E-mail this pageFrequently Asked Questions
- What is the role of my advisor?
- How do I change or declare my concentration? How do I select a new advisor?
- Why are there times when I find courses not being offered that are required for my concentration?
- What is "double dipping"?
- I took a health class at my community college that transferred in as HED310. Why do I need to take the "Child Abuse and Maltreatment" workshop at BOCES?
- What are the new changes in Education?
- My advisor tells me that I need to maintain at least a 2.5 in all of my non-education courses. What does that mean?
- What happens if I earn a "C-" in an education course?
- What is the PPST?
- Why is the PPST Required?
- When Should I take the PPST?
- What happens if I cannot take the P.P.S.T. until the semester I am in EDU330?
Q. What is the role of my advisor?
A. New students are informed of their advisor by the Education Office. You will be assigned an advisor according to your major. (Adolescence Education students will initially have an advisor from Arts & Sciences to help with course selection in each respective major. Students will then be assigned an Education advisor prior to their Professional Semester.)
The academic advisor assists students in choosing courses, understanding college policies and procedures, learning about and utilizing college services and resources, and fulfilling educational and professional goals. The responsibility to meet the requirements for graduation at the intended graduation date, both with respect to selecting courses and to completing them satisfactorily, rests with the student.
Q. How do I change or declare my concentration? How do I select a new advisor?
A. A completed Declaration or Change of Major/Minor/Advisor form must be submitted to the Education Office for processing.
Q. Why are there times when I find courses not being offered that are required for my concentration?
A. Meet with your advisor. She/he might have to help you fill out a Deviation From Requirements form allowing you to substitute one course for another, as long as it is an appropriate substitution. This must be approved by your advisor, the Department Chair, and the Dean of the College.
Q. What is "double dipping"?
A. "Double dipping" is when one course will fulfill two requirements. For example, if you have a social studies concentration with a history indepth study, you can use HIS308 to fulfill your Global Issues requirement as well as one of your courses for your indepth study. You cannot, however, "double dip" within your major. Also, by having one course fulfill two requirements, you will only earn three credits. You need to work very closely with your advisor to make sure that you will have the total amount of credits required by your respective program.
Q. I took a health class at my community college that transferred in as HED310. Why do I need to take the "Child Abuse and Maltreatment" workshop at BOCES?
A. This is a state mandate and is covered in Plattsburgh State's HED310 course. Chapter 544 of the Laws of 1988 established the requirement that classroom teachers, pupil personal service professionals, administrators, supervisors, and other certified or licensed school professionals must complete two (2) hours of class work or training regarding the identification and reporting of child abuse and maltreatment.
The law states that a person applying for a license, certification, or permit on or after January 1, 1991 must provide documentation that he or she has completed the required training.
Starting February 2001 you will need to complete an additional two hour workshop in "School Violence and Prevention." Project SAVE (Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act), requires schools to make a number of significant changes in their policies and practices to help make schools safe. Individuals applying for teacher, teaching assistant, pupil personnel service professional, school administrator, supervisor, or superintendent of schools certification on or after February 2, 2001 will be required to have completed two hours of course work or training in school violence prevention and intervention.
Information on registering for both workshops can be obtained at the Office of Field Placement.
Q. What are the new changes in Education?
A. The changes are too numerous to mention in this format. However, the most notable are:
- If you graduated from high school after May 2000 or began college during or after fall 2000, you will follow the new General Education Program (GE3).
- If you are graduating during spring 2004 or later, you will be under the new state certification regulations.
- First year students will not be able to use American Sign Language (A.S.L.)for the General Education foreign language requirement. You may still use A.S.L. to satisfy New York State certification requirements, but you will need to take one semester of a foreign language (or take a proficiency test) for the General Education requirement.
- Concentrations: The science concentration contains the most significant changes, so be particularly careful there. Students graduating after February 2004 may no longer choose a general science concentration; they must concentrate in biology, chemistry, or earth science.
Q. My advisor tells me that I need to maintain at least a 2.5 in all of my non-education courses. What does that mean?
A. The Center for Educational Studies and Services (C.E.S.S.) maintains high standards to ensure a future generation of highly qualified teachers who can make a difference in the field of education. It is the policy of the C.E.S.S. to require a minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 2.5 for education majors in order to begin or continue any required education course.
In addition, you must complete all required work in the academic specialization by the semester preceding the senior field experience with a G.P.A. of at least a 2.5 in the area of concentration.
If your G.P.A., not including education courses, ever falls below a 2.5, meet with your advisor to discuss the situation and formulate an action plan for your academic progress. Here are several options:
- Retake courses with "E" or "D" grades and take other non-education courses to raise G.P.A.
- Take as many remaining non-education courses (general education, concentration, electives, etc.) to raise your G.P.A.
Note: A "C+" is only a 2.3, so any grade lower than a "B-" can lower your G.P.A. below a 2.5.
Q. What happens if I earn a "C-" in an education course?
A. You must maintain an overall Education GPA of 3.0. Completion of all required education courses including Cognates must be at a level of "C" or better to continue to the next level in the sequence. You are allowed to retake any education course once. If you find that you need to repeat a course after the second time, you will need special permission. Contact the department chairperson.
Q. What is the P.P.S.T.?
A. The P.P.S.T. is designed to be taken early in your college career to measure your reading, writing, and mathematical skills. The reading and mathematics tests are one-hour, multiple-choice assessments. The writing test includes both a 30 minute multiple-choice and a 30 minute essay section. (For more information please refer to the PRAXIS Registration Bulletin which is available in the Education Office.)
All freshmen, transfer students, and internal transfers who recently declared Education as your major need to take the P.P.S.T. as one of the entrance requirements for any of the Education programs. The only students exempt from taking the P.P.S.T. are those who started PSU and who declared Education as their major prior to fall 1999.
Q. Why is the P.P.S.T. Required?
A. The P.P.S.T. is a requirement of a large percentage of colleges with teacher education programs designed to improve the standards of the teaching profession. In addition, Plattsburgh State is required to evaluate the progress of students prior to entering the education sequence of their program by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (N.C.A.T.E.).
Q. When Should I take the P.P.S.T.?
A. At least one to two semesters prior to registering for EDU330.
Note: transfer students from Clinton Community College who successfully completed ENG237, Exploring Educational Issues Through Writing, are still required to take and pass all sections of the P.P.S.T.
Q. What happens if I cannot take the P.P.S.T. until the semester I am in EDU330?
A. You will receive an "Incomplete" in EDU330. You will receive your earned grade for the course when we receive your official score report indicating that you have either passed the P.P.S.T. or the Praxis I C.B.T. Plattsburgh State college policy states: Any incomplete grade that is not changed by the instructor by the end of the semester after it was given, automatically converts to a grade of "E."
Contact Information
Ms. Connie Marsh, Assistant Director of Student Teaching and Field Placement
Undergraduate Advisor
Office: Sibley 304
Phone: (518) 564-5140
E-Mail: Connie.Marsh@plattsburgh.edu
Questions, Comments, Suggestions?
If you would like more information about education programs at Plattsburgh State, please contact
Educational Studies and Services
Departments
Office: Sibley 302
Phone: (518) 564-2122
Fax: (518) 564-2149
E-mail: education@plattsburgh.edu