Levin College of Public Affairs and Education

AT-A-GLANCE

Web-page: https://levin.csuohio.edu/

INTRODUCTION

The Levin College of Public Affairs and Education prepares students to serve real communities and real people as they learn to address societal challenges while building and sustaining complex urban systems.  Levin degrees, certificates and programs prepare new generations of leaders for careers throughout Northeast Ohio and around the globe. College programs are divided into two categories: public affairs and education.  Public affairs programs, housed in the Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs, the School of Communication, and the Department of Criminology/Sociology, address the following topics:

• City management and planning
• Communication studies
• Crime and criminal justice
• Economic development
• Environmental and sustainability policy
• Journalism and promotional communication
• Nonprofit administration
• Organizational leadership
• Public safety management and homeland security
• Social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior

Education programs, housed in the Department of Teacher Education, prepare students for teaching careers in P-12 programs with a wide variety of student populations and grade levels, including:

• Primary teachers in grades P-5
• Middle childhood teachers in grades 4-9 specializing in two core content areas
• Secondary teachers (7-12) in mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies
• Special education intervention specialists for mild/moderate or moderate/intensive students
• Multi-age teachers in music or world language education

General Requirements

All degree programs in the college require a minimum of 120 credit hours. Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in the college must complete at least 36 credit hours of upper-division (300- and 400-level) courses. Students must also satisfy school and major-field requirements as described in the program pages below.

STUDENT SERVICES CENTERS

Levin students are served by the Public Affairs Student Services Center and the Education Student Services Center, depending on their major. These centers are dedicated to meeting the diverse needs of students. Student Service center staff provide registration assistance and academic advising and coordinate internships, graduate assistantships, and scholarship awards. Additional information about advising and student services is available online at https://levin.csuohio.edu/levin/levin-advising-and-student-services.

INTERNSHIPS

Internships are available and may be required in some programs. These experiences place students in actual work settings related to their educational and career interests. Students will be able (or may be required) to register in a corresponding course, thereby earning academic credit. Students must meet eligibility criteria set by the academic department. Interested students should contact their advisor.

Education Licensure-Specific Requirements

Admission Requirements - Teacher Licensure Programs

Most majors in the Levin college require students to satisfy general university admission requirements to declare a major.  However, students planning to major in P-5 Education, Middle Childhood Education or Special Education must be admitted to a licensure program in the Levin College of Public Affairs and Education by meeting the requirements below.  After completion of the requirements, the student should apply for admission to the college at least one semester in advance of the start of course work in the major.  This involves the satisfactory completion of an intake appointment with an advisor in the Education Student Services Center (Julka Hall 170).

Undergraduate students seeking a teaching license in Adolescent/Young Adult, Music, French, or Spanish should first be admitted to a major in the College of Arts and Sciences, and then declare a license in education through an intake appointment with an advisor in the Education Student Services center (Julka Hall 170).

College graduates seeking a teaching license as a post-baccalaureate student must gain admission to the university through the Undergraduate Admissions Office and then to the Levin College of Public Affairs and Education through the Education Student Services Center, Julka Hall 170.

Students pursuing a major or license leading to teacher licensure (P-5 Education, Middle Childhood Education or Special Education) are required to meet the following standards and requirements to be fully accepted into a licensure program and prior to registering for professional course work in education beyond Rotation 1 (for majors) or Step 1 (for non-major licensure programs):

1. Entrance GPA
2. Proficiency in math and English at the college level
3. Background check

In addition to these requirements, post-baccalaureate candidates who complete all academic content courses prior to CSU professional course work (e.g. adolescent/young adult or middle grades licensure areas) must take and pass the relevant Ohio Assessments for Educators content knowledge assessment prior to admission.  Candidates who need to take content courses at Cleveland State are allowed to take content knowledge assessments prior to student teaching.

Undergraduate and post-baccalaureate candidates taking undergraduate licensure courses must satisfy the first two requirements as follows:

1. GPA: The candidate must have an institutional or transfer undergraduate GPA (from 30 or more semester hours of college-level courses) of 2.75 or better at the time of acceptance into a licensure program. All course work taken at other institutions is counted in calculating this grade-point average until the student has completed 12 or more credit hours at Cleveland State University, after which only the Cleveland State grade-point average is considered.
2. Math/English: A composite ACT* score of 20 or higher OR evidence of competency in mathematics and English as demonstrated below.

• A math ACT* sub-score of 18 or higher OR a grade of B- or better in a college-level math course
• An English and Reading ACT* sub-score of 18 or higher OR a grade of B- or better in a college-level English course

*Examples of equivalent nationally normed assessment of mathematical, reading, and writing achievement: SAT Composite Score of 1020; SAT Math Section score of 510; SAT Evidence-based Reading and Writing score of 510; Praxis Core for Educators scores of Math: 150, Reading: 156, Writing: 162.

The third admission requirement mandates that all prospective licensure candidates in programs requiring field work pay for an initial BCI/FBI check at the time of their initial visit to the Education Student Services Center (except for international students, who are required to have a BCI/FBI check prior to starting their first field experience). Throughout their licensure program, candidates are required to pay for and complete additional BCI/FBI fingerprinting checks to ensure that a valid report is always on file with the Office of Field Services as required for field placement.

Prospective candidates with criminal records indicating convicted offenses considered by the Ohio Department of Education to be “absolute bars” to licensure will be denied acceptance to the college and any registration permissions for subsequent semesters will be revoked. Prospective candidates with criminal records indicating convicted offenses eligible for rehabilitation will be referred to the Ohio Department of Education Office of Professional Conduct to determine whether they will be able to obtain a teaching license.

After completion of this background check and satisfaction of other college admission requirements, the prospective candidate would be granted program acceptance and become eligible to enroll in CPAE courses requiring admission to the program.

Professional Standards - Teacher Licensure

All students enrolled in teacher licensure programs must maintain the following standards:

1. All students must achieve a cumulative Cleveland State University grade-point average of at least 2.75
2. All students must maintain a grade-point average of at least 3.0 for professional course work in education. No grades of D or F will be accepted. No grade lower than B will be accepted in the practicum experience. Professional course work may be repeated with the approval of the Education Student Services Center.
3. All students seeking licensure in Music, Foreign Language, Middle Childhood, or Adolescent/Young Adult areas must achieve a grade-point average of at least 2.50 in all content area course work required for licensure as identified on the program checklist.
4. Students are urged to participate extensively in school and community service as part of their professional preparation. Each student will have opportunities for field experience within the context of a number of professional courses required by the college. However, students are also encouraged to participate in voluntary group leadership activities in community agencies. Assistance in locating such opportunities is provided by the college.

Internship - Teacher Licensure

In addition to those professional standards and the grade-point average requirements listed above, the following must be completed prior to approval to enroll in Internship:

1. A student must provide evidence of having taken all state-required licensure examinations prior to the start of the Internship. In addition a student in French or Spanish must demonstrate oral and written proficiency at the ACTFL “Intermediate/High” level.
2. A student must satisfy checkpoint portfolio requirements as described in the relevant portfolio handbook (found on the College website).
3. A student must submit a negative TB (tuberculosis) test report (Mantoux version).
4. A student in P-5, Mild/Moderate, or Moderate/Intensive must submit verification of having completed a series of three Hepatitis B shots.
5. A student must complete a civilian background check (fingerprint check) and submit a copy of a valid and unexpired Clearance Report from the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
6. A student must be enrolled in the appropriate college and must have declared the appropriate major and/or license (students in Adolescent/Young Adult programs, Music, and Foreign-Language Education should be enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences and, except for Music, should declare a license in Education. Post-baccalaureate students should be enrolled in the Levin College of Public Affairs and Education.
7. Application for the Internship must be submitted to the Office of Field Services by September 15 (for spring placement) or February 15 (for fall placement).
8. At least two semesters of academic work must be completed in the College of Public Affairs and Education before a student is eligible for the Internship.
9. A student must have completed a minimum of 100 credit hours prior to the Internship. All required professional education courses and at least 75% of all content area courses required for licensure must be completed prior to student teaching.

Additional information about all licensure standards and requirements is available in the Education Student Services Center, Julka Hall 170 or the Office of Field Services, Julka Hall 187.

Note: Students in those programs requiring an internship experience must complete requirements 2 through 7 above before the start of the experience in addition to all specified prerequisite course work.

Note: A student may not repeat Internship I or II without approval of an education petition. For information about this procedure, visit the Education Student Services Center, Julka Hall 170.

Portfolio - Teacher Licensure

All teaching licensure students are expected to maintain a portfolio while completing their professional coursework and field experiences. All teaching licensure students are required to complete portfolio requirements using TaskStream.

Students are responsible for housing various required and optional artifacts that demonstrate their level of competency in each of the following seven standards:

1. The CSU teacher education candidate understands student learning and development and respects the diversity of the students he/she teaches.
2. The CSU teacher education candidate understands content, disciplinary concepts, and tools of inquiry related to the development of an educated person.
3. The CSU teacher education candidate uses varied assessments to inform instruction, promote academic and social development, and evaluate and ensure student learning.
4. The CSU teacher education candidate plans and implements developmentally appropriate instruction that engages students meaningfully and results in learning.
5. The CSU teacher education candidate creates learning environments that motivate all learners and promote high levels of learning and achievement.
6. The CSU teacher education candidate collaborates and communicates with students, parents, other educators, administrators, and the community to support student learning.
7. The CSU teacher education candidate is a reflective practitioner who assumes responsibility for professional growth, performance, and involvement as an individual and as a member of a learning community.

At various checkpoints, students must meet specific criteria to be eligible to continue to the next phase of their program. For complete information on portfolios, students are advised to access the Student Portfolio Handbook available at the following:

TaskStream: https://levin.csuohio.edu/office-of-field-services/taskstream-support

State Licensure Assessments

To be eligible for a teaching license, all students are required to pass examinations in at least two areas: Assessment of Professional Knowledge and Content Assessments. Students should refer to the undergraduate checklist to determine which examinations are required for their licensure area. Minimum scores are set by the Ohio Department of Education. Approval for teaching licensure cannot be given if the student fails to meet the cut-off score on any required test. If the cut-off score is not achieved, each test may be repeated until a passing grade is achieved. All first licensure students are required to complete and submit their licensure-specific edTPA for national scoring during their final semester.  Candidates who achieve a passing edTPA score can use this score to satisfy their Assessment of Professional Knowledge requirement.  Pertinent information is available in the Education Student Services Center, or at  www.oh.nesinc.com.

NOTE:  Licensure examinations and qualifying scores are subject to change without prior notice by the Ohio State Board of Education. Students are advised to always check the ODE website (http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Teaching/Educator-Licensure/Prepare-for-Certificate-License/Educator-Licensure-Examinations) before registering for any examinations. Also note that when applying to take exams, students must specifically identify Cleveland State as the attending institution and request that a copy of the score report be sent to CSU. Students who passed Praxis exams for licensure but were never issued the license, must meet current Ohio licensure exam requirements when applying for the Ohio license on or after July 1, 2019.

Teaching Licensure Application

All requests for a new credential must be completed on-line through the Ohio Department of Educations (ODE) website. Information regarding the on-line application process can be found at http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Teaching/Educator-Licensure. All candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for a teaching license as soon as possible after the completion of their program to ensure that they satisfy all state requirements in effect at the time of application. College policies on licensure applications, including time limits for applications, are available at the college advising web site: https://levin.csuohio.edu/essc/licensure-tests-applications.

Resident Educator Program

Students completing all requirements for initial teaching license receive a two-year State of Ohio Resident Educator License. These individuals will be granted a Professional Teaching License upon successful completion of a Resident Educator Program as a teacher. The Resident Educator Program includes a formal program of support, mentoring, and assessment designed to foster professional growth. More information on this process is available through the Ohio Department of Education.

Ohio Educator Preparation Performance Report

All institutions of higher education which prepare teachers must make a public report each year of important aspects of their programs, including the Ohio Assessment for Educators examination passage rates for the students who complete teacher preparation programs at their institutions. Current information about the passing rate as well as other relevant data about Cleveland State teacher candidates is available at https://levin.csuohio.edu/education-and-human-services/educator-performance-data.