School of Education

Joseph W. Beeson II, MS, Interim Dean

Distinguished Professor Emeritus

Martha E. MacCullough, EdD

Professor

Dianne K. Alexander, EdD, Program Advisor, Early Childhood/Elementary Education (PK-4)
Debbie L. Wolf, PhD, Chair, Music Education (PK-12)

Associate Professor

Stephanie F. Chung, EdD, Program Advisor, Special Education (PK-8, 7-12) and Applied Behavior Analysis/Autism Spectrum Disorder

Assistant Professor

Gregory J. Fanus, MA, Program Advisor, Health and Physical Education (PK-12)
Mary R. Perley, MA

Part-time Faculty

Rebecca Cella, MEd, Director of Student Teaching and Field Placement
Barbara J. Cooper, MEd
Charlotte L. Gleason, MLS
Diane K. Kloth, MEd

Adjunct Faculty

Jill Barnes, MS
Rebecca Benjamin, MS
Victoria Chandler, MEd
Paula R. Gossard, PhD
Deborah L. MacCullough, PhD
Judy E. Severns, MEd
Jason D. VanBilliard, EdD
Stephen M. Weir, MS

The School

The School of Education at Cairn University exists to prepare highly qualified, biblically-minded educators for the teaching and educational leadership professions.

Teachers must be able to orchestrate experiences that lead to student learning in an environment that fosters the development of the whole person. Teachers must be knowledgeable in their subject areas and understand human development and learning. They must be able to put this knowledge to use in skillful lesson planning, decision-making, and interactive methodology. Teachers must be motivators, facilitators, counselors, curriculum planners, diagnosticians, evaluators, human relations experts, disciplinarians, record-keepers, effective thinkers and learners, and reflective professionals seeking ongoing improvement and excellence. It is important that teachers be role models: people of unquestionable moral character, enthusiastic about life and learning, and committed to the high values of the teaching profession. The Christian educator must be committed to a Christian worldview and should apply these principles in service. The School of Education at Cairn seeks top quality entrants for the teacher preparation programs.

The School of Education has developed a set of undergraduate competencies that, when fulfilled, will produce a teacher marked by excellence. These competencies may be found in the School of Education Undergraduate Handbook.

Goals

Planning and Preparation. The candidate will demonstrate competence in developing learning goals, assessments, and instructional plans that evidence knowledge of learning theory, content, pedagogy, academic standards, and individual student needs.
Classroom Environment. The candidate will demonstrate competence in establishing and maintaining an inclusive, respectful learning community that instills within each student a strong sense of safety and belonging while upholding clear expectations for learning and conduct.
Instructional Delivery. The candidate will demonstrate competence in promoting active, engaged learning within each student through applying knowledge of content, delivery skills, and a variety of instructional and assessment strategies.
Professionalism and Character. The candidate will be well-informed about educational research and policies, cultivate professional relationships, and maintain ethical conduct within and beyond the classroom.
Biblical Worldview. The candidate will demonstrate a biblical worldview that undergirds and informs content knowledge, instructional practices, and relationships with students, colleagues, and administrators.

The Programs

Elementary/Early Childhood Education (PK-4)

Program leads to the PK-4 Pennsylvania Instructional I certification for public school teaching and the Standard Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) Elementary certificate required by many Christian schools worldwide. This program may be taken with PK-8 Special Education, which leads to PK-8 Pennsylvania Instructional I certification in special education for public school teaching and Standard PK-8 ACSI certification in special education. Students have the option of taking Elementary/Early Childhood Education (PK-4) as a single-degree (BS in Education) or double-degree (BS in Bible/BS in Education) program.

Elementary/Middle Level Education (4-8)

Program leads to the 4-8 Pennsylvania Instructional I certification for public school teaching and the Standard ACSI Elementary certificate for Christian school teaching. This program may be taken with PK-8 Special Education, which leads to PK-8 Pennsylvania Instructional I certification in special education for public school teaching and Standard K-8 ACSI certification in special education. Students have the option of taking Elementary/Middle Level Education (4-8) as a single-degree (BS in Education) or double-degree (BS in Bible/BS in Education) program.

Secondary Education: English, Mathematics, and Social Studies

Programs lead to the 7-12 Pennsylvania Instructional I certification for public school teaching and the Standard 7-12 ACSI certificate for Christian school teaching. These programs may be taken with the 7-12 Special Education, which leads to 7-12 Pennsylvania Instructional I certification in special education for public school teaching and Standard 7-12 ACSI certification in Special Education. Students have the option of taking secondary education as a single-degree (BS in Education) or double-degree (BS in Bible/BS in Education) program.

Health and Physical Education PK-12

Program leads to the PK-12 Pennsylvania Instructional I certification for public school teaching and the Standard K-12 ACSI certificate for Christian school teaching. This program may be taken with PK-8 or 7-12 Special Education, which leads to PK-8 or 7-12 Pennsylvania Instructional I certification in special education for public school teaching and Standard K-8 or 7-12 ACSI certification in special education. Students have the option of taking Health and Physical Education PK-12 as a single-degree (BS in Education) or double-degree (BS in Bible/BS in Education) program.

Music Education

Program leads to the PK-12 Pennsylvania Instructional I certification for public school teaching and the Standard K-12 ACSI certificate for music education. This program may be taken with PK-8 or 7-12 Special Education, which leads to PK-8 or 7-12 Pennsylvania Instructional I certification in special education for public school teaching and Standard K-8 or 7-12 ACSI certification in special education. Students have the option of taking Music Education as a single-degree (BMus) or double-degree (BS in Bible/BMus) program (under the joint administration of the School of Music and the School of Education).

Preschool-Kindergarten Education

Program leads to state private school licensure for nursery/kindergarten teaching and the Standard ACSI Early Childhood (nursery/kindergarten) teaching certificate. This program is designed to prepare the student for a professional career in the field of preschool education and leads to the BS in Bible degree.

Secondary Bible and History Education

Program leads to the Standard 7-12 ACSI certificate for Christian school teaching and the BS in Bible degree. The Commonwealth of PA does not certify in history. Social studies should be pursued if PA teaching certification is desired.

Bible Education K-12

Program leads to Standard K-12 ACSI certificate for Christian school teaching and the BS in Bible degree. A student may opt to pursue the 7-12 Bible teaching certification instead of the K-12 with slight adjustments.

Applied Behavior Analysis (with Autism Spectrum Disorders Endorsement)

This program leads to the add-on PA Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) endorsement and also meets the coursework requirements for the Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) credential. Additional requirements must be met to qualify for the credential. Undergraduates with a minimum GPA of 3.0 are eligible to complete the graduate program to partially satisfy the coursework requirements for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) credential (see Cairn Univeristy Graduate Catalog).

TESOL

Program leads to the add-on ESL certificate from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and may be added to any of the above certification programs. This additional program prepares the student to teach English as a second language in various contexts, focusing on local PK-12 schools.

Special Education PK-8 or 7-12

Students may choose to add Special Education certification to a PK-4, 4-8, or 7-12 certification program in the School of Education. The program leads to an add-on PK-8 or 7-12 Pennsylvania Instructional I certification for public school teaching in special education and the Standard K-8 or 7-12 ACSI certificate in special education. Two of the courses in the program, SPE 481 and SPE 482, also apply to the Applied Behavior Analysis (with Autism Spectrum Disorders endorsement) Program.

Dual-Level BS in Bible/MS in Education

Students who qualify may enter one of the dual-level programs and earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in a reduced amount of time (normally five years and one summer). Six of the above certification programs are available in this format: Elementary/Early Childhood Education (PK-4); Elementary/Middle Level Education (4-8); Health and Physical Education PK-12; and Secondary Education: English, Mathematics, or Social Studies. Students may add certification in TESOL, Special Education PK-8, Special Education 7-12, or the ASD endorsement. All of these programs lead to two degrees, the BS in Bible and the MS in Education.

Education Minor

A minor in education is also available. A minimum of 18 credits of focused study in education is required and may be added to any of the existing undergraduate degree programs in the University.

Special Education Minor

A minor in special education is also available. A minimum of 18 credits of focused study in special education is required and may be added to any of the existing undergraduate degree programs in the University.

Related Program Information

Requirements

Requirements for admission to and completion of a Teacher Education program are found in detail in the School of Education Undergraduate Handbook and the School of Education Student Teaching Handbook. Briefly, these include the following:

Admission to a Teacher Education Program

Full admission to a Teacher Education program is a two-step process: first, the student’s declaration of intent to become a member of the School of Education (often during the University admission process), followed by application for PA certification candidacy (after meeting certain requirements).

Membership in the School of Education
Students may become members of the School of Education after meeting all published entrance requirements, often during the process of the student’s admission to Cairn. A student officially becomes a member of the School of Education upon choosing a degree program offered by the School. (Note: A degree-granting program itself does not lead to certification.) Students whose combined SAT scores are below 920 may declare education as their major after successfully passing the required tests of basic skills.

Application for PA Certification Candidacy
After completion of 48 semester hours, but prior to completion of 60 semester hours (usually the third or fourth semester), an Education major should apply for acceptance into a specific PA certification program. Acceptance is conditioned upon the following:

Minimum overall GPA of 2.8 at time of application
Successful completion of EDU 101 - Foundations of Education and EDU 102 - Field Observation
Completion of ENG 101 - English Composition and one American or British literature course with grade of C or above
Completion of two mathematics courses with grade of C or above.
Recommendation by the Office of Student Life
Recommendation by the University advisor
Completion of required Basic Skills Tests with passing scores
Completion of an oral communication assessment
Completion of Stage 1 & 2 Competency Portfolio

Program completion

The student must:

Obtain a minimum GPA of 3.0. (The University requires a 2.0 to earn a degree; a 3.0 is required for certification.)
Complete all courses in the chosen curriculum.
Successfully complete EDU 593 - Student Teaching, measured by the PDE-430 evaluation process. A grade of C or above is required. A student earning a lower grade must take an additional student teaching experience after a one-semester intervention.
Be approved for certification by the Teacher Education faculty.

Certification

The student must meet all program completion requirements as noted above. Public school certification candidates must also pass the related exit exams specific to their area of certification.

Specializations

Urban Specialization

The Urban Specialization includes integrated experiences and courses designed specifically to prepare men and women for teaching in an urban context. The program includes over 200 hours of pre-student teaching experiences in urban settings and well over 300 hours of student teaching in urban private and public schools. The program adds three credits of content pertinent to urban education. Any Teacher Education major may apply for the Urban Specialization after completing a questionnaire designed to determine suitability.

International Education Specialization

The International Education Specialization includes integrated experiences and courses designed to prepare the future teacher for ministry in an intercultural setting such as an international or “missionary kids” (MK) school working with TCKs (Third Culture Kids) in another country. The program includes pre-student teaching experiences in schools that are very diverse in population, and more than 200 hours of teaching in a mission or international school in one of several regions of the world. A minimum of seven weeks will be spent out of the country. Nine additional credits in intercultural studies must be added to the regular education program. Any Teacher Education major may apply for the International Education Specialization after completing a questionnaire designed to determine suitability.

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