Frequently Asked Questions

Education Major

How do I change my major to education?
Students must meet the following criteria in order to transfer divisions to the College of
Education:
1. ACT Composite score of 22 or higher
2. Minimum GPA (Grade Point Average) required
  - Freshman, 0-29 credit hours earned 2.500
  - Sophomore, 30-59 credit hours earned 2.600
  - Junior-Senior, 60+ credit hours earned *2.750
  - *a 2.750 minimum GPA is required for graduation
3. Meet with an advisor in 102 Hill Hall to complete the forms to change your major, and to find out about options in the College of Education.
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What are the characteristics of education courses?

Education courses...

are listed under Teacher Development Program in the course schedule.

are sequential, integrated and spiraled. Coursework is designed in several phases. Phase I courses are completed before Phase II, and so on. Therefore, it is important to work with an advisor as soon as you decide you are interested in education, so it can be determined how you can start the sequence. The sooner you make this decision, the better!

are heavily based on clinical experience. You will be in direct contact with students in real school settings through field experience, you will work in groups, participate in role-playing activities, view real classrooms through tapes and live videos, and more! The final experience is a full-semester, student teaching internship.

include portfolio-building experience. You will be designing a portfolio throughout the Teacher Development Program, which will result in a final, Certification Program Portfolio upon graduation.

utilize technology. You will be exploring the use of technology in the K-12 classroom to facilitate the learning process.

If you have additional questions, please visit or contact at
MU College of Education
102 Hill Hall (573) 882-7831
http://tinymce.moxiecode.cp/mce_temp_url
We look forward to meeting you!
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Where Can I Find?

Where can I find an academic advisor?

102 Hill Hall, (573) 882-5659

umccoecertinfo@missouri.edu

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Becoming a Teacher: The Role of Field Experience

When will I begin field experiences?
With the exception of TDP 1100, all of your education courses will have a field based component. This means that you will be in schools and working with students throughout your College of Education program.
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Why does the Teacher Development Program emphasize field experiences?
When you are in direct contact with children and young people in Partner Schools, your course-work is grounded in the reality of preK-12 students and classrooms. Field experiences allow you to observe techniques and strategies and apply theory. When you are in schools and with students, you examine the problems of practice and begin the process of becoming an inquiring, reflective professional that will continue throughout your teaching career.
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What are field experiences?
Field experiences take many forms. These may include observational visits to Partner Schools, tutorials with individual children and young people, work with before- or after-school programs, assistance to small groups, and teaching lessons to small and large groups. As you move through your program, you will become increasingly involved in working directly with preK-12 students; during your student teaching internship, you will participate actively in all aspects of the teaching profession.
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What is expected of pre-service teachers in field experiences?
Professionalism is the primary expectation of all pre-service teachers. When you go into schools and work with young people, you take on the mantle of the teaching profession. This means that you assume such basic responsibilities as being prompt and dependable in attendance, appropriate in dress, and courteous in interacting with teachers, staff, and students. Beyond these basics, professionalism suggests a positive attitude, an inquiring and reflective mindset, active and willing involvement, and clear communication. Each year, pre-service teachers participate in a Criminal Record/Child Abuse check by state agencies. Prior to student teaching, candidates sign a Certification Affidavit of their suitability for licensure.
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Where will field experiences take place?
During Phase I and Phase II, most field experiences occur in Partner Schools in Columbia and nearby Partner Districts. These experiences will be supplemented with day long visits to schools in the cities of St. Louis and Kansas City and in rural areas. Transportation to distant sites will be provided; you are responsible for your own transportation to nearby schools. In Phase III, you will have several options for the site of your student teaching internship.
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Certification Program Portfolio

What is a Portfolio?
A portfolio is a personalized set of materials that shows what an individual knows and what an individual can do. Portfolios can be used to document growth and development, as a means of assessment in a class or to showcase talents, skills, and abilities. Portfolios can be designed for the purposes of program review, promotion and tenure or for job interviews.
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Why are Educators Utilizing Portfolios?

The field of education has entered an era that is focused on "performance-based outcomes". An emphasis on higher-order thinking skills (e.g. application, analysis, synthesis & evaluation, problem-solving and an effort to place knowledge in "real-world" situations has challenged educators to find ways in which to measure or examine these types of outcomes. Performance or "authentic" assessment attempts to measure students beyond the basic levels of outcomes (e.g. knowledge and comprehension). Portfolios are one way to assess skills in these upper level performance-based outcomes.

Popham (1999) designates three major types of portfolios, citing work by Farr & Tone (1994), Stiggins (1997), Spandel & Culham (1995) and McMillian (1997). Classroom teachers often document student progress in a working or time sequence portfolio. The presentation of student accomplishments, called "showcase" or "celebration" portfolios in another type. Evaluation of students, sometimes referred to as the "passportfolio", is used to determine if students have met an established set of performance standards. These types of portfolios require a greater standardization then other types, with careful attention given to the review and scoring procedures.

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What Are the Benefits of Producing A Certification Program Portfolio?
1. The Certification Program Portfolio allows the individual to truly personalize his/her learning experiences. You will select the evidence that you believe best demonstrates your knowledge and skills and have the opportunity to reflect on your program of study. Portfolios communicate, in a more substantial way, what a teacher candidate knows and what they can do.
2. The Certification Program Portfolio will provide skill in synthesizing what experts believe to be the cornerstone of effective teaching. The Certification Portfolio will be the basis of your Professional Portfolio when you begin your teaching career. When you enter the profession as a certified teacher, you will continue to develop your Professional Portfolio. Many national accreditation agencies are requiring Professional Portfolios.
3. The portfolio is a required component of the College of Education"s Teacher Development Program and has now been mandated by the State of Missouri for all initial and advanced certification programs as part of the requirements for certification. The faculty of the College of Education has designated performance measures as a cornerstone of the curriculum framework for all programs within the college.
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What is the Certification Program Portfolio?

The Certification Program Portfolio is now a part of the Missouri Standards for Teacher Education Programs (effective September 1, 1999).

Standard 4.4 Ensuring the Competence of Candidates (Initial and Advanced)

The unit ensures that a candidate"s competency to begin a professional role in schools is assessed prior to completion of the program and/or recommendation for certification of licensure to teach.

Quality Indicator 4.4.3

The unit ensures that students exiting educator preparation programs have constructed a professional portfolio which contained evidence of learning accomplishments related to State Board of Education adopted performance standards. The portfolio shall contain evidence to verify knowledge, skills, and abilities, and application with various types of students and/or adults and in various settings. Such portfolio may include but need not be limited to (i) summaries of professional and student research, (ii) videotapes of actual performance in the student"s area of specialization and endorsement, (iii) examples of self-analysis and reflection of progress, (iv) formative and summative assessments of performance in academic, clinical, and field-based experiences, (v) and evidence of state-adopted licensing assessment results.

http://www.dese.state.mo.us/divurbteached/teachered/standards.htm

All students desiring initial teacher certification will need to have a portfolio on file with their institution. The Certification Program Portfolio will be a compilation of artifacts that demonstrates the designated competencies mandated by the State of Missouri. Successful completion of this portfolio is a significant part of the criteria all pre-service teachers must meet to be recommended for certification by the College of Education.

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When will I submit my Certification Program Portfolio?

Students will work on their portfolios throughout their course of study in the Teacher Development Program. We are in the process of developing an electronic format that will facilitate ease of transfer, storage and updating of portfolio contents. Students will submit their mid-preparation portfolio at the end of Phase I. A team of evaluators will assess student portfolios. Students will also given an oral presentation based on their mid-preparation portfolio. Both the oral and electronic portfolio presentations must be passed as part of the criteria for entering Phase II of the program.

Students will submit their final portfolio during their Student Teaching Internship (Phase III). At this time, the portfolio will be reviewed by faculty and instructors in the College of Education to determining if the student has successfully met the Quality Indicators for Teacher Preparation as designated by the State of Missouri.

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              Farr, R.C. & Tone, B. (1994). Portfolio and performance assessment: Helping students evaluate their progress as readers and writers, in Growing to Meet Your Needs. New York: Harcourt Brace College.
             McMillian, J.H. (1997). Classroom assessment: Principles and practice for effective instruction. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
             Popham, W.J. (1999). Classroom assessment: What teachers need to know (2nd Ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
             Spndel, V. & Cullham, R. (1995). Writing from the inside out: Revising for quality. Portland , OR: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. Distributed through IOX Assessment Associates, Los Angles.
             Stiggins, R.J. (1997). Students-Centered classroom assessment (2nd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

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