Social Studies Secondary Education Program
Social Studies Secondary Education Program
Schools across the nation are seeking to hire well trained, enthusiastic, and creative teachers who will inspire their students to become knowledgeable and engaged citizens. The Social Studies Secondary Education Program at the University of Delaware is an outstanding place to learn how to become that teacher! It is a rigorous four-year program that prepares you to gain state certification to teach all Social Studies courses in both middle school and high school (grades 6-12). Our program is accredited by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and the Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (CAEP). Our program is also host to the Delaware chapter of the National Council for History Education (NCHE).
Students can major in Africana Studies with a Concentration in Social Studies Education, Anthropology Education, Economics Education, Geography Education, History Education, Political Science Education, Psychology Education, or Sociology Education. All students pass through four stages of professional development moving you out of your "student's seat" and up to the front of the class! View a list of all program advisors.
Our job placement rate for teachers is excellent, due to our national ranking, program rigor, and long-term commitment to our students. Program graduates are teaching in schools across the nation and abroad. Many have become top administrators and consultants in schools and districts. Our students find that the high standards and expectations of our program enable them to eventually pursue Master and Doctorate degrees in either education and/or their major discipline.
SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATION PROGRAM COORDINATORS
All Social Studies Education students must meet the following requirements by February of their junior year in order to student teach in the Spring of your senior year. The following requirements are common to all Social Studies Education Programs:
A minimum GPA of 3.0 in your major content area
A minimum GPA of 2.75 in all of your courses
Meet at least ONE of the following requirements:
Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 during the most recent two years of the applicant’s general education
Achieving a score deemed to be College Ready on a test of general knowledge normed to the college-bound population (for example, SAT, ACT, GRE, or Praxis Core*). The Office of Clinical Studies provides more information on “college ready” scores.
Successfully complete 4 of 6 Inquiry and Analysis Portfolio entries
Applications are due in February of your junior year. Student teaching takes place in the spring of your senior year.
Teaching in elementary and secondary school is based on state and national standards. These standards encompass the major bodies of knowledge, concepts, and skills that you will be responsible for teaching in middle school and high school. This means that you must demonstrate your competencies in each of these areas prior to teaching.
Future teachers need to develop the intellectual framework to recognize and ask good questions, develop investigations into them; consider possible solutions and consequences; separate evidence-based claims from parochial opinions; and communicate and act upon what they learn. And most importantly, they must possess the capability and commitment to repeat that process as long as is necessary. Teachers need to acquire the discipline-specific tools for analyzing, interrogating, and evaluating the content and concepts contained in their courses in order to recognize relationships among the disciplines as well as applying this knowledge to addressing challenges that occur in today’s world.
The Inquiry and Analysis Portfolio requires you to investigate selected courses that you are taking, identifying compelling and supporting questions that drive the course content, as well as the disciplinary methods, tools and habits of mind that are essential to each discipline. These course elements appear in many places within a course: daily lectures, activities, assignments, assessments, and projects. Course syllabi and the instructors themselves are valuable resources for identifying and evaluating questions and disciplinary methods and tools.
Students will successfully submit and complete four of the following six portfolio entries by February of their Junior year—coinciding with the deadline for applying for student teaching. All six entries must be successfully completed by the end of the spring semester of their junior year. Students will submit electronically on our UD Social Studies Education Canvas site.
Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Test (or CORE), developed by the Educational Testing Service, measures proficiency in the basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics. These 3, one-hour tests, designed to be taken as part of your college program of study and to assess your skills in these three areas, are only available in the computer format. The Educational Testing Service provides specific requirements for other states.
Study guides are available to help you prepare for these tests. You can find an overview of the three tests and some sample questions in each of the areas, from the Educational Testing Service. You can purchase a more complete study guide to CORE at many bookstores or you may borrow study guides from the Education Resource Center (012 Willard Hall). Students can seek math tutoring at the Office of Academic Enrichment or the Math Tutorial Lab. Tutors recommend that students bring and show their work, such as a practice test.
The computer based testing format is offered by scheduling a specific day and time when it is available at various locations. The Educational Testing Service provides additional information about the test and the registration process. At the time you register, you must designate where you want your test scores sent. You get 3 free copies. You must designate the University of Delaware (5811) as one of your score recipients. In addition to UD, you should designate the state of Delaware and one other state where you may want to teach.
Please note: Because you may qualify for one of the exemptions, we recommend waiting to take the test until your sophomore or junior year. If you do not qualify for one of the exemptions, you must take the test and submit passing scores before you apply for student teaching in February of your junior year.
To receive the University's recommendation for certification, you must achieve a qualifying score on the Praxis Subject Assessments (or Praxis II) facilitated by the Educational Testing Service organization. These examinations measure subject-specific content knowledge. Candidates seeking certification in secondary social studies in the State of Delaware are required to take the Social Studies: Content Knowledge Praxis examination (5081) and achieve a qualifying score of 157.
We recommend that students take the Praxis II exam over the summer or fall of their senior year but before the start of student teaching. The Educational Testing Service provides practice exams. Test booklets can be borrowed from the Educational Resource Center (ERC) in Willard Hall, or are available for purchase at bookstores.
Register online at the Educational Testing Service.
At the time of registration, you must designate where you want your test scores sent. You get 3 free copies. You must designate the University of Delaware (5811) as one of your score recipients. In addition to UD, you should designate the State of Delaware and one other state where you may want to teach as score recipients. While UD candidates are required to take the tests mandated by the State of Delaware to receive the University's recommendation for certification, additional tests may be required by states other than Delaware.
The Educational Testing Service provides information on testing requirements for each state.
Course Planning Resources
Practicum & Certification Resources
Office of Clinical Studies - information and forms related to field placements such as criminal background checks and other clearances, dispositions policy, and capstone evaluations.
Office of Certification and Accreditation - information related to teaching certification in Delaware and other states.
Center for Excellence and Equity in Teacher Preparation - provides support services for teacher preparation programs at the University of Delaware.
DEEDS - Delaware Department of Education certification system
