Initial Teacher Licensure
In addition to the course work (listed under each area to the left) and the Practicum, each licensure student must also complete a Teacher Licensure Portfolio, which is an accumulation of relevant work completed during the program. Successful completion of required courses usually indicates readiness for student teaching; however, occasionally additional work may be necessary to become recommended for licensure.
Prior to student teaching, all applicants for a Vermont initial educator license are required to meet the passing scores established by the Vermont State Board of Education on the Praxis I (Academic Skills Assessment) and Praxis II (Subject Assessments). For more information, go to the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Web site at www.ets.org/praxis or call the ETS Customer Service at 609.771.7395 (24 hours a day).
Student Teaching
All students who are in an initial licensure program must take a Practicum (Student Teaching) course. This course is taken concurrently with the Student Teaching Seminar and the required portfolio is finished during this time.
Students must apply for a student teaching placement at least one semester before actual student teaching and are placed in a school with careful consideration of the area in which they are being licensed. For questions on Student Teaching, please contact the Licensure Coordinator, Karen Donovan, kdonovan@smcvt.ed, 802.654.2826.
Important Note Regarding All Teacher Licensure Programs
Please note that course requirements for Licensure as listed in our Graduate Catalogue are subject to change according to State regulation. Please check with the Licensure Coordinator, Karen Donovan, kdonovan@smcvt.edu, for any questions you may have on Licensure courses.
Only 18 credits of the course work towards teacher licensure may be applied to the requirements for the M.Ed. degree, and certain courses in the licensure programs (such as GED 688 Practicum) cannot be applied towards the M.Ed. degree. Students should work closely with an academic advisor when planning their course of study towards teacher licensure and the M.Ed. degree.
Currently many states have a license reciprocity agreement with Vermont. Their specific requirements, however, are always subject to change. For updated information on the State of Vermont Board of Education Licensing Information, visit http://www.state.vt.us/educ/new/html/maincert.html
If you intend to teach outside Vermont after obtaining your Vermont license, you should first contact the relevant state to verify reciprocity and establish exactly what you will need in order to obtain a license in that state.
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For more information on initial teacher licensure, contact:
Karen Donovan
Licensure Coordinator
Saint Edmund's Hall 306
kdonovan@smcvt.edu
802.654.2826
Box 281
or
Karen Abbott, Program Assistant
Graduate Education Office
kabbott@smcvt.edu
802.654.2649
For current State of Vermont Board of Education license information, visit:
http://www.state.vt.us/educ/new/html/maincert.html