Dec 09, 2024  
2018-2019 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2018-2019 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Teacher Education Licensure Programs


Overview

Through a continuum of clinical experiences and relevant and appropriate instructional methods, WSU graduates are prepared in a community of learners with developmentally appropriate content and pedagogical expertise, and professional dispositions to improve students’ learning by: (1) actively engaging in a culture of reflective practice and continuous improvement (2) demonstrating awareness of - and an ability to respond to - broader psychosocial and global contexts; and (3) advocating for students and their learning through leadership, collaboration, innovation, flexibility, and critical thinking.

Teacher Education Programs with Major Codes

Students will need to use a pre-major education code until they are admitted to Teacher Education. This code will be assigned accordingly when students complete a Declaration of Major form.

College of Education
Business Education (Teaching) (BEDT) - BT Major  
Elementary Education with Early Childhood Emphasis (ELEC) - BT Major  
Elementary Education/K-6 (ELEM) - BT Major  
Elementary Education/K-6 (EEAC) - BT Major (Austin)  
Elementary Education/K-6 (EERC) - BT Major (Rochester)  
Physical Education (Teaching) (PET) - BT Major  
Special Education - Academic & Behavioral Strategist (SEAB) - BT Major  
Special Education - Developmental Disabilities (SEDD) - BT Major  
Special Education - Learning Disabilities (SELD) - BT Major  

College of Liberal Arts
Art (Teaching) (ARTT) - BT Major  
Communication Arts and Literature (Teaching) (CALT) - BT Major  
English - Teaching English as a Second Language K-12 (Teaching) (ESLT) - BT Major  
Music Education - Instrumental (Teaching) (MSTI) - BT Major  
Music Education - Vocal (Teaching) (MSTV) - BT Major  
Social Science - History Teaching (SSHT) - BT Major  
Spanish (Teaching) (SPNT) - BT Major  

College of Nursing & Health Sciences
HERS - Health Promotion - School Health (Teaching) (HPST) - BT Major  

College of Science & Engineering
Chemistry - ACS Chemistry (Teaching) (CHCT) - BT Major 
Biology - Life Science (Teaching) (BLST) - BT Major  
Chemistry - Physical Science (Teaching) (CPST) - BT Major  
Geoscience - Earth Science (Teaching) (ESCT) - BT Major  
Mathematics - Secondary Teaching (MTHT) - BT Major  
Physics - Physical Science (Teaching) (PPST) - BT Major  
Physics (Teaching) (PHST) - BT Major  

Teacher Education Minors and Endorsements

College of Education
Adapted Physical Education (APE) - Minor  
Child Advocacy Studies (CAST) - Minor  
Coaching (COAC) - Minor  
Education - Reading Instruction (EDRD) - Minor  

College of Liberal Arts
Bilingual/Bicultural Education (BBED) - Minor  
Middle Level Communication Arts & Literature (Teaching) (MLCA) - Minor  
Middle Level Social Studies (Teaching) (MLSO) - Minor  

College of Science & Engineering
Middle Level Mathematics (Teaching) (MLMA) - Minor  
Middle Level Science (Teaching) (MLSC) - Minor  

Admission to Teacher Education

Before a student is able to take many of the necessary Education courses needed for licensure, that student must first be admitted to the Teacher Education unit. This process is competitive as the number of students who can be admitted each semester is limited. Admission is based on grades, passing the Basic Skills tests, and other measures. Students must complete an online application and be accepted into the program the semester before they begin the Professional Education Sequence of coursework. For more information on this process, visit the education website.

Growth and Retention in Teacher Education

Coursework

Teacher Education admission is required before students can take the Professional Education Sequence courses listed below.  Some programs also require Teacher Education admission before enrolling in some content courses.

Professional Education Sequence for K-12, 5-12, 9-12 Licensure (12 S.H.)

In addition to the professional education sequence courses, K-12, 5-12, and 9-12 Teacher Education majors are also required to take additional courses.

Professional Education Sequence for Elementary Education Licensure and Elementary Education with Early Childhood Licensure (12 S.H.)

In addition to the professional education sequence courses, Teacher Education majors are also required to take these two classes. These courses can be taken before admission to Teacher Education.

Pass/No Credit (P/NC) Courses

Except for field experience and student teaching, students must take all courses in the major, minor, certificate, and licensures on a grade-only basis. The P/NC option is available to non-majors unless otherwise noted. Courses offered on a pass/no-credit-only or grade-only basis are so designated in the course descriptions.

Repetition of Courses

The following courses cannot be repeated more than once due to withdrawal or earning a grade less than C: all Professional Education Sequence courses including all EDFD classes, HERS 204, and SPED 300; and EDUC 429 and EDFD 449 for K-12 and 5-12 majors. Rochester campus students should communicate with their academic advisors to learn which courses in their program are part of the Professional Education Sequence.

Incomplete Grades

The grade of incomplete (I) may be granted at the discretion of the course instructor in special cases in which, for reasons beyond the student’s control, all course assignments were not finished though the student is passing all other aspects of the course. The incomplete must be resolved by the second week of the next semester in which the student enrolls for any course that serves as a prerequisite for other courses.

Student Assistance

Assistance is available for students who struggle in this area of study. Students identified by teacher education faculty as needing assistance in academic, personal, or professional domains are required to attend a review meeting to be called by the Program Leader and the faculty member(s) involved, and the student’s advisor to demonstrate corrective action in the identified areas of concern. Assistance plans will likely draw upon services such as those provided by the Warrior Success Center and Counseling and Wellness Services. If a student withdraws from the program for any reason, she or he must meet with their Program Leader and the Education Admission Director to continue in the program.

Continuation in Teacher Education

  1. The successful completion of conditions outlined in the student assistance plan will be required for continuation in teacher education programs under the following circumstances:
    • Students must earn a grade of C or better in all Professional Education Sequence coursework including all EDFD classes, HERS 204, and SPED 300. For K-12, 5-12, and 9-12 majors, this grade requirement includes EDUC 429 and EDFD 449. Each teacher education program may have additional grade requirements in their major. Rochester campus students should communicate with their academic advisors to learn which courses in their program are part of the Professional Education Sequence.
    • Failure to meet GPA requirements outlined below.
    • Failure to meet disposition guidelines listed in the Teacher Education Handbook.
  2. Teacher education students must maintain at least a 2.75 GPA in their major in order to be placed in student teaching. Students with outstanding incompletes will not be allowed to student teach.
  3. Student assistance plans and academic warning letters are treated as part of the student’s teacher education record.

Dismissal from Teacher Education

Students may be dismissed from the Teacher Education Program for either of the following reasons:

Note: A student dismissed for a violation will not be allowed to continue in any field experience for that semester, will be dropped from the Teacher Education Program at the end of the semester, and will not be readmitted to the major.

Student Appeals

Student appeals must follow the appeals process outlined in the WSU-Teacher Education Appeals Form available in the College of Education Center for Teacher Success.

Student Teaching

Requirements

Student teaching is required for all teacher education programs and is done during the final semester at WSU. Sixteen weeks is required in a B-12 school or early childhood program contracted by the university. All teacher candidates will complete seventeen weeks in their licensure area. Fall semester students begin with the districts’ workshops and continue until the Wednesday before graduation. Spring semester students begin when WSU resumes and continues until the Wednesday before graduation. Once the teacher candidates begin, they follow the district calendar.

Student teaching at the secondary level is required in all content majors. If a second major is completed, the Director of Clinical Practice will indicate the WSU student teaching requirements necessary to meet licensure requirements.

Application

Application for student teaching is made to the Director of Clinical Practice two semesters prior to the student teaching semester. Students apply for a semester when they will not have other commitments, such as coaching, music tours, classes, etc. Applications are available on the Clinical Practice website.

Progression Policy

If the cooperating teacher or the university supervisor has any concern regarding the teacher candidate’s performance (academic or professional), it is imperative that the concern be addressed immediately. All three parties (the classroom teacher, the university supervisor and the teacher candidate) will meet and discuss all concerns. It is important that all three parties share a common understanding of the concern(s) and the impact upon the completion of a successful student teaching experience. A written student assistance plan will be developed, stating clear expectations and the consequences if those expectations are not met within a specified timeline. If students do not satisfactorily complete student teaching after remediation, they may apply to graduate with a Individualized Studies degree.

Licensure

Minnesota Licensure

The state of Minnesota requires that all teacher education candidates for licensure shall:

  • Hold a baccalaureate degree from a college or university that is accredited by the regional association for the accreditation of colleges and secondary schools.
  • Demonstrate the Standards of Effective Practice.
  • Verify the completion of an approved teacher preparation program.
  • Meet the prescribed scores on the Minnesota Teacher Licensure Examination (MTLE) basic skills (or ACT plus Writing or SAT score options), content, and pedagogy tests.

Licensure in Other States

Keep in mind that even if you plan to teach in a state other than Minnesota, the first step is always to get the Minnesota license. Then, you can research the steps to obtaining a license from another state. Students interested in becoming certified to teach in states other than Minnesota must contact that state’s Department of Education to obtain licensure requirements. Additional information about states surrounding Minnesota is available on WSU’s Teacher Education website.

Licensure Requirements for Post-Baccalaureate Students

A Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science graduate who holds a degree from WSU or another accredited institution may qualify for teacher licensure by satisfying the Teacher Education Program admission requirements (available on the Teacher Education website).

Generally, it takes about 2 ½ years of full-time coursework to add onto a non-teaching Bachelor’s degree and attain the qualifications needed for a teaching license. When post-baccalaureate students apply to WSU and submit their official transcripts, they will receive a degree audit report (DARS) listing the classes needed.

The only Master’s degree teacher licensure program offered through the Winona campus is in Special Education. Please refer to the WSU graduate catalog for more information about this program.

WSU-Rochester offers a graduate level Teacher Preparation Collaboration Program. To be eligible for this program, the applicant must have a Bachelor’s degree in the “content area” of the teacher education license in which he or she is interested. This program is only for secondary teaching license (grades 5-12). Details about this program are listed in the WSU graduate catalog and available on the TPC website.

Induction and Support

We have committed to providing ongoing support and induction for the first three years of your employment as a teacher, wherever you are employed.  In order to provide this support and induction to which we have committed, and of which you will be the beneficiary, we will ask for detailed contact information from you during your last semester with us at WSU.

Legend

◎ = Oral Intensive

◆ = Math/Critical Analysis Intensive

△ = Writing Intensive

✽ = Physical Development and Wellness Graduation Requirement