In this multi-part blog series, I discuss my progress towards becoming a state-certified English Language Arts teacher in Alaska.
This post discusses the progress of my coursework towards completing towards this goal.
My Certification Checklist
Here is an updated list of requirements I have to complete to earn my degree and my state teaching certificate.
Night Courses
The following are required courses from the Western Governor’s University program.
These classes must be completed in my spare time.
| Course Name | Credits | Completed |
| Orientation | 0 | ✔ |
| Foundations of Education | 2 | ✔ |
| Educational Psychology and Human Development of Children and Adolescents | 4 | ✔ |
| Schools as Communities of Care | 2 | ✔ |
| Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment | 2 | ✔ |
| Assessing Student Learning | 2 | ✔ |
| Essential Practices for Supporting Diverse Learners | 3 | ✔ |
| Creating and Managing Engaging Learning Environments | 2 | ✔ |
| Using Educational Technology for Teaching and Learning | 2 | ✔ |
| Secondary Reading Instruction and Interventions | 2 | |
| Secondary Disciplinary Literacy | 2 | |
| English Pedagogy | 3 | |
| Professional Portfolio | 1 | |
| Cohort Seminar | 1 |
As you can see from the above list, I’m nearing completion. Over the next six weeks, I hope to finish “Secondary Reading Instruction and Interventions” and “Secondary Disciplinary Literacy.”
Sometime after August, I will complete “English Pedagogy.”
The two remaining courses are completed as a part of my demonstration teaching requirement, which will take place sometime between January and May of 2025.
On-the-job Coursework
As a part of the master’s degree program, I am required to complete on-the-job clinical hours.
| Course Name | Credits | Completed |
| Preclinical Experiences in English | 2 | |
| Supervised Demonstration Teaching in English, Observations 1 & 2 | 2 | |
| Supervised Demonstration Teaching in English, Observations 3 & Midterm | 2 | |
| Supervised Demonstration Teaching in English, Observations 4 & 5 | 2 | |
| Supervised Demonstration Teaching in English, Observations 6 & Final | 2 | |
| Teacher Performance Assessment in English | 1 |
My upcoming employer, Alaska Gateway School District, has kindly offered to allow me to pursue these courses as a part of my employment.
In fall 2024, I will do the Preclinical Experiences in English class by visiting another English Language Arts teacher’s class during my prep hour. I believe I’m expected to make observations and report back to WGU with what I have learned.
In spring of 2025, I will perform my demonstration teaching courses. I believe I am expected to record myself during my lessons with my students, and then a teacher at my school will give me feedback.
After those are completed, I do the Teacher Performance Assessment with WGU, which I believe is when I discuss my skills with a WGU teacher representative.
State-Required Coursework
While the above courses are required by my master’s degree program at Western Governor’s University, there are other courses that are required by the State of Alaska itself before I can be considered a licensed teacher.
| Course | Credits | Completed |
| Alaska Studies Coursework | 3 | |
| Alaska Multicultural Coursework | 3 |
There are a number of approved courses for each of the two requirements. Click on the link to view.
I have not yet decided which specific courses I will take.
List of Exams
Here is a checklist of my Praxis exam requirements. They are all complete!
| Exam Name | Passed |
| Praxis – Core Academic Skills for Educators: Writing | ✔ |
| Praxis – Core Academic Skills for Educators: Mathematics | ✔ |
| Praxis – Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading | ✔ |
| Praxis II English Language Arts: Content and Analysis 5039 | ✔ |
How You Can Help
If any of this is ever going to work, I will need outside support.
Here is a link to a blog post that describes how a supportive reader can help me in my quest.
In short, you can…
- Like, comment and share
- Buy a copy of my children’s novella, Westly: A Spider’s Tale
- Help me connect with part-time and contract work