Female professor stops at students desk to discuss his work.

Field Experience and Student Teaching

The Field Services Division includes Field Experience and Student Teaching. Field experience is an integral part of the initial certification programs offered in the Department of Education. The Field Experience component provides school-based participation for the teacher candidate throughout the phases of the certification programs and culminates in Student Teaching. Student Teaching takes place during the very last semester after all academic coursework has been completed.

 

A York College Elementary Education major working as a student teacher at Dallastown Intermediate School

PPES AND IMPORTANT LINKS

  • Pre-Professional Educator Status (PPES)

    All Education majors who wish to pursue teaching certification must obtain PPES before they are eligible to enroll in professional preparation coursework.

    Requirements for obtaining PPES are outlined and described on the PPES Instructions and Application.

    Things to consider when applying for PPES

    • PPES applications must be submitted as a packet, which includes photocopies of all requirements listed on the application.
    • It is strongly suggested that Education majors apply for PPES by the end of their first semester sophomore year or as soon as requirements are met.
    • Professional Preparation courses do require many field experience hours, therefore the earlier students can enroll in these courses the better their scheduling and workload will be distributed.
  • Pennsylvania Certification

    Pennsylvania's Certification Requirements:

    York College of Pennsylvania is a Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) approved program. YCP students who successfully complete all courses in their education program (including student teaching) may apply for teaching certification in Pennsylvania if they possess a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher upon graduation.  Students must wait until the month of their graduation to apply for certification through PDE, utilizing the Teacher Information Management System (TIMS) certification system.  Click on this link for all information about certification, including the certification tests and scores required for each major and the TIMS certification application 

    link: https://www.education.pa.gov/Educators/Certification/Pages/default.aspx

    We recommend that students register for their certification exams the semester prior to student teaching. The exact tests needed for each major can be found at the link above (click on "Certification Testing Requirements" to access the spreadsheet, then click on the "Instructional" tab). Note that you can achieve a "Passing Score" or "GPA Qualifying Score". If you do not achieve the passing score for your major, you may be eligible for certification depending upon your GPA (see "Qualifying Score" column for your graduating GPA).

    Certain certification areas can be "added-on" to your original certification. You must first possess certification in the area for which you majored in at YCP in order to add-on another area. Additionally, you cannot use the GPA qualifying option to add-on another certification area. The GPA qualifying option is only for the certification in the area of your college major. Only certain areas are eligible for add-on. More information on instructional add-ons can be found here: https://www.education.pa.gov/Educators/Certification/PAEducators/Pages/Instructional-Add-Ons.aspx

     

    Links to the testing companies are below:

    For more information on acquiring and keeping your Pennsylvania Teaching Certificate, please refer to the following Circular furnished by the Pennsylvania Department of Education:

    https://www.education.pa.gov/Educators/ContinuinEd/Act%2048%20and%20PERMS/Pages/CertificateStatusEducators.aspx

    **It is IMPERATIVE that you review all resources (links, manuals, videos) on the website prior to initiating your online certification application!

  • Pennsylvania Career Opportunities

    Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has created a database of vacancies in PA school districts.  The link can be found here: https://www.education.pa.gov/Educators/RecruitRecog/CareerOpps/Pages/default.aspx

    This is a great place to start when searching for a PA teaching position within your certification area.  We also recommend that you go directly to school district websites to review vacancies, as there may be more up-to=date positions posted by school districts on their Human Resources webpages.  In addition to the school district websites, please refer to Career Path offered through the Career Development Center.

     

     

  • Out-of-State Certification Information

    Other States' Certification Requirements:

    York College of Pennsylvania is a Pennsylvania Department of Education approved program. YCP students who successfully complete all courses in their education program (including student teaching) may apply for teaching certification in Pennsylvania if they possess a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher upon graduation.  Because York College of Pennsylvania is a Pennsylvania-approved program, students wishing to apply for out-of-state certification must work directly with the Department of Education at each respective state.  We recommend that all students apply for and acquire certification through Pennsylvania prior to applying for out-of-state teaching certification.  Many states will convert a candidate's Pennsylvania certification to their own state's certification upon application.  It is the student's responsibility to work with the out-of-state licensing agency.  For a listing of each state's Department of Education website, refer to the U.S. Department of Education listing found here: httpa://www2.ed.gov/about/contacts/state/index.html

     

     

Contact Us
Field Services
Amy Glusco, M.Ed., Director of Field Services
Appell Life Sciences, 104
Phone: 717.815.1454
aglusco@ycp.edu

Davonna Rickard, M.Ed.
Coordinator of Field Services 
Appell Life Sciences, Room 103
drickard@ycp.edu
717.815.6439

Leah V. Kocoronis, M.Ed.
Supervisor of Field Services
Appell Life Sciences, Room 105
717.815.2095