Department Of Education

Concord University has a proud tradition of preparing outstanding teachers since it was founded as a Normal School in 1872. The preparation of teachers continues to play a significant role at Concord University, as approximately twenty-five percent of the students who graduate each year earn degrees in education. This history of commitment to teacher education, combined with a current mission statement that emphasizes high quality instruction creates a context of high expectations for the Teacher Education Program at Concord University. Today, Concord’s Teacher Education Program includes initial licensure programs at the undergraduate and master’s level, as well as advanced degree programs. Our education coursework includes multiple opportunities for candidates to participate in clinical experiences by working directly with PreK-Adult teachers and their students. This typically begins early in the sophomore year, and culminates in a Year Long Residency experience.

The Department of Education collaborates with representatives from public schools, professional groups, government, and other programs within the University to prepare educators and to cooperate in the development of educational policies. The Department also strives for the improvement of education at the local, state, regional, and national levels in that the improvement of schooling results in a more literate and enlightened citizenry. This, in turn, contributes to the proliferation of democratic values and enhances our position in the global economy.

License Reciprocity

Concord University’s Educator Preparation Program (EPP) is aligned with licensing requirements of West Virginia. If you intend to practice outside of West Virginia, please check with the appropriate state licensing body. Requirements for licensure vary from state to state. For questions related to licensure, please contact CU's Department of Education Certification Coordinator.

WV currently has license reciprocity with all states, excluding CA, through NC-SARA.  Through NASDTEC 45 states have reciprocity with WV (excludes AK, IA, MN and WI). Students seeking licensure in another state are advised to contact the appropriate licensing board in that state to determine specific requirements or guidelines for reciprocity as we are unable to determine if the program meets requirements for licensure in other U.S. states or protectorates. For a list of the state departments of education that oversee professional teaching licensure, see the U.S. Department of Education website – State Contacts page.

Mission Statement

To prepare educators who are competent, intentional, reflective, culturally responsive, leading, and empathic 21st Century Professionals.

The CU Department of Education strives to provide all teacher candidates at the initial and advanced level with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to become effective teachers/leaders by offering the highest quality instruction and programs.

Grow Your Own (GYO)

CU's Teacher Education Program is a participant of the West Virginia Department of Education Grow Your Own (GYO) program.

Successful completion of GYO coursework from any participating institution is accepted into the teacher education program at Concord University. Contact the CU Department of Education for a personalized program of study to be developed based on earned  GYO credit.

Concord University’s Department of Education offers undergraduate students a wide range of content specializations and endorsements. Students are formally accepted as education majors once they have been admitted into the Teacher Education Program. Acceptance into Concord University and declaration of education as a major does not guarantee acceptance into the Teacher Education Program. The Bachelor of Science in Education degree may qualify a teacher candidate for recommendation of initial licensure to the West Virginia Department of Education. This is a requirement, even if the candidate intends to teach in another state. Through reciprocal licensure agreements, graduates may qualify for licensure in other states. Graduates may receive one-year probationary certification while filing to become a citizen of the United States, or when filing a declaration of intent to become a naturalized citizen. Candidates are required to meet criterion scores on all Praxis Exams required for their licensure area, and must also meet West Virginia certification requirements.

Candidates who enter the Teacher Education Program, and graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Education, may seek certification in the following areas:

  • Elementary Education (Grades K-6)
  • English 5-Adult
  • General Science 5-Adult
  • Music PreK-Adult
  • Social Studies 5-Adult
  • Special Education Multi-Categorical (excluding Autism) K-6 & 5-Adult
  • Wellness PreK-Adult
  • Early Childhood Intervention minor coursework (PreK/K) prepares candidates to teach PreK age children and/or early childhood special education. This program does not lead to initial licensure. Students who wish to add this to their licensure must successfully complete the Praxis Content Knowledge Exam upon graduation.
  • Special Education minor coursework prepares candidates to teach in a special education setting. This program does not lead to initial licensure. Students who wish to add this to their licensure must successfully complete the Praxis Content Knowledge Exam upon graduation.

The Bachelor of Science in Education requires the successful completion of a minimum of 120 semester hours from the following areas, with an Overall GPA of at least 2.50. Please reference the Academic Catalog for additional information.

  • General Education Program
  • Professional Education Component: All teacher education candidates must earn a 2.50 GPA in the Professional Education Component, and complete all Professional Education Component courses with a grade of ‘C’ or better. Coursework in the Professional Education Component that is older than ten years may have to be repeated.
    • EDUC 210 Diversity, Culture, and Education in a Pluralistic Society (3 hrs)
    • EDUC 210L Clinical Experience Level I (0 hrs)
    • EDUC 301 Educational Technology (3 hrs)
    • EDUC 305 Psychology of Teaching and Learning (3 hrs)
    • EDUC305L Clinical Experience Level II (0 hrs)
    • EDUC 306 Classroom Management and Instructional Strategies (3 hrs)
    • EDUC 306L Clinical Experience Level III (0 hrs)
    • EDUC 418 Content Area Reading (3 hrs) – Required for Secondary Education (Pre-Adult & 5-Adult) majors only.
    • Residency Part I
      • EDSP 415 Co-Teaching, Consultation and Collaboration (3 hrs)
      • EDUC416 Assessment and the Data Informed Teacher (3 hrs)
      • EDUC450 Clinical Experience Level IV (6 hrs)
    • Residency Part II
      • EDUC460 Clinical Experience Level V (12 hrs)
  • Content Specialization Component: All teacher education candidates must earn the minimum required content area GPA at stated in the Academic Catalog, and meet all minimum grade requirements as outlined in the Academic Catalog. Content area coursework is specific to each content specialization.

Exit Criteria

Graduation criteria include the completion of a minimum of 120 hours, the required GPAs, successful completion of all state-required tests, and the completion of all coursework to meet program certification requirements. Graduation with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education will not be granted unless a teacher candidate also satisfies all West Virginia teacher certification requirements, which includes a state and national background check.

As of January 1, 2002, all applicants for initial licensure must be fingerprinted and undergo state and federal background checks. Individuals convicted of a felony may not be eligible for certification to teach. Convicted felons should determine their eligibility for certification with the West Virginia Department of Education prior to entering the teacher education program.

Concord University offers two Graduate Studies Programs focused on Education:

  • Master of Art in Teaching: The Master of Arts in Teaching program is designed for individuals with a Bachelor’s degree in a specific content area, who wish to turn their content area degree into an initial teaching license in that field.
  • Master of Education.  The Master of Education program is designed for individuals who already hold an initial teaching license.

In the summer of 2002 Concord was granted approval for the offering of graduate courses on a limited basis. Full approval of the graduate program was granted in August, 2003. The development of a graduate program was in alignment with the overall mission to serve southern West Virginia and to provide a quality program for the practicing professionals in the region.

Department of Education Graduate Programs are dedicated to professional preparation and advancement, and strive to further develop and enhance the knowledge base of the practicing professional. As individuals progress though the graduate curriculum, the professional knowledge bases, reflective analysis of practice, dispositions and judgment making capabilities are enhanced and refined. The Educator Preparation Program (EPP) strives to provide all teacher candidates the knowledge and skills necessary to become effective teachers by offering the highest quality instruction and programs utilizing all available resources efficiently and effectively.

We have several forms and resources that are beneficial to our Department of Education Graduate Programs Students; click here to view them.

All education programs at Concord University are accredited under the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education Preparation (CAEP) through Fall 2027

Additionally, all of the content specializations are recognized by the following specialized professional associations, and/or the West Virginia Board of Education:

  • Childhood Education International (ACEI)
  • Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
  • National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
  • Society of Health and Physical Education (SHAPE)
  • International Literacy Association (ILA)
  • Educational Leadership Constituent Council (ELCC)
  • National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
  • National Science Teachers Association (NSTA)
  • National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)
  • National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM)
  • West Virginia Board of Education

Objective 1. Content and Pedagogical Knowledge

Ensure that candidates develop an understanding of the critical concepts and principles of their discipline and facilitates candidates’ reflection of their personal biases to increase their understanding and practice of equity, diversity, and inclusion. The provider is intentional in the development of their curriculum and clinical experiences for candidates to demonstrate their ability to effectively work with diverse P-12 students and their families.

  • 1.1 The Learner and Learning – The provider ensures candidates are able to apply their knowledge of the learner and learning at the appropriate progression levels. Evidence provided should demonstrate that candidates are able to apply critical concepts and principles of learner development (InTASC Standard 1), learning differences (InTASC Standard 2), and creating safe and supportive learning environments (InTASC Standard 3) in order to work effectively with diverse P-12 students and their families.
  • 1.2 Content – The provider ensures candidates are able to apply their knowledge of content at the appropriate progression levels. Evidence provided demonstrates candidates know central concepts of their content area (InTASC Standard 4) and are able to apply the content in developing equitable and inclusive learning experiences (InTASC Standard 5) for diverse P-12 students. Outcome data can be provided from a Specialized Professional Associations (SPA) process, a state review process, or an evidence review of Standard 1.
  • 1.3 Instructional Practice ​- The provider ensures that candidates are able to apply their knowledge of InTASC standards relating to instructional practice at the appropriate progression levels. Evidence demonstrates how candidates are able to assess (InTASC Standard 6), plan for instruction (InTASC Standard 7), and utilize a variety of instructional strategies (InTASC Standard 8) to provide equitable and inclusive learning experiences for diverse P-12 students. Providers ensure candidates model and apply national or state approved technology standards to engage and improve learning for all students.
  • 1.4 Professional Responsibility – The provider ensures candidates are able to apply their knowledge of professional responsibility at the appropriate progression levels. Evidence provided should demonstrate candidates engage in professional learning, act ethically (InTASC Standard 9), take responsibility for student learning and collaborate with others (InTASC Standard 10) to work effectively with diverse P-12 students and their families.

Objective 2. Clinical Partnerships and Practice

The provider ensures effective partnerships and high-quality clinical practice are central to candidate preparation. These experiences should be designed to develop candidate’s knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions to demonstrate positive impact on diverse students’ learning and development. High quality clinical practice offers candidates experiences in different settings and modalities, as well as with diverse P-12 students, schools, families, and communities. Partners share responsibility to identify and address real problems of practice candidates experience in their engagement with P-12 students.

  • 2.1 Partnerships for Clinical Preparation – Partners co-construct mutually beneficial P-12 school and community arrangements for clinical preparation and share responsibility for continuous improvement of candidate preparation.
  • 2.2 Clinical Educators – Partners co-select, prepare, evaluate, and support high-quality clinical educators, both provider- and school-based, who demonstrate a positive impact on candidates’ development and diverse P-12 student learning and development.
  • 2.3 Clinical Experiences – The provider works with partners to design and implement clinical experiences, utilizing various modalities, of sufficient depth, breadth, diversity, coherence, and duration to ensure candidates demonstrate their developing effectiveness and positive impact on diverse P-12 students’ learning and development as presented in Standard R1.

Objective 3. Candidate Recruitment, Progression, and Support

The provider demonstrates the quality of candidates is a continuous and purposeful focus from recruitment through completion. The provider demonstrates that development of candidate quality is the goal of educator preparation and that the EPP provides supports services (such as advising, remediation, and mentoring) in all phases of the program so candidates will be successful.

  • 3.1 Recruitment – The provider presents goals and progress evidence for recruitment of high-quality candidates from a broad range of backgrounds and diverse populations that align with their mission. The provider demonstrates efforts to know and address local, state, regional, or national needs for hard-to-staff schools and shortage fields. The goals and evidence should address progress towards a candidate pool which reflects the diversity of America’s P-12 students.
  • 3.2 Monitoring and Supporting Candidate Progression​ – The provider creates and monitors transition points from admission through completion that indicate candidates’ developing content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, pedagogical skills, critical dispositions, professional responsibilities, and the ability to integrate technology effectively in their practice. The provider identifies a transition point at any point in the program when a cohort grade point average of 3.0 is achieved and monitors this data. The provider ensures knowledge of and progression through transition points are transparent to candidates. The provider plans and documents the need for candidate support, as identified in disaggregated data by race and ethnicity and such other categories as may be relevant for the EPP’s mission, so candidates meet milestones. The provider has a system for effectively maintaining records of candidate complaints, including complaints made to CAEP, and documents the resolution.
  • 3.3 Competency at Completion​ – The provider ensures candidates possess academic competency to teach effectively with positive impacts on diverse P-12 student learning and development through application of content knowledge, foundational pedagogical skills, and technology integration in the field(s) where certification is sought. Multiple measures are provided and data are disaggregated and analyzed based on race, ethnicity, and such other categories as may be relevant for the EPP’s mission.

Objective 4. Program Impact

The provider demonstrates the effectiveness of its completers’ instruction on P-12 student learning and development, and completer and employer satisfaction with the relevance and effectiveness of preparation.

  • 4.1 Completer Effectiveness​ – The provider demonstrates that program completers effectively contribute to P-12 student-learning growth, and apply in P-12 classrooms the professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions that the preparation experiences were designed to achieve. In addition, the provider includes a rationale for the data elements provided.
  • 4.2 Satisfaction of Employers – The provider demonstrates employers are satisfied with the completers’ preparation for their assigned responsibilities in working with diverse P-12 students and their families
  • 4.3 Satisfaction of Completers – The provider demonstrates program completers perceive their preparation as relevant to the responsibilities they encounter on the job, and their preparation was effective.

Objective 5. Quality Assurance and Continuous Improvement

The provider maintains a quality assurance system that consists of valid data from multiple measures and supports continuous improvement that is sustained and evidence-based. The system is developed and maintained with input from internal and external stakeholders. The provider uses the results of inquiry and data collection to establish priorities, enhance program elements, and highlight innovations.

  • 5.1 Quality Assurance System​ – The provider has developed, implemented, and modified, as needed, a functioning quality assurance system that ensures a sustainable process to document operational effectiveness. The provider documents how data enter the system, how data are reported and used in decision making, and how the outcomes of those decisions inform programmatic improvement.
  • 5.2 Data Quality​ – The provider’s quality assurance system from 5.1 relies on relevant, verifiable, representative, cumulative, and actionable measures to ensure interpretations of data are valid and consistent.
  • 5.3 Stakeholder Involvement​ – The provider includes relevant internal (e.g., EPP administrators, faculty, staff, candidates) and external (e.g., alumni, practitioners, school and community partners, employers) stakeholders in program design, evaluation, and continuous improvement processes.
  • 5.4 Continuous Improvement​ – The provider regularly, systematically, and continuously assesses performance against its goals and relevant standards, tracks results over time, documents modifications and/or innovations and their effects on EPP outcomes.

Objective 6. Fiscal and Administrative Capacity

The EPP has the fiscal and administrative capacity, faculty, infrastructure (facilities, equipment, and supplies) and other resources as appropriate to the scale of its operations and as necessary for the preparation of candidates to meet professional, state, and institutional standards. For EPPs whose institution is accredited by an accreditor recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education (e.g., SACSCOC, HLC), such accreditation will be considered sufficient evidence of compliance with Standard 6. If an EPP’s institution is not accredited by an accreditor recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education, the EPP must address each component of ST 6 in narrative supported by evidence.

  • 6.1 Fiscal Resources The EPP has the fiscal capacity as appropriate to the scale of its operations. The budget for curriculum, instruction, faculty, clinical work, scholarship, etc., supports high quality work within the EPP and its school partners for the preparation of professional educators.
  • 6.2 Administrative Capacity The EPP has administrative capacity as appropriate to the scale of its operations, including leadership and authority to plan, deliver, and operate coherent programs of study so that their candidates are prepared to meet all standards. Academic calendars, catalogs, publications, grading policies, and advertising are current, accurate, and transparent.
  • 6.3 Faculty Resources The EPP has professional education faculty that have earned doctorates or equivalent P-12 teaching experience that qualifies them for their assignments. The EPP provides adequate resources and opportunities for professional development of faculty, including training in the use of technology.
  • 6.4 Infrastructure The EPP has adequate campus and school facilities, equipment, and supplies to support candidates in meeting standards. The infrastructure supports faculty and candidate use of information technology in instruction

The Department of Education provides a variety of measures to facilitate candidates’ successful performance including the following:

  • Assignment of an appropriate advisor
  • Special summer advising
  • Report of mid-term grades
  • Individual letters to candidates upon application and acceptance to the program
  • Individual letters to candidates upon application and acceptance to student teaching
  • Student teaching placement meetings provide for discussion and questions
  • Exit interviews with student teachers identify program strengths and recommendations for program improvement

A variety of support services are available including the Concord Child Development CenterStudent Support ServicesAutism Center, and the Financial Aid Office.

Graduates of our program have been recognized as outstanding teachers of the year, admitted to prominent graduate schools around the country, and have earned scholarships and internships with affiliate professional organizations.

Career Opportunities

Our Faculty & Staff

Bean Jr, Michael
Bean Jr, Michael
Associate Professor of Education / Assistant Women's Basketball Coach
304-384-5209
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Campbell, Andrea
Campbell, Andrea
Department Chair and Director of Teacher Education
304-384-5362
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Conner, Alison
Conner, Alison
Operations Coordinator
304-384-5252
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Deck, Anita
Deck, Anita
Associate Professor
304-384-5173
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Epling, Brenda
Epling, Brenda
Assistant Professor of Education
304-384-5293
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Goodson, Melissa
Goodson, Melissa
Assistant Professor of Education
304-384-5300
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Hawks, Kathy
Hawks, Kathy
Distinguished Professor of Education and Director of Clinical Experience
304-384-5399
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