Additional Licensure Requirements

Praxis Requirements

Students in the licensure program must earn Hawaii qualifying scores for the Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST) in reading, writing, and math before enrolling in methods courses.

• Elementary, Secondary and Special Education students must take and pass the Praxis II Content Area Exercises exam prior to the application deadline for Fall and Spring student teaching. Per HTSB requirements students who do not take and pass the Praxis II exam before student teaching will not be allowed to student teach.

Read more about Praxis requirements.

Observation & Participation

Various methods courses require an Observation and Participation (O&P) practicum in an approved educational setting. These field experiences are arranged through the Field Services Director. For students holding teaching positions, O&P may be completed in the classroom under the observation of a colleague. See the course descriptions for O&P courses.

Read more about Observation and Participation requirements.

Student Teaching

Student teaching is offered twice a year (July-December or January-May) and is a minimum of 15 weeks, not including breaks and intercessions. Student teaching is full-time, unpaid work completed under the supervision of a Cooperating Teacher and a University Supervisor in a public or private school. Eligibility to student teach is dependent on the quality of coursework and student disposition over the duration of the program. Students are not allowed to work or take additional classes during the 15 weeks of student teaching. Student teaching requirements include:

1. Completion of all licensure courses, including required hours of Observation and Participation field experiences;
2. Excellent O&P evaluations from each of the methods courses
3. Excellent student disposition evaluations by all course instructors
4. At least a B in all courses
5. Submittal of the following documents by designated due dates (refer to the Field Experiences Manual for specific deadline dates)
   1. Submittal of the Student Teaching Application
   2. Verification and receipt of passing PPST and Praxis II scores
   3. Three Faculty Recommendations
   4. Fingerprinting clearance
   5. Proof of TB (tuberculosis) clearance
   6. Active SNEA Membership
   7. Submission of Graduation Clearance form
6. Attendance at the Orientation to the Student Teaching Program

Students who are currently employed as full-time classroom teachers in a public or private school may submit a request for validation. To be considered, students must have been teaching in their concentration area for at least one entire semester (six months) and have approval from the school principal and Chaminade University.

Read more about Student Teaching requirements.

Portfolio

During the student teaching seminar, students will finalize a portfolio that documents achievement of specific skill competencies aligned with Hawaii State Teacher Performance and Licensing Standards, and Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Standards in the case of special education licensure. Successful completion of student teaching is contingent on successful completion of the seminar and review of the portfolio.