GCT-Principal Certification

MISSION STATEMENT OF THE PRINCIPAL PK-12 CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

The mission of Gannon University’s Principal Preparation Program is to prepare principals as instructional leaders who effectively and ethically bring about continuous school improvements that result in increased student achievement.

PRINCIPAL AS AGENT OF SCHOOL REFORM

The Principal Preparation Program is designed around the conceptual framework of The Principal as Agent of School Reform and is designed to meet the Pennsylvania Leadership Standards.

All the courses in the certification program are approved to meet the Act 48 professional development requirement.

PROGRAM DISTINCTIONS

Program Delivery Model for Working Professionals

Classes meet online. The 12-month online program allows the complete flexibility that busy educators need to accommodate work and family. Travel to Gannon University is not required during the program.

Cohort

The design of Gannon’s program is based on effective models of adult learning. The program provides candidates in an online cohort community the opportunity to cooperate and collaborate throughout the sequence of five connected core courses, four of which have job concurrent internships. Once the online learning community is formed, it becomes the basis of a strong professional network that continues to provide support and professional development for the candidates as they move through their leadership careers.

Program Advisor

Every candidate is assigned a Program Advisor who serves as the consistent point of contact and mentor throughout the candidate’s program.

Highly Qualified Faculty

Courses are taught by highly qualified content experts who are successful practitioners in their respective fields. These faculty members are either current principals or individuals who have administrative experience.

Concurrent Internships

The internships begin during the first course at the introductory level, continue through key skills areas at the developmental level, and culminate during the last course in a mastery level capstone internship. This concurrent model allows candidates to have guided practice and formative feedback from faculty mentors and experienced practitioners while they are enrolled in a course that is associated with the internship.

Length of Internships

Internship experiences take place throughout the program so that candidates are involved in critical leadership responsibilities involving students, faculty and staff, strategic planning, curriculum development, budgeting, and other key areas of district culture. The concurrent internships vary in length from 20 to 35 hours, and the Principal Mastery Internship is 235 hours, which equates to 360 total internship hours in the PreK-12 Principal Certification program per PDE requirements.

Principal Professional Portfolio

Candidates develop a Principal Professional Portfolio throughout their courses and internship learning experiences and present the portfolio as a capstone activity. The portfolio is a very effective tool in career advancement.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must:

• Complete an application for admission.

• Submit an official transcript from a regionally accredited college or university which verify a master’s degree in Education or a related field and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, plus transcripts showing any additional graduate-level coursework.

• Submit three letters of recommendation, including one from the current superintendent and one from the current building principal. The letters from the superintendent and principal must speak to the candidate’s potential to become an effective school leader and acknowledge permission for the candidate to engage in internship activities throughout the year.

• Submit documentation of three years of educational experience working under a certificate. Candidates may be admitted with two years of experience if they will have completed three years of experience by the time their program concludes.

Transfer of credits:

Transferring credits to a program is done at the discretion of the program director. Minimum requirements are that they are graduate courses from an approved institution which have a grade of “B” or better and are recorded on an official transcript, and which are no older than five years at the time of submission for consideration. Generally, a maximum of six credits from an accredited university may be accepted. Candidates holding a District-Wide Supervisory Certificate in Curriculum and Instruction and enrolling in the Principal Certification program can earn the certification in 10 credits, pending a transcript review.

1. This online program requires the candidate to take 18 credits based upon a transcript review.

2. Candidates must have completed required courses, have three years of professional school experience in an instructional area, and attained a minimum GPA of 3.0 to be recommended for certification by Gannon University.

3. Candidates are required to successfully complete a 235-hour Mastery Internship to be eligible for certification.

STEPS TO CERTIFICATION

1. Successfully complete all required coursework.

2. Pass required Praxis exam.

3. Apply for certification on the PA Teacher Information Management System (TIMS).

4. Gannon University recommends candidates for certification, and PDE approves and issues certification.

Important Note: Current Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) standards and regulations take precedence over any information described in this catalog. Should those standards and regulations change, Gannon University will change its requirements. Candidates will be responsible for meeting the new guidelines for certification. Please refer to the PDE website at https://www.education.pa.gov for changes in regulations.

RECOMMENDATION

Candidates enrolled in the Principal PK-12 program should consider adding the Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction certification to their credentials once they have completed the principal program. The supervisory certification is a value-added component to one’s principal certification.

ALTERNATE ROUTE TO PRINCIPAL CERTIFICATION
(Provisional Administrative Level I Certification)

Under certain conditions, candidates who hold a bachelor’s degree may attain principal certification though an alternative route. Three years of documented relevant professional experience in an educational setting and a certified offer of employment as a principal, vice principal, or assistant principal are required, along with additional coursework completed within two years of employment as a principal, vice principal or assistant principal. For more details, please contact the program director.