Concordia University Chicago was established in 1864 for the training of teachers for the parish schools of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Today, the College continues to be central to the mission of the University. The College of Education prepares public and parochial educators and Directors of Christian Education to serve the church and society.

The College of Education faculty supports the formation of professional educators through integrating the concepts of integrity, competence and servant leadership into the curriculum. The Concordia teacher graduate is prepared to enter public school classrooms and parishes as servant leaders to serve with integrity and demonstrate competence. These competencies manifest themselves in professional dispositions marked by concern and care graduates afford every pupil in the service and leadership they provide for parish and school.

The College of Education prepares educators for early childhood, elementary, middle and secondary school classrooms. Specialty K-12 programs are offered to prepare teachers in the areas of Music, Foreign Language–Spanish, Physical Education and Art.

The College of Education at Concordia University Chicago has been accredited since 1962 by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). This accreditation covers the institution’s initial teacher preparation and advanced educator preparation programs. These programs also are approved by the State of Illinois Board of Education (ISBE) and have been since 1919. Concordia graduates receive the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Music Education degree according to their area of preparation.

Degree Programs Available through the College of Education
Early Childhood Education–Bachelor of Science
Elementary Education–Bachelor of Science
Middle Level endorsement (added to either Elementary or Secondary programs)
Secondary Education areas–Bachelor of Arts–include:
• English Language Arts
• Mathematics
• Physical Education
• Science – Biology
• Science – Chemistry
• Social Science – History
• Technology Specialist
• Visual Arts

K-12 Foreign Language Education – Spanish Language
K-12 Music Education
K-12 Physical Education
K-12 Visual Arts Education
Special Education–Learning Behavior Specialist I–Bachelor of Science
LTE–Lutheran Teacher Education
Director of Christian Education–Bachelor of Arts
Pre-Seminary Program–Education Track–Bachelor of Arts

Students qualifying for the Elementary or Secondary Certificate may complete additional requirements to be eligible for:
• Middle School Endorsements in specific subject areas
• Special Education Endorsement
• Bilingual/ESL Option (must hold a license before adding this endorsement)

Concordia University Chicago Education programs are listed on the State of Illinois Directory of Approved programs offered at Colleges and Universities at www.isbe.net/profprep/PDFs/directory.pdf

Education Program Transition Points

The State of Illinois, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), the Illinois State Educator Preparation and Licensing Board (SEPLB), and accreditors, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) require teacher preparation institutions to have a continuous assessment policy in force to evaluate teacher candidates throughout their programs. The College of Education meets these requirements with formative and summative assessments of teacher candidates integrated throughout the curriculum.  

Teacher Candidates must also earn a grade of "C" or better in every course within their program. A grade of "C-" is not a "C."

Concordia has established an assessment system with four Transition Points to meet these mandates.  These Transition Points and their requirements are listed below:

Transition Point One: Admission to Teacher Candidacy

Education majors move from education student status to “Teacher Candidate” status at this first transition point. Teacher candidates are eligible to begin their specialized training in methods, classroom management, assessment of learning, and other professional clinicals and coursework. To enter candidacy, the following requirements must be met:

Application to the College of Education to enter Teacher Candidacy Status:
February 15, June 15, October 15.

The Teacher Education Admission Committee approves candidates for admission into the Teacher Candidacy.
To be considered for admission to the College of Education, the candidate must:

• Pass the Illinois Test of Basic Skills (www.icts.nesinc.com);

• Submit the completed Application and supporting documentation to the Office of Field Experience in the College of Education.

• Complete the following prerequisite courses or their equivalents with a grade of C or better:

ENG 1100 English Composition
CTH 1100 Speech Communication
MAT 1412 Math Concepts II (or above)
EDUC-1050 or 1060 Introduction to American Education —for Public and Lutheran Educators
EDUC-1070 Media and Technology in the Classroom
EDUC-2020 Human and Cognitive Development

• Complete a minimum of 20 hours of the required 100 hours of Field Experiences and submit Field Service Documents to the Office of Field Experience.

• Earn a minimum GPA of 2.75 for all course work taken at Concordia University.

• Submit a current Program Plan to the Office of Field Experience;

• Submit three (3) Assessment of Candidate’s Dispositions to the Office of Field Experience

• Pass the written essay and interview.

• Submit the report of a valid Fingerprint Criminal Background Check to the Office of Field Experience.

Bachelor of Music Education students must also:

• Pass MUS-3650 Piano Proficiency I

• Achieve a minimum of 2.75 GPA in the major

Transition Point Two: Admission to the Professional Semester

The Semester of Internship is classroom teaching with a mentor cooperating teacher. Candidates must be admitted to the Internship before they are given a placement to student teach.

Application deadlines for admission to the Internship
February 15, June 15, October 15.

The Teacher Education Admission Committee approves candidates for admission to the Student Teaching Internship..

To be considered for admission to the Professional Semester, the candidate must:

• Submit the completed Application to the Student Teaching Internship and supporting documentation to the Office of Field Experience on or before the deadline date.
•Pass the appropriate Content Area Test from the State of Illinois Testing System (www.icts.nesinc.com).
• Complete a minimum of 80 hours of the required 100 hours of Field and Clinical Experiences and submit field experience documents to the Office of Field Experience for approval. The entire 100 hours must be completed prior to beginning the internship.
• Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75.
• Complete all Content and Methods of—course(s) in the program of study with a grade of C or better.
• Have earned a grade of ‘C’ or better in all coursework applied to their professional program requirements.
• Submit an updated Program Plan to the Office of Field Experience.
• Submit four (4) new Assessment of Candidate’s Dispositions to the Office of Field Experience.
• Meet requirements of a valid Fingerprint Criminal Background Check to the Office of Field Experience.
• Complete First Aid/CPR Certification training and submit documentation of completion to the Office of Field Experience.

Transition Point Three: Completion of the Student Teaching Internship Semester

To complete successfully the Internship, the candidate must:

• Satisfactory completion of the Internship by meeting or exceeding all required benchmarks.
• Prepare and present documentation of positive impacts on student learning from your internship teaching (PIP).
• Complete all State required assessments enforce at the time of the internship (TPA)
•The Student Teaching Internship Semester Handbook provides details and  guidelines for the meeting the criteria for successful completion of the  Internship Semester.

Transition Point Four: Completion of Program

To complete successfully the Teacher Preparation program and be eligible for teacher licensure in the State of Illinois, the candidate who has completed all program requirements and the internship:

• Pass the Illinois Assessment of Professional Teaching Test.
• Meet the requirements of the Professional Portfolio at the time of program completion.

Placement/Employment

Concordia University maintains two offices that provide placement/employment services to all students planning to complete their degrees.

The Synodical Placement Office deals with placement into all programs offered by the University leading to professional work in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Candidates must have earned a minimum GPA of 2.75 for all prescribed Theology requirements, with a grade of ‘C’ or better in all courses used for the calculation, and no course taken under the P/DF grade option.

The Career Services Office offers job assistance to students in Public Education and the College of Arts and Sciences.

Transferring to Concordia University Chicago’s Teacher Education Programs

Concordia University Chicago’s College of Education has transfer opportunities for students to complete teacher preparation for candidates who hold the Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) from community college programs
approved by the State of Illinois and students who wish to enter with coursework completed at other colleges and universities. Transfer options for area community colleges can be found on the College of Education’s web page.

Advanced Placement (AP) and CLEP Credit
The University grants credit for the General Examination of the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Students may receive three to 12 semester hours of credit based on the score achieved on the exam. The University normally will grant credit for above-average scores on the Advanced Placement Examination of the College Board.

A score of 3 or better on the Advanced Placement Examination for the College Board (AP) will be considered equal to a grade of ‘C’ or better for General Education.

A score of 50 or better on the General Examination of the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) will be considered equal to a grade of ‘C’ or better.