Mathematics Education, Certificate

Admission to Mathematics Education

In addition to meeting all university admission requirements for certificate students, applicants must meet the following requirements to be admitted to the Mathematics Education Certificate:

1. have a bachelor’s or higher in Mathematics from a regionally accredited college or university;
2. have a cumulative average G.P.A. of 2.5 or higher in all lower division courses applied to the degree program;
3. and submit a word-processed essay not to exceed 300 words explaining why the applicant wishes to be a teacher.

Admission to Student Teaching

Before enrolling in EDUC 4999 Student Teaching: Senior Capstone (12), an application for admission to student teaching must be submitted to the director of Field Experiences in the College of Education. The application must be submitted by December 1 for the fall term and January 31 for the spring term preceding the academic year in which the student intends to teach (student teaching is not offered in the summer term). This application for student teaching will verify that the student applying has or will have met the following requirements:

1. completed at least 48 hours of general education requirements with a G.P.A. of 2.75 or higher in courses taken at Governors State University;
2. completed professional education course requirements, except student teaching, including a minimum of 100 clock hours of field experience with a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher, with a grade of “C” or better in each course, and EDUC 6360 and EDU C6370 with a grade of “B” or better;
3. must have completed methods course no more than two years before the commencement of student teaching;
4. have no more than six hours remaining to be completed in the certificate in which the student is enrolled with a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher and completed all courses with a “C” or better;
5. met all state requirements applicable to the subject matter area(s) in which the student will teach as outlined in Section IX, Staff Qualifications of the Illinois State Board of Education publication, Minimum Requirements for State Licensure;
6. submit evidence of having passed the Mathematics content area exam of the Illinois Licensure Testing System;
7. and received a positive recommendation from the Second-art Education Student Progress Committee.

Certificate Requirements

Students must meet all university requirements for a license, and in addition, students must complete the general education requirement for teacher licensure Initial Secondary License listed in the Teacher Education section of this catalog.

In addition, students must:

1. have a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.5 or higher;
2. earn a grade of “C” or better in all general education courses;
3. have a G.P.A. of 2.75 or higher for all general education courses;
4. have a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher in mathematics courses with a grade of “C” or better in each course;
5. have a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher for EDCP 6101, EDUC 3440, and SPED 6101, with a grade of “C” or better in each course;
6. earn a grade of “B” or better in EDUC 2310, EDUC 6360, and EDUC 6370;
7. earn a grade of “B” or better in EDUC 4999;
8. complete a minimum of 100 clock hours of supervised pre-student teaching experiences;
9. provide evidence of successful completion of the Illinois and U.S. Constitution examinations;
10. show evidence of having passed the Assessment of Professional Teaching;
11. meet any additional requirements listed in the Teacher Licensure section of this catalog;
12. and receive a positive recommendation from the Secondary Education Student Progress Committee.

Professional Education (minimum of 24 hours)

The following courses can be taken at either the lower-division or upper-division level:

• EDUC 2310 Foundations of Education (3)
• SPED 2100 Survey of Students with Exceptionalities (3)
• SPED 6101 Survey of Students with Exceptionalities (3)
• EDCP 2101 Introduction to Educational Technology (3)
• EDCP 6101 Introduction to Educational Technology (3)

The following courses must be taken at the upper-division level:

• EDUC 3440 Educational Psychology II: Learning, Assessment and Classroom Management (3)
• EDUC 6360 Principles of Secondary Mathematics Education (3)
• EDUC 6370 Teaching Secondary School Mathematics (3)
• EDUC 4999 Student Teaching: Senior Capstone (12)

Additional Requirements

Students may need to complete additional general education or Mathematics courses if their bachelor's degree requirements do not meet the requirements of the approved Governors State University program for the endorsement in Mathematics Education.

Minimum Total - 24 Hours at GSU

Novalla Coleman
Academic Advisor
Email: ncoleman7@govst.edu
Phone: 708.534.8393
Office Location: C3391

Dr. Valentina Postelnicu
Assistant Professor
Program Coordinator - Secondary Mathematics
Email: vpostelnicu@govst.edu
Phone: 708.235.7639
Office Location: D34150D

Certificate in Math Education Faculty