading, and academic adaptations for secondary students. Academic coursework continues through semesters 5, 6, and 7. Field experiences are required and are integrated with the coursework. Semester 8 is a 12 credit student teaching experience.
Significant changes to certification in PA are forthcoming and will apply to the incoming class of 2009. Modifications to certification programs will be published when approved.
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