Teacher Education Licensure Programs

Overview

The College of Education seeks to integrate into pre-service teacher education the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions necessary for the teacher education graduate to be an effective educator. Pre-service teacher education includes (1) a philosophy of education; (2) knowledge of the individual learner; (3) understanding of the opportunities, objectives, and responsibilities of schooling in a democratic society; (4) practice toward teaching effectively; and (5) the professionalism to work with others as leaders in promoting continual improvement of schools. In addition to major content courses, education majors must complete courses in Educational Foundations, Research, and Technology (EFRT).

Note: All Winona State University teacher education programs are continuously updated to reflect new licensure requirements from the Minnesota Board of Teaching. Please contact your program advisor and refer to the Teacher Education Addendum (www.winona.edu/education/advising) for the latest information about program requirements whether you are (1) applying to a teacher education program, or (2) currently enrolled in a teacher education program.

You may also join the WSU Pre-Education majors group on Facebook or follow the EFRT Department on Twitter (@WSU_PreEd) regularly for current program/licensure requirement and program updates.

Pass/No Credit (P/NC) Courses

Except for internships and practica, 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

No methods and licensure courses may be repeated more than once due to withdrawal or earning a grade less than “C.” Please refer to your program for additional requirements.

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.

Teacher Education Programs as Currently Defined by the Minnesota Board of Teaching

Elementary Education, K-6 with Early Childhood, grades Birth-6
Elementary Education, grades K-6 (Minors, optional):
Business Education, grades 5-12
Communication Arts and Literature, grades 5-8 and 5-12 Health Education, grades 5-12 Mathematics, grades 5-8 and 5-12 Music: Instrumental and Classroom, grades K-12 Music: Vocal and Classroom, grades K-12
Physical Education, grades K-12
Developmental Adapted Physical Education Pre K-12
Science:
	Chemistry, grades 9-12 + General Science 5-8 Chemistry, grades 9-12 Earth, grades 9-12 + General Science 5-8 Earth, grades 9-12 Life, grades 9-12 + General Science 5-8 Life, grades 9-12 Physics, grades 9-12 + General Science 5-8 Physics, grades 9-12
Social Studies, grades 5-12
Special Education
	Developmental Disabilities, grades K-12 Learning Disabilities, grades K-12
Teaching English as a Second Language, grades K-12 Visual Arts, grades K-12 World Languages Spanish, grades K-12
Minors

	Communication Arts and Literature, grades 5-8 Mathematics, grades 5-8 Science, grades 5-8 Social Studies, grades 5-8
Additional Minors may be completed by teacher candidates who have a major in the above teacher education programs.

The following Education Department majors are available at WSU-Rochester:

Elementary Education, grades K-6
Special Education, Early Childhood (birth to age 6)

All other majors are available only on the Winona campus. See the Special Education - Early Childhood - BS Major , Elementary Education - K-6 w/Middle Level Communication Arts and Literature 5-8 Specialty - BT Major , Elementary Education - K-6 w/Middle Level Social Studies 5-8 Specialty - BT Major sections for the articulation of the teacher education programs available at the WSU-Rochester campus.

Admission to the WSU Teacher Education Program

Attend the Admissions Meeting the semester before you wish to start taking classes. An Admissions Meeting is scheduled early each semester. At this mandatory meeting, students review the criteria for admission and complete the application process. (If a student has been accepted previously but did not start the education sequence the following semester, the student must attend a new admissions meeting and be re-accepted under the criteria in effect for that semester.)

Current minimum admission criteria, which will be verified in the application process, include:

30 semester hours of completed credit of which no more than two semester hours may be pass/no credit hours. All transfer credits to be considered for admission must have been accepted by WSU and be designated on the credit evaluation prepared by the WSU Office of Admissions.
Cumulative GPA of 2.75 or better.
Note: Students who do not meet the 2.75 GPA may request to be considered under the alternate GPA option. The alternate GPA calculation is based upon the last 30 semester credits completed. The calculation must include all credit hours in any given semester needed to meet the 30-semester hour credit requirement.
Grade of “B” or better in a 3-credit college-level writing course (ENG 111 if taken at WSU).
Grade of “B” or better in a 3-credit college-level speech course (CMST 191 if taken at WSU).
Grade of “C” or better in a 3-credit college-level math course (MATH 100 or higher at WSU).
Official score report showing a PASS on all three sections of the Minnesota Teacher Licensure Examination (MTLE) Basic Skills Tests: Math, Reading, and Writing. It is the student’s responsibility to take the test at least two months before the deadline for completing the Admissions Folder. (Competency in each of the sections is not required for admittance to the WSU program. For more information about registering for these tests, contact your advisor.
The WSU DARS (Degree Audit Reporting System) will be used to verify grades, course completions, and cumulative GPA totals.
Transfer transcripts will be obtained from the WSU Office of Admissions.
Affirmation of a record of good citizenship on the completed admission form.

Notes:

Each semester, the number of applicants admitted to teacher education is limited. Additional criteria are used to determine admission to the program if the number of applicants exceeds the number of available seats.
The University reserves the right to consider as part of the admission and retention policy those dispositions, general health, and scholastic achievement, or other standards as may be appropriate. Students must adhere to the WSU Student Conduct Policy.

Retention in WSU Teacher Education Program

Assistance Plan

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 Education Department Chairperson or Program Director and to include the education faculty member involved, appropriate department chairperson(s), 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 Counseling Center, the Writing Center, Student Support Services, and the Advising and Retention Office. If a student withdraws from the program for any reason, she or he must reapply for admission to continue in the program.

Continuation in Teacher Education

The successful completion of conditions outlined in the student assistance plan will be required for continuation in teacher education programs under the following circumstances:
- A grade of less than “C” in any methods and licensure courses.
- Withdrawal (WD) from the same methods and licensure course more than once, or withdrawal (WD) from two different methods and licensure courses in two different semesters.
- Failure to meet GPA requirements outlined below.
Teacher education students must maintain at least a 2.75 GPA in order to be placed in student teaching. Teacher education students who do not meet this GPA requirement may not student teach until they meet the 2.75 requirement.
Student assistance plans and academic warning letters are treated as part of the student’s teacher education record.

Dismissal from Teacher Education Program

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

Failure to document the fulfillment of student assistance plan commitments.
Breach of ethical responsibilities, as stated in the Minnesota Code of Ethics for Teachers (https://www.revisor.mn.gov/rules/?id=8700.7500). A student dismissed for an ethical violation will not be allowed to continue in any field experience 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 must follow the appeals process outlined in the WSU-Teacher Education Appeals Form, which is available in the Office of the Dean of the College of Education.

Student Teaching

Requirements

Student teaching is required for all teacher education programs and is done during the final semester at WSU. One full semester is required in an area public school or early childhood program contracted by the University or elsewhere in Minnesota through the Common Market Program. All teacher candidates will complete a full semester in their licensure area. Teacher candidates follow the calendars of their respective school districts. The Clinical Practice Director will indicate the beginning and ending dates of placement.

Student teaching at the secondary level is required in all major fields. 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 in the Clinical Practice Office (Gildemeister Hall, Room 104).

Student Teaching Progression Policy

If the classroom supervisor or the University supervisor has any concern(s) regarding the teacher candidate’s performance (academic or professional), it is imperative that the concern be addressed immediately. All three parties-the classroom supervisor, 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 clear warning will be given, and a written plan 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 Professional Studies degree.

Licensure: Elementary and Secondary Teaching

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, content, and pedagogy tests.

Licensure in Other States

Students interested in becoming certified to teach in states other than Minnesota must contact that state’s Department of Education to obtain licensure requirements. Most states will issue a temporary license to allow time to complete differences in their requirements. Students should contact the Licensure Certification Officer (Gildemeister Hall, Room 105) regarding any changes in licensure requirements for particular states.

Elementary Teaching Licenses

You may also join the WSU Pre-Education majors group on Facebook or follow the EFRT Department on Twitter (@WSU_PreEd) regularly for current program/licensure requirement and program updates.

Students must check with the WSU Education Department for current information on these changes. In general, the licensure areas are as follows:

Elementary Education with Early Childhood Emphasis (Birth-Grade 6): A teacher of early childhood education is authorized to design, implement, and evaluate developmentally appropriate learning experiences for young children from birth through grade 6 in a variety of early childhood or public school P-6 settings. The early childhood education/elementary teacher collaborates with families, colleagues, and related service personnel to enhance the learning of all young children. Students in this program will be eligible for Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education Licensure.
Elementary Education (K-Grade 6): A teacher of elementary education is authorized to design, implement, and evaluate developmentally appropriate learning experiences for young children from kindergarten through grade 6 in a variety of public school K-6 settings. The elementary teacher collaborates with families, colleagues, and related service personnel to enhance the learning of all young children. Students in this program will be eligible for an Elementary Education K-6 Licensure.
Optional minors are available in grades 5-8 content specialty areas in Math, Science, Social Studies, or Communication, Arts and Literature. A teacher with this license is certified to design, implement, and evaluate developmentally appropriate learning experiences for students in grade 5 through grade 8. A teacher with the 5-8 content specialty also designs, implements, and evaluates learning experiences in a specific content area in grades 6 through 8 and collaborates with families, colleagues, and related service personnel to enhance the learning of school-aged children and youth.
Special Education, Early Childhood (Birth to age 6): A teacher with this license is certified to design, implement, and evaluate developmentally appropriate learning experiences for young children from birth through age 6 in special education settings. Teachers collaborate with families,colleagues, and related service personnel to enhance the learning of young children. (WSU-Rochester campus)

K-12 and 5-12 (Secondary) Teaching Licenses

For detailed information regarding the major content course requirements in secondary teaching majors, please refer to the associated department or program in this catalog. Secondary teaching majors are required to complete the Professional Education Sequence in addition to their major content course requirements.

5-12 Majors (Teaching)

BS Major - Business Education (BEDT)
BS Major - Chemistry (CHCT)
BS Major - Communication Arts and Literature (CALT)
BS Major - Earth Science (ESCT)
BS Major - Life Science (BLST)
BS Major - Mathematics (MTHT)
BS Major - Physics (PHST)
BS Major - Health Promotion - School Health (HPST)
BS Major - Social Science/History (SSHT)

9-12 Majors (Teaching)

BS Major - Chemistry (CHCT)
BS Major - Life Science (BLST)
BS Major - Physical Science (CPST) (Offered by the Chemistry Department.)
BS Major - Physical Science (PPST) (Offered by the Physics Department.)

K-12 Majors (Teaching)

BS Major - Art (ARTT)
BS Major - Music (MUSI or MUSV)
BS Major - Physical Education (PET)
BS Major - Spanish (SPNT)
BS Major - Special Education: Learning Disabilities (LD)
BS Major - Special Education: Developmental Disabilities (DD)
BS Major - Teaching English as a Second Language (ESLT)

Professional Education Sequence for K-12 and 5-12 Licensure (32-36 S.H.)

Note: Admission to the WSU Teacher Education Program Professional Education Sequence courses require formal admission to the teacher education program. See teacher education admission requirements.

In addition to the professional education sequence courses, teacher education majors are also required to take these two classes:

Professional Education Sequence for Elementary Education Licensure (29-32 S.H.)

Note: Professional Education Sequence courses require formal admission to the teacher education program. See teacher education admission requirements.

In addition to the professional education sequence courses, teacher education majors are also required to take these two classes:

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 following requirements:

Meet Teacher Education Program admission requirements.
Complete all additional coursework in one of the Bachelor of Science teaching majors with a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or better.
Pass licensure required exams.

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 Licensure 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.

General Education Intensive Requirements

Students may use intensive courses to satisfy both General Education Program and major requirements. Intensive courses will usually be in the student’s major or minor program. The Education Department offers the following intensive courses in the General Education Program:

Intensives

Oral (◎)

◎ EDST 460 - Student Teaching - Elementary Education with Early Childhood Emphasis (1-16 S.H.)
◎ EDST 464 - Student Teaching - K-6 Middle Level (1-16 S.H.)
◎ EDST 465 - Student Teaching - Senior High School K-12 Specialty (1-16 S.H.)
◎ EDST 469 - Global Student Teaching (1-18 S.H.)

Math/Critical Analysis (◆)

Writing (△)

△ EDUC 410 - Foundations of Early Childhood Education (3 S.H.)
△ EFRT 449 - Middle Level Philosophy, Organization and Interdisciplinary Planning (3 S.H.)
△ EFRT 459 - The Professional Educator (3 S.H.)

Intensive courses that can be used to satisfy education major/minor requirements are identified in the lists of required courses and electives in this section. (Intensive requirements for business education are listed In Business Education .)