News about test scores and public school accreditation under Virginia's Standards of Learning (SOL) program often makes headlines.
But teacher competencies are another key component of the SOLs, and Virginia Wesleyan College is well on the way to ensuring its graduates meet these standards.
"I'm proud of the state's position," said Karen A. Bosch, Ph.D., coordinator of the Education Department. "The SOL requirements are a guide for us, and there's a lot of excitement and enthusiasm about the opportunity to enhance our teacher certification program."
Wesleyan, along with about 35 other institutions of higher education in Virginia, began responding to the state's standards in 2000. The college will undergo its first state review in March. "We feel we're doing an excellent job," Bosch says.
"Everybody here has been so helpful in integrating required teacher competencies into their curriculum," Bosch said. For example, these new competencies require teachers to know a lot about U.S. history, world history and U.S. government.
With a motto of "preparing teachers one by one," Wesleyan is doing something right, as evidenced by its phenomenal hiring rate. Eighty-nine percent of May graduates from the teacher certification program found teaching jobs, with the majority of remaining grads remaining unemployed by choice.
Besides working to comply with state standards, Wesleyan has made other changes to its education program. Recently a special education component was added that certifies teachers to work with students with learning disabilities.
Elementary education certification was also added to the Alternate Certification for Teachers (ACT) program. This evening program, designed for "career changers," previously offered certification for secondary education only. The inter- disciplinary program now provides an endorsement for teaching in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade.
Changes such as these serve to enhance a teacher certification program that has earned a reputation for quality.