Department of Education

Department Chair: Monica Riley

Education Faculty

Professors: Twila Alpe, Richard Holden, Sue Jolly-Smith, Linda Mahoney, Monica Riley
Associate Professor: Shelley Bock, Royal Toy
Assistant Professors: April Coleman, Brenda Dickey, Bob Fuller, Chrystal Hodges

The “Educator as Reflective Decision Maker” is the model for the conceptual framework for the educator preparation programs at Mississippi University for Women. The programs have adopted the Core Standards of the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards as goals for teacher candidates, and the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders for school administrator candidates. Further explanations of requirements and expectations for undergraduate teacher candidates are in the Teacher Education Handbook published by the Office of Field Experiences, and available through the MUW website.

NCATE (CAEP) Accreditation

The  MUW Educator Preparation Unit and all programs in education are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).The MUW teacher certification programs are also approved by the Mississippi Department of Education, which makes graduates of these programs eligible for Mississippi Educator Licensure in the approved areas. The NCATE accrediting body has merged with another accrediting organization (TEAC) to form the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The accreditation covers both initial and advanced educator preparation programs. Since many states have reciprocity agreements based on graduation from  NCATE/CAEP accredited schools, graduates of NCATE/CAEP accredited institutions will generally find it easier to apply for educator licensure when they move out of state.

Quality Assurance Policy

All teacher education programs are covered by the Mississippi Institution of Higher Learning Quality Assurance Policy. The university warrants the quality of our graduates for a period of two years immediately following graduation. Certain guidelines do apply. Contact the College of Education and Human Sciences for more information.

Admission to Teacher Education

Students seeking admission to Teacher Education must submit documentation of the following to the Office of Field Experiences through a Mississippi University for Women TaskStream Account:

1. Application for admission to Teacher Education.
2. Curriculum check sheet and tentative program.
3. Minimum grade of C in ED 300 .
4. Overall 2.75 GPA on a minimum of 44 semester hours completed.
5. Satisfactory score on the Core Academic Skills for Educators (CORE) Subtests (Reading, Writing, and Math) OR minimum ACT scores, composite of 21 with no subscore below 18.
6. Verification of completed criminal background check through the university approved site.

Guidelines for this submission are reviewed in the course ED 300 - Education as a Profession .

Note to Transfer Students:

Before registering, students transferring to MUW during the junior or senior year who intend to get a teaching license should report to the Department of Education for guidance.

Admission To Teacher Internship

Students must submit applications no later than October 1 for Spring Semester admission or February 15 for Fall Semester admission.

Following admission to Teacher Education, a student must complete a minimum of one semester of coursework before being admitted to Teacher Internship. Materials for application to (teacher internship) will be distributed at a required orientation seminar at the beginning of each semester. Students seeking admission to Teacher Internship must submit documentation of the following to the Director of Field Experiences, College of Education and Human Sciences:

1. Admission to Teacher Education at least one semester prior to filing application for admission to Student Teaching.
2. Application form for Teacher Internship.
3. Verification of experience with school age children and/or youth (75 hours).
4. Passing scores on Praxis II: Principles of Learning & Teaching, and Specialty Area Test.
5. Ethics statement/insurance verification and release.
6. Health information and profile.
7. Teaching Center request for placement form.
8. Completion of 84 semester hours of credit (to include all required professional education courses).
9. Minimum grade of C in each of the following: EN 101  and EN 300  (EN 102  if transferred prior to first semester of attendance at MUW); COM 101 ; MA 113  or higher (excluding MA 123 ); MA 111  and MA 112  all professional education courses and all endorsement area courses.
10. Overall GPA of 2.75 and overall MUW GPA of 2.75.

Professional Field Experiences

Students in teacher education will be required to complete field-based assignments which are designed as a part of each methods course. Students in teacher education curricula should plan their schedules to allow approximately two to five hours per week in related field activities. These field experiences are assigned and coordinated through the Office of Field Experiences in the Department of Education. Students in field experiences will be required to complete a criminal background check through the MUW Office of Field Experiences.

Students admitted to the MUW Teacher Education Program will plan their schedules to insure one semester of the senior year for the Professional Semester, which consists of a fourteen-week teacher internship experience in the schools. The student will also enroll in ED 401 , Classroom Management, for which an additional three semester hours credit will be earned. The program of the Professional Semester will be followed without deviation. No regular college course, other than ED 401 , may be taken for credit during the Professional Semester, except with the approval of the Admissions/Exceptions Committee for Teacher Education.

Students majoring in elementary education need to plan their schedules so that they can take all their methods courses as a block during the semester preceding teacher internship.

Recommendation For Licensure

The student will be eligible for the recommendation by the institution for a Mississippi Educator’s license on completion of all degree requirements and approved teacher education program requirements, to include a minimum grade of C in Teacher Internship taken in the professional semester. Students must have an official copy of their scores on the Praxis Series forwarded to both the Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Educator Licensure and the College of Education and Human Sciences, Mississippi University for Women.

Notice Regarding Licensure

Requirements governing licensure in the State of Mississippi are continually revised. As a result, requirements for degrees leading to licensure are subject to change from those published in this Bulletin. The student is advised to refer to the current online version of the Teacher Education Handbook and the Mississippi Department of Education office of Educator Licensure to insure that both degree requirements and license requirements are met.

Teacher Education Curricula

All students preparing to teach should follow the appropriate program in the next section. This includes Elementary Education; Special Subject Area-Grades K-12 (Art, Music, Physical Education, Spanish and Theatre) and the various subject areas of Secondary Education-Grades 7-12 (Chemistry/Physical Science; English; Biology; Mathematics; Social Studies). A minimum grade of C is required in each Education course, in EN 101 - English Composition I  and EN 102 - English Composition II , MA 111 - Modern Elementary Mathematics I  and MA 112 - Modern Elementary Mathematics II  (for elementary education majors), MA 113 - College Algebra , COM 101 - Oral Communication , and in each endorsement area course. See academic advisor for program planning.

Programs

• Education, Add-on Certifications
• Elementary Education Major, BS

Courses

• ED 100 - Reading For College
• ED 101 - Praxis Seminar (Writing)
• ED 206 - Developing Critical And Creative Thinking
• ED 297 - The Computer and the Classroom
• ED 299 - Special Topics in Education
• ED 300 - Education as a Profession
• ED 302 - Art and Science of Teaching
• ED 304 - Principles of Early Childhood Learning
• ED 305 - Teaching Mathematics in Elementary and Middle Schools
• ED 306 - Introduction to Exceptional Learners
• ED 307 - Children’s Literature in Pre-K Through Grade 3
• ED 309 - Mathematics in K-3
• ED 310 - Teaching Social Studies in Elementary and Middle Schools
• ED 312 - Teaching Science in Elementary and Middle Schools
• ED 319 - Early Childhood Language and Literacy
• ED 320 - Developmentally Appropriate Materials and Methods in Early Childhood Education
• ED 334 - Methods for Teaching Reading and Language Arts in the Elementary and Middle Schools
• ED 335 - Elementary Residency 3
• ED 351 - Educational Measurement
• ED 361 - Early Literacy Instruction I
• ED 362 - Early Literacy Instruction II
• ED 365 - Content Area Reading
• ED 366 - Reading Assessment and Intervention
• ED 401 - Teacher Internship Seminar: Classroom Management
• ED 406 - Observation and Directed Teaching Grades K-8
• ED 407 - Observation and Directed Teaching Grades K-12
• ED 409 - Observation and Directed Teaching in Secondary Education Grades 7-12
• ED 498 - Instructional Technology
• ED 499 - Special Topics In Education
• EDS 313 - Introduction to Special Education
• EDS 320 - Education of the Mildly/Moderately Handicapped
• EDS 324 - Teaching in the Inclusion Classroom
• EDS 330 - Procedures for the Resource Room
• EDS 414 - Practicum in the Elementary Resource Room
• EDS 415 - Practicum in the Secondary Resource Room