School of Education

College of Education and Professional Studies
School of Education
Ellensburg
Black Hall, room 228

www.cwu.edu/education

School of Education General Information
The School of Education is administered through CEPS and the School of Education Executive board. The provost/vice president for academic and student life in collaboration with the CEPS dean appoints faculty to serve on the advisory council, which advises the School of Education Executive board on program policies.

Admission Requirements
Admission to the university does not guarantee a student admission into the School of Education. Students must be fully admitted to the School of Education in order to enroll in Education-related courses.

(All application forms are available online at www.cwu.edu/teacher-certification)

1. A 3.0 grade point average (GPA) for at least the last 45 graded quarter credits (the total may exceed 45 if an entire quarter is needed to achieve the minimum 45) or overall CWU/transfer cumulative is required for full admittance into the School of Education. A 2.8 GPA for at least the last 45 graded quarter credits or overall CWU/transfer cumulative will be considered for conditional admittance into the School of Education. A 3.0 GPA for at least the last 45 graded quarter credits or overall CWU/transfer cumulative is required prior to making application to student teaching.
2. Completed APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION TO SCHOOL OF EDUCATION.
3. Completed Character and Fitness supplement. Answering “YES” to any question on the form will require that you meet with the Certification Officer prior to a decision regarding admission. All court documents should be submitted prior to that meeting. False answers to the questions on the form may result in denial of program admission and/or certification.
4. Official or unofficial transcripts for all college/university coursework must be submitted directly to the School of Education. These transcripts are in addition to transcripts submitted to Registrar Services.
5. Successful completion of the General Education requirements of Academic Writing 1 and Quantitative Reasoning courses.
6. Successful completion of the Basic Skills (Reading, Writing, and Math) requirement. Candidates may satisfy this requirement by passing the WEST-B or obtaining certain scores on the SAT and/or ACT. Please see below:

WEST-B Test
The WEST-B exam is administered statewide several times each year. Registration information and test dates can be found online at www.west.nesinc.com.

Note: Failure to begin the program within one year from date of acceptance may result in cancellation of admission.

The completed application packet needs to be submitted to the following address by the appropriate deadline date: School of Education, College of Education and Professional Studies, Central Washington University, 400 East University Way, Ellensburg, WA 98926-7414.

Please be aware that:

No grade lower than a C in major or minor, and foundation coursework, will be accepted for certification.

To remain in the program, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA for the last 45 graded quarter credits or overall CWU/transfer cumulative.

Each applicant for admission to the School of Education will be notified in writing of the status of their application.

Completion of the School of Education does not guarantee certification by the state of Washington. In order to be certified, the candidate must demonstrate good moral character and personal fitness as defined by WAC 180-79A-155. Current fingerprint clearance from the Washington State Patrol and FBI will be required prior to application for any practicums, all courses that require any type of field experience or working with P-12th grade children, EFC 330 - Field Experience, and/or EFC 470 - Student Teaching Secondary and/or EFC 480 - Student Teaching. If you have anything from your past that you think may compromise your certification, please seek advisement from the Teacher Certification Office at 509-963-2660 prior to submitting your application.

School of Education admission regulations are administered by the College of Education and Professional Studies. Personal folders are maintained in the School of Education for each student enrolled in a teaching program at Central.

Transfer Students
Students entering the university with a transferable associate of arts (AA) degree from an accredited Washington community college will need to meet the admission requirements for the School of Education prior to enrolling in any education courses. These students are frequently surprised to find that, after finishing two years of community college, they have more than two years left to complete an education degree. This is because the AA degree required 90 credits and, when transferred to CWU, satisfies only the Basic and Breadth requirements, which can generally be completed in 60 credits at CWU. Community college students can make good use of the additional 30 credits required by the AA by selecting courses at the community college which may meet major, minor, or, in some cases, courses in the Professional Education Program. Check your community college’s equivalency sheet to make certain your courses are equivalent to CWU’s courses for these particular requirements.

National Evaluation Series (NES) Exam
As of July 1, 2014, all teachers wishing to obtain certification must take the NES exam in each content area for which they seek endorsement prior to student teaching. Documentation (i.e., registration confirmation, test scores) that the student has registered for a test date that occurs prior to student teaching must be submitted to the School of Education prior to applying for student teaching. Final certification will not be awarded until successful completion of the NES exam is earned. Test information and registration is online at www.nestest.com.

Alternative Admissions Procedures to the School of Education
Students who do not have the required grade point average, or who do not pass portions of the WEST-B test may apply for provisional admission to the School of Education by alternative means.

PROCEDURE

1. Applications will be made in writing to the Candidate Admissions, Recruitment, and Retention Committee (CARR) in care of the Certification Officer. The deadline for application will be the first Friday of the quarter preceding the quarter admission is desired (fall quarter applicants deadline will be the first Friday of spring quarter.) The written application will include the following:

     a.    A letter from the applicant’s major advisor that supports the following:

            •  Applicant’s academic ability, service experience, growth, commitment, and motivation

            •  Potential for graduate study (following graduation from the undergraduate program)

            •  Potential for success in working with diverse groups

            •  Other criteria appropriate to the applicant’s potential as a teacher

            •  Other extenuating circumstances that may have affected the applicant’s grades and test scores

     b.    One supporting letter from a former employer, supervisor, or other individual knowledgeable of the applicant’s experiences in working with young people

     c.    A personal essay by the applicant that describes their educational goals and objectives

2.    An interview with the Candidate Admissions, Recruitment, and Retention committee (CARR) may be required.

3.   Those admitted will be monitored on a quarterly basis by the CARR committee, and will meet all admission requirements prior to student teaching.

4.    Students who have been admitted to the School of Education via the CARR committee will receive personal guidance to facilitate completion of their undergraduate degrees and receipt of their certificates.

5.    For further information, contact the Teacher Certification Office at 509-963-2660.

Certification Requirements for the School of Education

• No grade lower than a C in major, minor,  and professional education foundation courses
• Minimum GPA of 2.5 in major, minor, and professional education foundation courses
• Minimum GPA of 3.0 for last 45 graded quarter credits (the total may exceed 45 if an entire quarter is needed to achieve the minimum 45) or overall CWU/transfer cumulative.
• Passing scores on the NES and/or WEST-E exam.
• Passing scores on the edTPA.

Major and Minor Concentrations
The following majors offered at CWU, may lead to Washington state approved endorsements. Students should contact the departments to request information about major requirements.

Endorsable Majors
Art Education Major
Biology Major
Chemistry Major
Computer Science Major
Early Childhood Education Major
Geology Major
Elementary Education Major
English/Language Arts: Teaching Major
Family and Consumer Sciences Career and Technical Education Teaching Major
History: Social Studies Teaching Major
Mathematics: Secondary Education
Mathematics: Middle-Level Education
Middle Level Humanities Teaching Major
Music Education Major, Choral Music Specialization
Music Education Major, Instrumental Music Specialization
Physical Education and School Health Major
Physics Major
Science: Middle-Level Education
Special Education (P-12) Major
Technology Education Broad Area Major
Technology Education Major

The following minors offered at CWU, may lead to Washington state approved endorsements. Students should contact the departments to request information about requirements.

Endorsable Minors
Bilingual Education/Teaching English as a Second Language Minor
Biology Minor
Chemistry Minor
Early Childhood Education Minor
Geology Minor
Literacy Minor
Physical Education - Dance: Teaching Minor
Physics Minor
Science Education: Broad Area Science Teaching Minor
Special Education High Incidence Inclusion (K-12) Endorsable Minor
Teaching English Language Learners Minor
Traffic Safety Education Minor

Certification
Central is in compliance with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

CWU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). NWCCU is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as the regional authority on educational quality and institutional effectiveness of higher education institutions in the seven-state Northwest region of Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.

CWU’s School of Education is approved by the state of Washington’s Professional Educators Standards Board and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction to offer programs, which lead to teacher certification. To be awarded Washington certificates, candidates must be at least 18 years of age.

Graduates of the School of Education are legally qualified for certification in states, which are party to the interstate certification compact.

Residency Certificate
The residency-teaching certificate is normally awarded simultaneously with the bachelor’s degree. Individuals who hold, or have held a residency-teaching certificate and are enrolled in a professional certificate program, may have the certificate renewed for an additional two years upon verification the individual is enrolled in a professional certificate program.

Endorsement-only Program
CWU’s endorsement-only program is available to certified teachers who hold the Washington State initial, residency, or continuing teaching certificate and who wish to add a teaching endorsement to their certificate. Teachers interested in obtaining an endorsement from CWU should obtain an application online at www.cwu.edu/teacher-certification/endorsement-programs. Once an application and transcripts are submitted, a credit evaluation will be completed.

To qualify for an endorsement to teach in more than one specialization, students must meet the requirements for each specialization. 

Certification Only
Candidates with a bachelor’s degree who desire certification must follow the guidelines for admission to the School of Education. Certification-only students may earn the residency-teaching certificate by satisfactorily completing the professional foundation courses and at least one college endorsement program. Final approval of the college endorsement program lies with the individual’s content area.

Recency of Coursework
Education courses may not be older than 10 years at the time of graduation/certification.

Program Outcomes
For information on program outcomes, please go to: www.cwu.edu/mission/assessment-improvement/slo-assessment-plans. 

Course Offerings
Frequency of course offering information can be found at the department website: www.cwu.edu/programs/school-education or by contacting the department directly.