Teaching Endorsements

• FLEXIBILITY: The courses are scheduled with you, the educator, in mind. You select the course delivery method that works best for you: Synchronous, Asynchronous or Competency-Based.
• TIME: Depending on the delivery method you could earn your endorsement in a few months to a year, which is standard for the synchronous endorsement program.
• EXPERTISE: Hone your craft and gain knowledge and skills that will help you be a more effective teacher.
• JOB SECURITY: Holding additional endorsements may qualify you for leadership positions in your district.
• COMPENSATION: Credits in the Endorsement program can raise you on the pay scale.  Teachers with a Master’s degree earn, on average, $10,000 more per year in the State of Washington.

In a competency-based model, students move through the sequence of courses required for the endorsement independently. There are no online or face-to-face courses. Instead, candidates demonstrate mastery of the competencies through portfolio assignments and proctored exams.

The course driven endorsement, whether synchronous or asynchronous, is the traditional class model.  Students will have schedule of classes with instruction at set times or which can be viewed and tasks completed outside of the class schedule.

In a competency-based model, students move through the sequence of courses required for the endorsement independently. There are no online or face-to-face courses. Instead, candidates demonstrate mastery of the competencies through portfolio assignments and proctored exams.

A micro-credential represents a portion of course equivalence to one credit. For instance, RDG 502 has two micro-credentials: History and Theory of Reading and Dyslexia. To demonstrate mastery of the competencies for each micro-credential, students complete a portfolio assignment and take an online proctored exam.

In the course driven endorsement, assignments and courses are awarded standard letter grades and/or point values.

In the competency-based model, courses are graded as pass/fail. Each portfolio assignment has a rubric for scoring purposes. Each online proctored exam contains 20 multiple choice questions and five short answer/essay responses. Students must successfully complete all assessments for each micro-credential, in order to receive a grade for the course.

Schedules can vary but the courses are offered in a synchronous and asynchronous format over three semesters Fall, Spring and Summer.  The courses are listed below.

This program is self-paced and allows for rolling enrollment options. In this way, students can enroll in a course as soon as the previous course is completed. There is no need to wait for the beginning of a semester to begin a course. Similarly, students have the ability to wait between courses if they are not prepared to move forward.

This depends on the state in which you live. In Washington State, after you complete the coursework you will need to take the following assessments: NES Essential Components of Elementary Reading Instruction (104), the English Language Learners (051), or the WEST-E Special Education (070) . For more information, please visit the Washington Educator Skills Test website at: http://www.west.nesinc.com/PageView.aspx?f=GEN_Tests.html. If you live in another state, please contact us at 509-865-8650 for state-specific information.

ABSOLUTELY! The credits from the ELL/BLE and Reading endorsements are designed to contribute to our Master’s in Inclusive Education: Dyslexia, ELL, and Cultural Competence. If you complete both endorsements for 32 credits, the only additional requirement for the Master’s Degree is a three-credit research sequence.

Required: Students must hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. While not required, it is preferable that a student be working as a P-12 classroom teacher while pursuing the endorsement options.  Candidates have to complete the Heritage University Application and a College of Education Endorsement/M.Ed application. Students are not required to take any entrance exams.

Students need access to the internet and a webcam/headphones. This is especially important  to fulfill testing requirements in the competency-based model.

The cost for your exam and portfolio assessments is included in your tuition; however, should you need to repeat an assessment, additional fees ($125) will apply.  You will contact your advisor to schedule your exams when you are ready, at which time you will receive access information.  Please plan to have a webcam (i.e. webcam is one word) installed in/on your device to permit remote proctoring of exams. Detailed instructions will be provided prior to your scheduled exam.

The cost of an endorsement depends on how you pursue the endorsement program.

Heritage University graduate tuition rate for individual participants pursuing the class in a traditional face to face, synchronous online or asynchronous online is $811 per credit and the program of courses takes a year to complete..  Total cost for 16-17 credits = $12,976 – $13,787.

Districts or combined district partnerships with 15 or more participants can have the program offered on your campus or in your area at a discounted rate of $9,000 -$9,500 (total tuition only cost) verses regular HU cost of $12,976—$13,787 per participant.

The cost per credit for the competency-based program is $437.50. This reflects a discount of $373.50 per credit. Total discount for the endorsement is $5,976-$6,349.50. This includes testing fees for the first attempt. If a student fails the test and/or portfolio, a retesting fee of $125 will be assessed. Students will pay for each course as they progress through the program. In this way, the payment schedule is individualized to each student based on course enrollment.