School of Education Policies

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School of Education Program Admissions Policy

(For all undergraduate School of Education Programs)

  1. Satisfy all University entrance requirements.
  2. Meet the minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. This applies to all transfer students within Felician University (internal) and credited institution/s of higher education (external). CGPA must be in place prior to entering EDU 290.
  3. Off-Campus Community College Felician University cohort candidates must have an earned Associates Degree or equivalent. A grade of “C” or better in general education college-level courses is required for teacher education transfer credit. A grade of “B” or better in education and professional related courses is required for teacher education program transfer credit.
  4. As per NJ State DOE requirements, all candidates must show proof of passing the Praxis CORE examination or satisfying the SAT/ACT waiver prior to the completion of EDU 290 for formal admission to the School of Education. Candidates will not be permitted to continue into the professional sequence of coursework without providing this evidence. *This requirement is subject to change as it is governed by the NJDOE licensure code.

Dismissal and Probationary Policies

If a student’s cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 but is above 2.75, he/she will be placed on probation for one semester. If a student does not obtain a 3.0 GPA in the succeeding semester, the student will be dismissed from the program. A student who is dismissed from the program may apply for readmission after the student obtains a cumulative GPA of 3.0 to be considered. The student must contact either the Dean or Associate Dean to declare his/her intent. A student who is readmitted to the program must maintain a minimum 3.0 cum GPA for each subsequent semester after readmission. Candidates who are “readmitted” will be held to the licensure requirements at the time of their readmission.

Dismissal Policy Without Probation

If a student’s cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 he/she will be put on probation. Candidates admitted to the School of Education Teacher Certification track as Freshman or Transfers who do not establish a 3.0 in their first semester at the university will be dismissed from the program. The student will not be given probationary status. A student who wishes to reapply to the teacher education program must meet all of the requirements above.

School of Education Program Policies

  1. Students must complete ANY developmental coursework by the time they complete 30 college level credits. Students who transfer in more than 30 credits and who are in need of remedial work must complete developmental coursework within one year. Students cannot take any 300 level course or above until all developmental coursework is completed.
  2. Students must successfully complete all required course-embedded/non course embedded field work and demonstrate appropriate professional dispositions. Students who do not successfully complete all required field work or demonstrate inappropriate professional dispositions will not be permitted to move onto the next semester of the professional sequence.
  3. All candidates must successfully take and pass the required Praxis II licensure exams associated with their program of study prior to the beginning of the year-long student teaching experience (EDU 400/401). Candidates may apply for a Dean’s Appeal to begin EDU 400/401 under a contract. No candidate will be permitted to enter EDU 403/404 without successfully passing all required Praxis II licensure exams required by the NJDOE. Candidates may wish to secure a Praxis II Dean’s Appeal request utilizing the NJDOE approved Slide Scale (Grade Point Average (GPA) and Praxis Flexibility (nj.gov)) if they possess a minimum 3.5 cumulative grade point average and are within the range provided by the NJDOE. This appeal will allow a candidate to enter into EDU 403/404 with the expectation that the candidate will continue to take the Praxis II test and satisfy the identified passing score. This appeal can NOT be utilized for candidates with less than a 3.0 CGPA. A formal email to the Associate Dean requesting the use of the Slide Scale must be sent the semester prior to EDU 400/401 and must have the most current Praxis II scores, most recent unofficial/official transcripts to demonstrate GPA and a statement requesting the use of the Dean’s Appeal for the Praxis II Slide Scale. *This appeal is contingent on the NJDOE policy at the time of the request.
    All students must complete the year-long student internship (2 consecutive semesters) preferably Fall through Spring (September-May). EDU 403/404 must be completed during a student’s last semester and all other graduation requirements should be satisfied before entering that semester.
    Students wishing to complete clinical experiences in Catholic schools will be required to attend the Archdiocesan Protecting God’s Children program offered on campus.
  4. All School of Education students, beginning the first semester of attendance, are required to be fingerprinted and apply for a criminal background check through the NJ Department of Education.
  5. All School of Education students must submit an annual negative TB (PPD) test to the Center for Health. If the student has a positive TB test, they must complete an annual TB Symptom Assessment form. Both forms can be found at Center for Health - Felician University of New Jersey. Results can be brought to the Center for Health, mailed, or faxed to (201) 559-3579.
  6. Transfer students only (second semester sophomores and first semester juniors) are required to take EDU 290 (Transition into Teaching). All education cohort major students are required to register for EDU 290, Transition into Teaching. Registration for this course is at the discretion of the Dean of the School and/or the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs.
  7. Complete a minimum of 20 field hours of supervised contact with children in a special education environment by the end of EDU 290.
  8. All candidates entering the School of Education Teacher Certification tracks must meet all admission criteria listed above prior to the completion of EDU 290.
  9. To complete the program the following is required: Clinical Practice I and Clinical Practice II (with minimum grade of B); passing Praxis II exams, and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
  10. Maximum Allowable Credits during EDU403/404 The maximum number of credits during the Clinical Practice II semester cannot exceed 15. Exceptions to the above policy will be made at the discretion of the Dean of the School of Education.
  11. Students must adhere to all guidelines and policies stated in the Felician Student Handbook and in the Clinical Experience Handbooks (all levels and all programs). Students must adhere to all policies and procedures that are enacted after the publication of the catalog.
  12. Areas of study open to Education majors are Art, Biology, Mathematics, Science and Psychology (Psychology for the PreK-3 and K-6 degree programs only). Students may choose any of these disciplines and plan courses in consultation with an assigned faculty advisor.
  13. PRAXIS test scores must be submitted to the Office of Field Placement. Please select Felician University to receive your scores (code 2321). Be sure to utilize your SSN and the correct code number provided.
  14. Every upper-level teacher education student must have evidence of his/her Criminal Background Check and New Jersey State Department of Education Applicant Authorization and Certification form (Substitute Teaching Certificate) in order to register for courses beyond EDU 290. A copy of the form must be submitted to the Office of Field Placement to be placed in the student’s folder.

Transfer Policy for Internal and External Students

  1. EDU 290 Transition into Teaching is for the transfer student whose classification level is second semester sophomore or first semester junior. All students in this course are required to take the Praxis CORE examination and show proof of passing.
  2. Satisfy all University transfer requirements.
  3. All transfer students entering the program must meet the minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
  4. All candidates are required to successfully pass the Praxis CORE examination prior to the completion of EDU 290.
  5. A grade of “C” or better in general college-level courses is required for program transfer credit. A grade of “B’ or better in education and professional related courses is required for School of Education program transfer credit.
  6. University-level courses related to the program cannot have been completed more than 10 years prior to admission to the program and must meet the same Student Learning Outcomes/Objectives as current course offerings to be counted (including required field experiences).
  7. Transferring of college credits will be done on an individual basis.
  8. The number of college credits successfully earned will determine the student’s Field Experience and Seminar course.
  9. All School of Education students beginning the first semester of attendance are required to be fingerprinted and apply for a criminal background check through the NJ Department of Education prior to formal acceptance to the School of Education program.
  10. EDU 290 Transition into Teaching is for all traditional, cohort & Off-Campus Felician Teacher Education Cohort students.

Clinical Experience Policies and Guidelines

The following courses in the Professional Sequence include early field experience requirements and the culminating Clinical Practice I and the capstone Clinical Practice Seminar and Internship: EDU 302, The Integrated Curriculum: Social Studies & ELA; EDU 312, The Integrated Curriculum: ELA & the Content Areas; EDU 304/314, Inquiry Based Learning & the Clinical Experience; EDU 400, Clinical Practice I; EDU 401, Clinical Practice I Seminar; EDU 403, Clinical Practice II Seminar; and EDU 404, Clinical Practice II -the Clinical Internship.

Removal from any EDU course due to Student Performance for Academic and Non Academic Reasons in the Clinical Experience Setting:

A committee comprised of the Director of Internships and Assessments, SoE Associate Dean, the cooperating teacher, university supervisor and seminar instructor will decide if the student should be removed from his/her placement for academic performance, professional or disciplinary reasons. The Committee reserves the right to review each student’s situation on a case-by-case basis and apply the following policy accordingly.

Upon the recommendation of the Committee, the Dean of the School of Education, with the approval of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, reserves the right to dismiss a student from the School of Education at any time for behavior which is deemed unethical, unprofessional or not up to academic standards. The student in question has the right to appeal the decision.

If removed by Felician University for academic reasons, the student will receive a grade of incomplete (“INC”) for that semester. This option is for one time. The Director of Internships and Assessments, in consultation with the Dean of the School and/or Associate Dean, will place the student in another setting for the next succeeding semester in a different school/district.

If the student rejects the second placement, the student will receive a grade of “F” for the EDU course with field requirement and will not have another request for placement made.

If the student experiences difficulty in the first placement but asks to remain at the first placement and subsequently fails any of the next courses/field experiences in the professional sequence, no second attempt will be permitted.

If the student is removed for something other than academic reasons, the student will receive a grade of “F” and will be dismissed from the program. The student may appeal the decision following the guidelines in the Felician University catalog.

When the student is in another setting, he/she must attempt to remediate all deficiencies cited during their previous experience by the end of that semester. In this second setting, the student will implement a written action plan created by the Committee. During the second attempt, the student will be required to attain specific performance benchmarks at three-week intervals, which will be evaluated by the cooperating teacher, supervisor, and seminar instructor.

A different supervisor will be assigned for the second attempt. The student will be required to pay the cooperating teacher’s stipend for Clinical Practice I and/or II.

At any point during the second attempt in any professional sequence course/field experience the student may be removed from the placement for deficiencies noted by members of the Committee. The student will receive a grade of “F” and will be dismissed from the program.

If the student fails his/her second attempt, Felician University will not find another placement and will issue a grade of “F” on the student’s transcript.

If the Director of Internships and Assessments and the supervisor determine that the placement is unsatisfactory, the student may be removed from that setting. The Office of Internships and Assessments will obtain a suitable placement and the appropriate number of days or weeks will be added to the new assignment.

All students are required to complete the Clinical Competency Inventory (CCI) during their Clinical Internships. The CCI will be done by the intern, cooperating teacher and university supervisor during the 4th and 8th observation during EDU 403/404. Candidates must achieve a cumulative average of 3.0 or better (Proficient) by the University supervisor on the 7th observation to successfully pass the student internship. Candidates who do not achieve a 3.0 (Proficient Score) will be required to repeat EDU 403/404 for another semester. Candidates who are unable to meet the Proficient requirement after one semester extension will be removed from the program and a grade of “F” will be given for EDU 404.

Withdrawal from any Professional Sequence course with embedded or attached field experiences:

  • If a student withdraws from any professional sequence course with embedded or attached field experiences after the add/drop period has expired, the Office of Internships and Assessments will not obtain another field placement for the student. This student will receive a grade of “F” on his/her transcript and will be dismissed from the program. Exceptions to this procedure would be determined by the Committee.

Dismissal for other than Academic Reasons:

  • If a student is removed for other than academic reasons, the student will receive a grade of “F” and will be dismissed from the program. The student may appeal the decision following the guidelines in the Felician University catalog.