The Associates of Arts in Teaching (AAT) program is designed to attract students into high need discipline areas for preparation to transfer into a four-year college/university education program. The program will be guided by the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards, Core Language Arts, and Core Technology Standards, as well as by the College's core values (Commitment, Respect, Excellence, Accountability, Diversity). The AAt student will spend a minimum of fifteen hours of field experience ina variety of school settings with a minimum of eight hours in a concentration area. A criminal background check may be required in order to participate in field experiences.
Additional graduation requirements for completion of AAT degree programs include a "C" or better in all program courses, a cumulative grade point overage of 2.5, passing score on the Illinois Basic Skills Test, completion of documented field experience hours, and submissionof a program portfolio. It is recommended that students take the Illinois Basic Skills Test prior to the accumulation of 45 semester hours of credit.
In addition to the College's general admission application, students must submit an AAT degree application for admission to the Teacher Education office/advisor. Admission to courses will be based upon having met the prerequisite for each course in teh program sequence. AAT students will be adviced by the Teacher Education program advisor and/or designated academic advising staff members and will not be permitted to self-advise. Students must meet admission requirements prior to applying to the AAT program.
While enrolled in Introduction to Public Education or Introduction to Early Childhood Education, students will be required to complete fifteen clock hours of field experience in a variety of environments in the P-12 school system. Other education courses may also require students to complete field experiences for a total of up to thirty hours of documented experiences upon graduation. Prior to submission of the graduation application, students must submit a portfolio that includes a reflection of educational experiences, artifacts demonstrating teaching standards addressed, and verification of documented field experience hours.
