River Parishes Community College

RPCC to Offer Associate of Science in Teacher Education Degree

SORRENTO, La. –River Parishes Community College may soon add a new degree program to its catalogue of course offerings. The Board of Supervisors of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System approved an Associate of Science in Teacher Education last month. Now the proposed program must clear one final hurdle - approval by the state Board of Regents. The new degree curriculum will be part of the Louisiana TeachNext program, which allows students at Delgado or Nunez community colleges to complete the first two years of a four-year teaching degree while enrolled in community college.

Students pursuing the new degree will be required to successfully complete 60 credit hours.

“We are excited about the possibilities that would come with the approval of an additional degree program. Dr. Vavasseur comes highly recommended and I know she’ll lead this program to success,” said Dr. Joe Ben Welch, Chancellor of River Parishes Community College. “We have been growing steadily since we opened our doors in 1999, and we are always exploring new opportunities and new ways to enhance the higher education offerings in the river region.”

The new Associate of Science in Teaching degree is designed specifically for those students who wish to teach elementary-level students in the first through fifth grades. The degree is fully transferable to four-year colleges of education in Louisiana, enabling the degree recipients to enter a four-year institution already having completed half of their certification requirements and having met all general education requirements. In addition, students will complete two professional education courses with associated field experience and must pass two parts of the PRAXIS – teacher certification exam – before obtaining the associates degree.

As part of the new program, River Parishes Community College added three new classes to its roster. All are education courses. The first is called Classroom Technology and introduces teacher education students to a variety of technological tools which can be used in modern classroom environments. The second is Teaching and Learning in Diverse Settings I, an introduction to teaching, focusing on introducing students to the field of education and educational psychology. This course will require 20 hours of field experience over the course of a semester. The third new course is Teaching and Learning in Diverse Settings II, which focuses on teaching diverse learners, and requires 20 to 25 hours of field experience.

The Louisiana TeachNext program has been developed over the past three years by community college teacher education leaders and elementary education representatives from the state’s universities. Dr. Cynthia Vavasseur, a May 2006 graduate of Louisiana State University’s doctoral program in Educational Leadership and Research, is the coordinator and lead faculty member. Vavasseur, a Prairieville resident who formerly taught at Dutchtown Middle and Duplessis Elementary schools, began work at River Parishes Community College in August 2006.

The application deadline for the fall 2007 semester is approaching. Informational meetings will be held on Wednesday, March 14 at 2:00 p.m. and on Friday, March 16 at noon. Both meetings will be held at River Parishes Community College in Room A-101. Prospective students may also find more information at www.LouisianaTeachNext.org or by e-mailing Vavasseur at cvavasseur@rpcc.edu.

River Parishes Community College is a two-year learning institution, fully-accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award Associate Degrees. The school is located at 7384 John LeBlanc Blvd. in Sorrento. For more information about River Parishes Community College, or to enroll in classes, call 225-675-8270 or log on to www.rpcc.edu.

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