Admit to Candidacy
Admission to Candidacy (ATC) is the process by which all students are formally admitted into Teacher Education Programs at NC State. ATC status is granted by the Office of Professional Education (OPE) after students have met certain qualifications.
You do not have to apply for ATC status. At the end of each semester the names of students who have met the 60 hour threshold are sent by Registration and Records to the OPE. The OPE screens all eligible students to determine whether they have met the ATC requirements. Once screening is completed each student is sent a letter (via email) indicating whether they have been admitted or denied ATC. If a student is denied, the letter will indicate their deficiencies.The qualifications for ATC are a combination of NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI) requirements and College of Education (CED) requirements.Once a student has been admitted he/she is referred to as a CANDIDATE.
ATC is important because it determines when you can student teach!! The NC Department of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education mandate that Baccalaureate degree students who have not been admitted to teacher education candidacy one semester prior to the professional semester not be allowed to continue in their professional education studies. In no case should a student who has not been admitted to Teacher Education Candidacy register for, or remain in, any block courses or any methods courses during or preceding the student teaching semester.All teacher education candidates must be admitted to candidacy at least one full semester prior to the anticipated student teaching experience.For FALL Student teaching, juniors must be admitted by the 5th day of class (last day to add without permission) of SPRING of junior year.
For SPRING student teaching, seniors must be admitted the 5th day of class of FALL of senior year.
ATC Requirements
(click here for handout.)
CED Requirements:
Attain Junior Status of at least 60 hours (Including transfer credits).
Complete the General Education Requirements for English and Math
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ENG 101 or ENG 111 & ENG 112
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2 Math courses appropriate to your major
Successfully Complete the appropriate “Introduction to Teaching” course
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AEE 206, ECI 205, ELM 250, EMS 203, TED 207
Complete the required Disposition Awareness and Social Security Permission forms.
DPI Requirements:
Maintain an overall GPA of at least 2.50 on all coursework taken at NC State University.
Pass all 3 Parts of the Praxis I exam or satisfy the requirement through the exemption policy.
Praxis I
The Praxis I series is designed to measure basic skills in Reading, Writing, and Math.
The minimum required scores are:
Reading = 176
Writing = 173
Math = 173
Register online to take a Praxis test by visiting http://www.ets.org/praxis.
DO NOT WAIT to take the Praxis I.
Failure to complete the test requirement will delay your student teaching. You cannot appeal an ATC denial!
You may be exempt from Praxis I Testing if you meet one of the following conditions:
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SAT
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Combined 1100 (Critical Reading (verbal) and Math) exempts you from all 3 tests
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550 on Critical Reading exempts you from reading and writing
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550 on Math exempts you from math
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ACT
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Composite score of 24 (English and Math) exempts you from all 3 tests
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24 on English exempts you from reading and writing
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24 on Math exempts you from math
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Praxis
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Obtain a combined score of 522 across all three areas of the Praxis I Tests
Click here to see where Candidacy falls on a visual aid for Becoming a Teacher at NC State.
last updated 5/22/09
