DEPARTMENT

Teacher Education

Department Chair: Dr. Jack Mayhew
 
Location: McKay Education Building, Room 224
 
Telephone Contact: Lynda L. Olmstead 801-626-7171

Advisement Contact: Kristin Radulovich 801-626-6309
 
Professors: Michael E. Cena, Forrest C. Crawford, Alfred S. Forsyth, Linda P. Gowans, Shirley Leali, Judith P. Mitchell, R. Michael Smith, Ray E. Wong; Associate Professors: Frances M. Butler, Claudia Eliason, Ann Ellis, Jack Mayhew, Vicki Napper, Paul Pitts, Pene'e Stewart; Assistant Professors: Melina Alexander, Kristin M. Hadley, Louise R. Moulding, Richard Pontius, Peggy Saunders, Lorrie Niebur Walker, Natalie Allen Williams; Instructor Specialist: Marilyn A. Lofgreen
 

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The major purpose of the professional education programs in teacher education is to prepare candidates for teaching in pre-school, and in elementary and secondary schools. Preparation is also provided for teachers of students with mild to moderate disabilities in public schools under the special education mild/moderate endorsement. The department prepares students for endorsements in Elementary Mathematics, ESL (English as a Second Language), Bilingual, Special Education, Basic Reading (graduate level only), and Education of the Gifted (graduate level only). All programs are approved by the Utah State Board of Education and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and Northwest/North Central Associations.

The preparation for teaching falls academically within four major categories: University General Education, support courses, subject specialization, and professional education.

  1. University General Education requirements -- In selecting courses to satisfy the general education requirements, candidates should note the general education courses recommended and/or required in their major and/or professional education requirement sheets available in the Teacher Education Advisement Center (ED 230).
  2. Support courses
  3. Concentrations are required of all elementary and secondary students. Concentrations for the prospective secondary school teacher consist of completing a teaching major and a teaching minor, or a composite teaching major, all of which are currently being taught in Utah secondary schools and at least one of which is a required subject. Elementary education majors choose two 9-hour or one 18-hour content area concentration or a teaching minor. The professional education program outlines acceptable subject concentration areas and requirements.
  4. Professional Education courses help the prospective teacher learn about children, the nature of the learning process, and how to provide desirable learning experiences. To meet licensure requirements, secondary school candidates are required to complete a minimum of 24 semester hours of professional course work; 43 semester hours are required of the prospective elementary school teacher.

Professional course work in the program is organized into sequential levels. As students move through the program, they are required to demonstrate in a variety of ways the knowledge, skills and dispositions that embody the department's organizing theme and program model.

It is important that interested students contact the Teacher Education Advisement Center (ED 230) as quickly as they decide to become a teacher. Specific program admission requirements, required courses, and recommended general education course work are available.

Teacher Education Conceptual Framework

The Department of Teacher Education's conceptual framework theme is "Student Achievement: Students, Teachers, & Communities Working Together." The model that illustrates the program's purposes, philosophy, outcomes and evaluation is represented by an easel, at the center of which are three overlapping components: Reflecting, Engaging, and Collaborating. The program standards are performance-based: that is, they describe what teachers should know and be able to do in order to be awarded a license. Course outcomes and objectives are geared around the conceptual framework. Students may view the conceptual framework, INTASC Standards and the critical performances for each level on the teacher education Web site (http://departments.weber.edu/teachereducation).

Admission to Teacher Education

Admission to the Teacher Education Programs is a separate process from general university admission. The Teacher Education programs maintain a competitive admissions process. A specific number of applicants are provisionally admitted each semester after having made application and met the minimum admission criteria listed below. Meeting the minimum requirements only qualifies a student to be considered for admission. Students are admitted two times per year: fall semester and spring semester. Applicants are evaluated using a 100 point system: 30 points maximum for GPA; 30 points maximum for the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP); 40 points maximum for interview/biographical statement.

Minimum Admission Requirements

  1. Formal Application and provisional Admission form submitted to Teacher Education Advisement Center (ED 230) by the deadline date. Transcripts of all college course work must accompany the application.
  2. At least 40 semester hours of general education and relevant prerequisite courses.
Those intending to teach at the elementary level, please note:
The Professional Education component of the Elementary Education and Composite Elementary Education and Special Education majors requires four semesters to complete. Therefore, it is very important that candidates have completed the General Education requirements and have taken at least some of the required Support Courses prior to entering the program. Because of possible scheduling difficulties, failure to do so could mean spending an extra semester (or more) in completing the program.
Those intending to teach at the secondary level, please note:
The Professional Education component of the Secondary Education program requires two semesters to complete. Therefore, it is very important that candidates have completed the General Education requirements and most of the teaching major and minor requirements prior to entering the program. Because of possible scheduling difficulties, failure to do so could mean spending an extra semester (or more) in completing the program.
  1. Minimum score on the CAAP. The Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency is a standardized achievement assessment designed to show achievement levels in reading, writing, mathematics, and critical thinking. Registration should be at least 10 days prior to the test date. Applicants who have received a Bachelor’s degree more than 5 years prior to application are required to take the CAAP. Applicants with degrees within 1-5 years are required to take the writing essay portion of the CAAP test. Dates for testing and administration are available in ED 230 and the University Testing Center in the Student Services Center. (See CAAP description following.)
  2. Sign up for an interview in the Advisement Center when you turn in application materials (the schedule will be available approximately one (1) month prior to the interview dates).
  3. English competency completed (grade "C" or above in ENGL EN1010 and ENGL EN2010, or equivalent).
  4. University mathematics competency completed (see general requirements in this catalog).
    Note:  Elementary, Composite Elementary/Special Education, and Early Childhood Education majors need MATH QL1050 as prerequisite for Mathematics Education support courses.
  5. Communication competency completed (grade "B-" or above in COMM HU1020 of COMM HU2110 or equivalent).
  6. University Computer and Information Literacy competency completed (see General Requirements in this catalog).
  7. EDUC 1010 Exploring Teaching or approved equivalent course completed (required for students applying for Fall 2008 admission and thereafter).
  8. Teacher Education also recognizes specific program and diversity needs of professional education and reserves the right to consider such factors in the admission of candidates.

Additional Notes

  1. Fingerprinting/background check must be completed immediately after being admitted. See Teacher Education Advisement Center (ED 230) for further information.
  2. Students are provisionally admitted to a specific teacher education program: (1) early childhood education; (2) elementary education; (3) composite elementary and special education; (4) secondary education.
  3. Provisional admission to a specific program is valid for a period of five years. If a student has not completed the program within the five-year period or desires to pursue a different program, he/she must seek readmission under the current admission standards and complete current course/program requirements. Changes in state licensure requirements may necessitate more immediate program changes.
  4. Professional education credits older than five years at the time of program admission generally will not be counted. However, students may revalidate outdated course work by following procedures available in the Teacher Education Advisement Center, ED 230.
  5. Applicants with BS or BA degrees seeking initial licensure in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, Composite Elementary/Special Education, or Secondary Education, must submit a formal application and transcripts and complete the interview/statement (see Requirements 1, 2, 3 [if applicable] of Admission to Teacher Education Program). They are then placed in the pool with others seeking admission.
  6. Applicants who hold Bachelor's degrees older than five years and who have not had more recent relevant course work or work experiences related to their major and minor must take at least two courses in their major and one course in their minor as designated by the academic department.
  7. Applicants with an earned graduate degree seeking initial licensure must satisfactorily complete requirements 1, 2, 4, and 5. They are then placed in the pool with others seeking provisional admission.
  8. Data are collected on students admitted to the Teacher Education program for the purposes of national accreditation and program improvement. No personal information is used in this process.

Collegiate Assessment of
Academic Proficiency Test

The Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency Test (CAAP) tests reading, mathematics, writing, and critical thinking. Each are separate standardized achievement tests designed to measure basic proficiency in these areas and require 40 minutes for completion.

The Reading test measures student achievement in reading comprehension, using questions based on reading selections in prose fiction, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Each passage is accompanied by a set of multiple-choice questions that require students to derive meaning, manipulate information, make comparisons and generalizations, and draw conclusions. The Mathematics test measures the development of math skills generally. The test emphasizes the solution of quantitative problems encountered in many algebra courses and also beginning-level trigonometry and calculus. The test stresses applications and quantitative reasoning. The Writing test is assessed in two ways. The multiple-choice Writing Skills Test is an indirect measure of writing skills. The Writing (Essay) Test offers a direct approach to the measurement of writing skills. The Critical Thinking Test measures the ability to clarify, analyze, evaluate, and extend arguments. The total cost of the tests is $50.00. Study guides are available at the testing center or online at act.org/caap.

Dual Licensure 

Dual Licensure is a possibility for a student who desires to qualify to teach at early childhood and elementary, or elementary and secondary levels. Ordinarily, this requires two or more semesters of work beyond that required for the single license.

Returning Early Childhood Education students desiring the dual licensure in Elementary Education must complete at least one Exceptional Child course (usually EDUC DV3260 The Exceptional Student).

Early Childhood Education Major

The Departments of Child and Family Studies and Teacher Education offer a major in Early Childhood Education with licensure for teaching in programs which serve children from age three through eight years of age (pre-school - grade 3). Requirements are listed under the Department of Child and Family Studies. See Room ED 248 for additional information.

Elementary Education Major

Students preparing to teach in first through sixth grade graduate with a major in Elementary Education. Elementary Education majors select either two 9-hour or one 18-hour concentration(s) or a teaching minor that permits the student to teach the minor through eighth grade.

The Teacher Education Advisement Center and faculty advisors from the Department of Teacher Education are available to advise prospective teachers. A program requirement sheet is available from the Teacher Education Advisement Center in Room 230 in the McKay Education Building. It is to the student's advantage to begin program planning early.

 

 

Weber State University 2008-2009 Catalog