Students who wish to major or minor in education at Carthage, and complete the Teacher Education Program, must complete a series of steps during their four years at Carthage.

Course Requirements

Carthage prepares students for teaching middle childhood/early adolescent (elementary/middle school), cross-categorical special education, and early adolescence/adolescence (middle/high school). Please click on one of the categories below for a list of requirements for that major or minor.

Current students: You should follow the official College Catalog from the year you entered Carthage and work with your advisors and the department chair to ensure all requirements are met.

Middle Childhood/Early AdolescenT (elementary education)

Students who want to teach in grades 1-8 must complete a major in education and a minor in their subject area.

SECONDARY EDUCATION MINOR

Teacher candidates seeking grades 5-12 (Early Adolescence through Adolescence) certification must complete a major in their subject area and the secondary education minor. 

Cross-Categorical Special Education

The cross-categorical special education major requires a middle childhood/early adolescent licensure or an early adolescent/adolescent licensure along with the CCSE program.

Urban Education Minor

For teacher candidates seeking grades 1-8 (Middle Childhood through Early Adolescence) certification or grades 5-12 (Early Adolescence through Adolescence) certification.

Natural Science/Stem Minor for Educators

Now available to students, the new Natural Science/STEM minor for educators emerged from an overhaul of the College’s previous minor for prospective elementary and middle school science teachers. Students can choose one of two tracks: Physical Science/Project Lead The Way or Environmental, Earth, and Life Science. 

Broadfield Science Minor

Recent trends in education show that teachers are being asked to teach broad, general science classes that often stretch beyond their major field. The broadfield science minor, as a supplement to the science major and EA-A education certification, will prepare students to teach science in middle schools and high schools.

Educational Studies Minor

The educational studies minor provides the background information on basic educational theories, child and adolescent psychology, and foundational knowledge about how their majors connect with the ability to teach, manage, and lead groups of people.

Art Education K-12

Carthage College offers licensure in Wisconsin to teach art, grades K-12.

Music Education K-12

Carthage College offers licensure in Wisconsin to teach music, grades K-12, in the following three areas: General Music, Instrumental Music, and Choral Music.

Physical Education K-12

Carthage College offers licensure in Wisconsin to teach physical education and health, grades K-12. Students may also pursue licensure in adaptive physical education and athletic coaching.

BROAD FIELD SOCIAL SCIENCE SECONDARY EDUCATION

The Broad Field Social Science Education Major emphasizes breadth over depth in the social sciences and is solely for students who are also pursuing teacher certification in Secondary Education (Early Adolescence to Adolescence, grades 5-12).

Important Steps: Planning a Program

In each of the licensure programs, there are specific course sequences students must follow to achieve licensure. Students are expected to plan and confirm their programs with an education department faculty member and/or appointed advisor.

NOTE: Completion of the Carthage Education Program does not guarantee licensure. State requirements (such as student teaching, content tests, criminal background checks, etc.) in addition to program completion must also be met for teacher certification.

The Education Department also requires its students in the Teacher Education Program (TEP) to take and pass the Praxis II test as a requirement for student teaching. 

Core Basic Skills Testing

The Core is comprised of three tests: Reading, Writing, and Mathematics. You can take one, two, or all three of these tests at a time. If you don’t pass one or more of the tests you only need to retake the one(s) you didn’t pass. To enter the Teacher Education Program (TEP) at Carthage and to be in compliance with Wisconsin state requirements, you must pass all three tests.

Praxis II Content Area Testing

Students may not achieve admittance into their professional semester of student teaching without achieving the minimum score required for their specific Praxis II test. Students majoring in Elementary Education and Cross Categorical Special Education must take and pass the Middle School Content Knowledge test; students minoring in Secondary Education must take and pass content tests in their academic subject majors.

FORT exam

The Foundations of Reading Test (FORT) is required for students majoring in Elementary Education and/or Cross-Categorical Special Education, Reading Teachers, and Reading Specialists in order for them to obtain their Wisconsin Teaching License. 

*Please note that students may qualify for alternatives to testing based upon certain GPA and coursework requirements with approval from the Education Department chair.

edTPA Portfolio

All teacher candidates must pass an edTPA portfolio to obtain their Wisconsin Teaching License in their major field; Elementary Education majors must pass the edTPA Literacy portfolio and Secondary Education minors must pass the edTPA portfolio for their major subject areas.