STEP Admission Guidelines

All individuals interested in completing a School of Education teacher education program at UW-La Crosse matriculate through four benchmarks. The first benchmark starts with the declaration of a major in a teacher education area. The second benchmark is Admission to a Teacher Education Program (DES, STEP, PETE, and/or SHE) the third benchmark is Admission to Student Teaching or Internships and the final benchmark is university recommendation for teacher certification.

STEP Admission Policy and Procedures
All application material for Phase II is due at 4:30PM on the Friday of the fourth week of the Fall or Spring semester. (Spring Admission deadline is February 22, 2013)

The STEP Admission Process consists of four components: Pre-Application Academic Requirements (credit count, required coursework, GPA requirement, and Pre-Professional Skills Test), Teacher Educator Recommendation Level, Educational Experience Reflection Paper, and Candidate Interview.
For questions on the STEP Admission Policy, please contact Dr. Jennifer Kosiak (jkosiak@uwlax.edu)
Phase I: Pre-Application Criteria
STEP Pre-applications are accepted at any time during the year. Students who meet the pre-application criteria below should fill out the online STEP Pre-Application Admission Form.
  • Complete ENG 110 or 112 with a grade of "C" or higher.
  • Complete a minimum of 40 earned credits (including transfer credits) with a 2.75 combined cumulative grade point average.
  • Pass the Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST) with the following scores - Math (173), Reading (175), and Writing (174). UW-L must receive an official score report sent from ETS to the university.
  • Complete or concurrent enrollment in EFN 205 (or SOC 225 or WGS 230 or ERS 100 or equivalent), EDS 303 (or EDS 310 or equivalent), and PSY 212 (or equivalent).
  • Please contact Dr. Jennifer Kosiak if you have a question on these pre-application benchmarks.
  • As part of Phase I, submit the names and contact information (address, phone, and email) of two professional references. The STEP Admission Committee will send your references a brief Teacher Candidate Recommendation Form. This form is designed to assess your qualifications for STEP Admission.
Phase II: STEP Application Material
Within two days of submitting your online STEP Pre-Application Form, you will be added to the STEP Admission D2L site.  To apply for admission into the STEP Program upload the following materials to the D2L Admission Dropbox by the Friday of Week 4 by 4:30 p.m. each Fall or Spring semester.
  • Current Resume - Upload your resume to the D2L Dropbox. (Sample - for additional samples visit UW-L Career Services
  • Teacher Candidate Recommendation References: As part of Phase I, submit the names and contact information (address, phone, and email) of two professional references. The STEP Admission Committee will send your references a brief Teacher Candidate Recommendation Form. This form is designed to assess your qualifications for STEP admission.
  • Unofficial Transcript - Upload your unofficial transcript from WINGS to the D2L Dropbox.
  • Educational Experience Reflection Paper based on your PHASE I coursework. The STEP Reflection Paper Guidelines will provide you with more information. Upload your Reflection Paper to the D2L Dropbox.
PHASE III: STEP Interview
Approximately two weeks following submission of the on-line application materials STEP candidates meeting PHASE I AND II criteria will be contacted via e-mail to arrange the interview portion of the application process. Meeting the minimum eligibility criteria does not guarantee an interview.

PHASE IV: STEP Admission
Admission decisions will be sent to students via e-mail within one month following the application deadline. Resources available limit the number of students admitted. Not all students completing the application process are admitted to STEP.

APPEAL AND REAPPLICATION POLICY:
Students who do not meet either the minimum GPA or PPST requirements (but not both) may appeal PHASE I criteria. A student must submit an appeal packet at least 30 days before the application deadline to the STEP Admission Committee containing the following:
  1. Written statement of appeal identifying the requirement being appealed, reason(s) why the requirement was not satisfied, and why the committee should approve a waiver in this case.
  2. Two letters of support from faculty/staff or other professionals who can address the issue being appealed.
Students who are not admitted may appeal the admission decision by submitting a letter of appeal to the STEP Admission Committee by November 1 for fall applicants and April 1 for spring applicants. The student may be asked to meet with the STEP Admission Committee as part of the appeal process. Students will be notified of the appeal decision in a timely manner. The appeal decision is final.

Students may reapply to the STEP Program at any time during their academic career at UW -L.