New certificate offers ‘tryout’ for teacher education

The Gateway to Teacher Education undergraduate certificate, approved by the South Dakota Board of Regents in July and available through the state’s public universities starting this fall, offers students across South Dakota an opportunity to explore a career in K-12 teacher education. 

And at South Dakota State University, the new certificate can complement any of the 23 teacher education programs offered through the School of Education, Counseling and Human Development. 

Those SDSU teacher education programs include: 

• Early childhood education, birth-8 
• Elementary education 
• Special education 
• Secondary education (20 content areas, including agricultural education, family and consumer sciences education and more) 

The certificate program introduces students to the teaching field while equipping them with essential courses to better prepare them for future goals. It is uniquely positioned to be delivered through South Dakota’s High School Dual Credit program, online and on campus. 

“It gives high school students an opportunity to try out some aspects of education as a career pathway and decide earlier if it’s a pathway they want to continue going down at SDSU,” said Patrick Hales, associate professor in SDSU’s Department of Teaching, Learning and Leadership and assistant director of K-12 education. 

In addition to “trying out” a potential career field, high school students who complete the certificate will come to SDSU a little ahead of the game in their pursuit of an undergraduate teacher education degree. 

“Prospective students are able to take six credits applicable to the teacher education major, which provides them a jump-start to completing degree requirements,” said Anne Karabon, the Wendell and Marlys Thompson Director of the School of Education, Counseling and Human Development. 

Hales said the certificate program has led to the school updating some of its curriculum. 

Of the 12 credits required to earn the certificate, half are from two education courses: Introduction to Education and Introduction to Persons with Exceptionalities. The other six credits come from the student’s choice of two other courses: either Foundations of Communication or Composition I; and either U.S. History or South Dakota American Indian Culture and Education. 

Enrollment in SDSU’s teacher education programs is on the rise. Karabon said, on average, 150 students graduate from the programs every academic year. That number is expected to increase after the addition of elementary education and special education programs at SDSU in fall 2023. 

Karabon said having teacher education students coming into SDSU’s program more confident that it’s the career field for them benefits the university. “We have people coming to the institution with the intention of becoming teachers, enthusiastic and having a foundational basis with some professional knowledge that will assist with teacher shortages across the state.” 

“This program not only strengthens the pipeline for educators in our state,” South Dakota Board of Regents President Tim Rave said, “but also makes quality education more accessible. Thanks to funding provided by the South Dakota Legislature, our high school dual credit students can take these gateway courses at a discounted rate, setting them up for even greater success.” 

The Gateway to Teacher Education certificate is open to high school juniors and seniors and public university students across South Dakota who are interested in exploring a career in education. Interested students are encouraged to visit the Dakota Dreams website to learn more.