REQUIREMENTS
AND PROCEDURES FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE
While
courses, practica and other clinical experiences contribute
essential opportunities and knowledge to the prospective
teacher, clinical practice is the time for experiencing
the exciting and rewarding aspects of actual classroom
teaching. For the prospective teacher, the clinical experience
is, in all probability, the single most important experience
in the professional education component.
A
semester of clinical practice with a minimum of sixty
full days is required for all candidates who intend
to be certified as a teacher. Candidates are placed in
selected public schools under the joint supervision of
experienced classroom teachers and clinical faculty members.
The success of clinical practice as a period of professional
growth and an induction into teaching is dependent largely
upon the candidate's commitment, skills, and cooperation,
as well as the support and guidance offered by the cooperating
teacher, other school staff members, and clinical supervisor.
The
Clinical Practice experience requires a large time commitment,
and it is recommended that plans be made which allow the
candidate the opportunity to fulfill this commitment. Many
times evenings will be used for attendance at school functions
or to prepare lesson plans, grade papers, and make instructional
materials.
It
is important that the candidate recognize both the opportunities
and responsibilities involved in the Clinical Practice
experience. All of these are outlined specifically in the
Charleston Southern University Guidelines for Clinical
Practice.
Candidates
that expect to do their Clinical Practice during the Spring
Semester must submit applications by March 15th of the
prior year. Candidates that expect to do their Clinical
Practice during the Fall Semester must submit applications
by October 15th of the prior year.
To
be eligible for clinical practice a candidate must adhere
to the following criteria:
Benchmark
3: Admission to Clinical Practice
1.
Complete application for Clinical Practice
2. Obtain FBI/SLED clearance prior to Clinical Practice
3. Pass PRAXIS II: Subject Assessments/Speciality Area Tests and Principles
of Learning prior to Clinical Practice
4. Minimum overall GPA of 2.5 and for Secondary/PK-12 programs a GPA of 2.5
in Specialized Studies
5. Approval by the Teacher Education Committee including Dispositions
6. Obtain formal admission to Clinical Practice
REQUIRED EXAMINATIONS (PRAXIS II)
In
addition to the completion of specified scholastic requirements,
an individual applying for teacher licensure must present
the minimum required score on the appropriate examination(s)
as established by the South Carolina State Board of Education.
A
summary of test information is available through the Educational
Testing Service (ETS). The ETS site also has specific information
on each test, sample test questions and registration information.
Consult
the test requirements listed below to determine the test
requirements for South Carolina: http://www.scteachers.org/cert/Certpdf/required_examinations.pdf 
Benchmark 4: Program Completion
1.
Minimum overall GPA of 2.5 and for Secondary/PK-12 programs
a GPA of 25 in Specialized Studies
2. Demonstrate at least 80% competency in each domain of the final ADEPT
with no “Needs Improvement” in Clinical Practice
3. Complete degree requirements for University
TEACHER
LICENSURE
Candidates
will be recommended for a teaching certificate only if
they have met all requirements previously outlined in their
official programs of study and passed the required licensing
examinations. It takes approximately eight weeks for the
teaching license to be processed.
Completion
of an approved program and passing the required licensing
examinations does not automatically ensure recommendation
for certification by the Dean of Education. Although completion
of an approved program of studies will usually result in
recommendation, it may in fact be withheld as a result
of failure to satisfactorily complete requirements and
activities described by the faculty, unsatisfactory performance
during clinical experience, or the candidate’s failure
to change behaviors, which are considered to be impediments
to successful teaching.
For
candidates seeking certification in states other than South
Carolina, it is strongly recommended that they obtain a
South Carolina teaching certificate first. Many states
have reciprocal agreements with South Carolina that allow
individuals who hold a South Carolina teaching certificate
to receive initial certification in those states.
RECIPROCAL
LICENSING
The
following states are a few of the state that have reciprocal
agreements with South Carolina that allows individuals
who hold a South Carolina teaching license to receive initial
certification. Alabama, California, Delaware, Florida,
Hawaii, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North
Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah,
Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia. For
a complete list refer to the following website: http://www.scteachers.org/cert/reciprost.cfm.
