The College will offer a fifth Fall term for only $600 to seniors who wish to become certified teachers after they graduate, beginning in fall 2009. The reduced tuition for the extra term could save participating students almost $12,000, according to College Provost Barry Scherr. The Office of Financial Aid listed the cost of a trimester as $12,305 for the 2008-2009 year.
"We've essentially eliminated the tuition costs," Scherr said. "Having this possibility will definitely allow more students to get certified."
The three-credit teacher certification program, offered each Fall term, requires fifteen weeks of full-time student teaching in an area elementary or high school, education department chair Andrew Garrod said. Students also take an education seminar to supplement their practical experience, but usually do not take other classes at Dartmouth, Garrod said.
"It's a rare student who can make a commitment to education during their time as an undergraduate," he said. "The program is designed for those who can."
For some students, teaching may seem appealing, but sacrificing a full term to become certified can seem too big a commitment, Garrod said. This is especially true for those writing a thesis or pursuing a major and a minor.
"We have wonderful students in the program, but we don't attract a very large number of them, partly because of the commitment it requires," Garrod said.
The certification program usually attracts 10 to 12 students, Garrod said, with five to six in both the elementary and secondary divisions. With the addition of the fifth Fall term option, enrollment will now be capped at 10 students in each program, he said. Students must apply to the program and satisfy requirements before entering, including the successful completion of eight required education courses, an interview and prior experience working with children, he said.
Jarrod Shaheen '08 knew he wanted to teach since his first year at the College and hoped to become teacher certified before graduation, he said. A double major in Spanish and mathematics, Shaheen said it took careful planning to accomplish all his goals within four years.
"It basically became a game of juggling my [Dartmouth] plan for the classes to work out just right," he said. "I have a million stories of art [distributive requirements] falling through and classes falsely listed as TMVs. It's definitely been a roller coaster."
The fifth fall option is also geared toward students that, unlike Shaheen, decide relatively late to become certified and cannot complete the prerequisites before their senior fall, education instructor Jay Davis '90 said. It allows for more academic freedom, such as studying abroad or taking interesting electives, he said.
Students have always had the option of remaining on campus for a fifth Fall to become certified, said Davis, who chairs the secondary education certification program. In the past, however, they had to pay the full tuition for an extra term. According to Davis, this meant that students who chose to remain for an extra term tended to come from families who could afford to pay the full cost.
"It bothered us that the only people who were staying to get certified were the ones who could afford to pay the extra $12,000," Davis said. "Reducing the cost of staying will take away the socioeconomic distinction that we were seeing."
Participation in the certification program counts as a "Residence" term on campus, Scherr said, but students who participate after graduation will be responsible for their own housing and will not be eligible for room draw.
Because students still have the option of completing the certification program their senior fall, the College will not lose money by reducing the fees to $600, Garrod said. Although the reduced cost may attract students who want more academic freedom as an undergraduate, becoming certified before graduation will still appeal to students who want to enter the workforce as soon as they can, he said.
"Some students will want to be on the market for the following September," Garrod said. "Many years ago, we only offered a fifth Fall term option, and it was hard for some students to wait to enter the market in January."
Students participating their senior fall will be charged tuition for a regular term, Scherr explained.
Garrod and Davis both said they were pleased with the College's agreement to institute the fifth Fall term option at a reduced cost.
"It's very exciting to see this possibility come to life," Davis said. "The undergraduates I've worked with at Dartmouth have become outstanding teachers, and the reduced tuition option reflects Dartmouth's commitment to the importance of teaching."
