PREPARING TEACHERS ONE BY ONE

Education Department

Education Department
Dr. B. Malcolm Lively

Phone 757.455.3301

Field Experiences
Mrs. Stacey L. Wollerton

Phone 757.455.3138

 

Alternative Certification for Teachers (ACT)

Tom Farley
Tom Farley
Motto: "It's not the destination....it's the journey."

ACT Program Coordinator and Advisor; VWC Adjunct Professor; Program Development Coordinator K-12

» Tom Farley Personal Web Site
» Tom Farley VWC Web Site

Tom Farley is a lifelong resident of the Hampton Roads area. He was a teacher in the Chesapeake Public Schools from 1973-2004, and, an Adjunct Professor at Virginia Wesleyan College since 1986. His Bachelor’s degree is from Virginia Tech with a double major in History and English; his Masters in Education degree is from Old Dominion University. His last assignment with Chesapeake Public Schools (before retiring in 2004) was Social Studies Department Chair at Hickory High School. He won Teacher of the Year honors in 1989, consistently recorded the highest SOL and AP U.S. History scores in the city, and, is widely renowned as a leader in promoting and implementing educational technology throughout the area.

At VWC, he currently teaches Physical, Cultural and Human Geography (Geog. 111, 112 and 113), is the Program Development Coordinator K-12 for the VWC Adult Studies Program and the Education Department, and is the ACT Program Coordinator and Advisor.

Application and Registration process

Alternative Certification for Teachers (ACT) is a teacher education program designed to provide the "career changer" with teacher certification in either elementary (preK-6) or secondary education(6-12). Classes are held in the evening, on weekends and during the summer. The program meets the Virginia Department of Education Standards.

The applicant must have an earned bachelor's degree and have been involved in a career for at least a year.

The applicant must also earn passing scores on Praxis I and The Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (VCLA) before enrolling in the program.

If the applicant is holding an active provisional license with the Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Chesapeake or Portsmouth school divisions, they are eligible for a 50% tuition discount on all courses needed to complete their VDOE requirement under the VWC Take Five Initiative. Click on this link to read the introductory letter to Take Five prospects.

ACT Program courses are offered through the Adult Studies Program. Advisor appointments, applications, registration forms, parking decals and tuition payments are all processed through the Adult Studies Office (located off the lobby on the first floor of Clarke Hall - 455-3263).

Course Schedule for Adult Studies Evening, Weekend and Summer Courses

Interpreting transcripts

The Director of Teacher Education and your ACT Advisor evaluate the applicant's transcripts for the following requirements:

  1. Degrees and major areas of study
  2. Content competencies as outlined by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). These competencies are very specific to each licensure area. The Virginia Licensure Regulations for School Personnel has the endorsement requirements (content and professional studies coursework) for every teaching license issued by the VDOE.

Teacher certification tracks

ACT students collaborate on a project

Virginia Wesleyan College Education Department offers three teacher certification tracks.

  • Track 1 - the initial teacher full licensure program (including required content courses, education courses, assessments, practicum and student teaching). College transcripts are used to determine what course needs must be met by Track I participants.
  • Track 2 - the conditional/provisional licensure course work option (for teachers with an active conditional or provisional license). A copy of the VDOE course assessment letter (memo) must be provided to determine the correct course registration.  The Take Five Initiative is under Track 2 of the ACT Program.
  • Track 3 - the professional development option (for teachers who want courses for recertification, National Board Certification support or personal interest).

The three tracks are designed to be broad in scope and flexible enough to meet the needs of the adult student, with courses offered in the evening, on weekends and during the summer.