Requirements - Education | Lake Forest College

Requirements for the Major in Education

Requirements in brief

All students in the teacher education program fulfill four sets of requirements to graduate with a recommendation for licensure:

Completion of the Lake Forest College FFC. (See an advisor in the Department of Education for recommended courses).
Completion of the course requirements within the Department of Education.
Completion of a major outside of the Department of Education
- for Secondary and PK-12 education – a major in the content area of licensure
- for Elementary education – any content major at the College
Additional courses as necessary to meet Content Area Standards in broad fields for licensure.

Required Education Courses

The below Education courses are required for all Education majors.

Note that additional content area courses are required for the content major (and additional content courses for Elementary candidates).

Education Policies

Grade Policies

A student must earn a B- or better grade in any Education (EDUC) course for the course to count toward the Education major and licensure.
A student must earn a C or better grade in all non-Education licensure course requirements, including content major courses and cross-listed EDUC courses, for the course to count toward the licensure program.
No course that counts towards the Education major and licensure, including content major courses and cross-listed EDUC courses, may be taken with the Pass/Fail grade option. All Pass/Fall grades earned toward the Education major and licensure must be converted to the actual (A-F) grade equivalent and factored into the GPA.
All other courses are subject to the College’s grade policy.
See the Education Department Policies and Procedures for additional information.

Academic Grievances for Teacher Education Students

Teacher education candidates have the same academic rights and responsibilities as all Lake Forest College students. There are, however, specific situations in the teacher education program when decisions may be cause for student grievances. These situations include the following:

Admission to or dismissal from the teacher education program, a clinical experience, or student teaching
Evaluation of the candidate’s performance in courses, clinical experiences, or student teaching
Recommendation for state licensure or for employment

Students who wish to appeal any of these teacher education matters should first confer with the Chair of the Education Department. Appeals must be made in writing to the Education Advisory Council through the Chair of the Education Department. Students may have personal, academic, or legal support in hearings concerning teacher education matters. If an issue remains unresolved, the student may take his or her grievance to the AAB or the Dean of Faculty, depending on the nature of the grievance, and, finally, to the President of the College.

Policies and Procedures Handbook

Developmental Portfolio (Checkpoint Process)

The developmental portfolio comprises four checkpoints, each at different stages throughout your education trajectory, from becoming a teacher candidate (entering into the program) through exiting the program. Each checkpoint involves reflecting on your progress utilizing artifacts from your coursework (i.e., papers, tests, presentations, etc.) and fieldwork experiences (i.e., lesson plans, student work samples). The portfolio will be officially assessed at each checkpoint to determine your progress in meeting the standards and advancing through the program.

The Development Portfolio is available online as well as in Word Document form.