Department of Education

Department Chair:

Education Faculty

Professor: Twila Alpe
Associate Professors: Shelley Bock, Brenda Dickey, Royal Toy
Assistant Professor: Chrystal Hodges
Visiting Assistant Professor: Leigh Todd
Instructors: Ashley Matthews, Zelda Wilmoth

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 Education Department through a Mississippi University for Women TaskStream Account:

1. Application for admission to Teacher Education.
2. Tentative Program of Study
3. Minimum grade of C in ED 300 .
4. Minimum grade of B in ED 302  
5. Overall 2.75 GPA on a minimum of 44 semester hours completed.
6. Satisfactory score on the Core Academic Skills for Educators (CORE) Subtests (Reading, Writing, and Math) OR minimum ACT scores, composite of 21. Official score reports must be on file with the MUW Education Department.
7. Verification of completed criminal background check through the university approved vendor
8. Elementary Education Majors only: Satisfactory score on the Mississippi Foundations of Reading Exam. Official score reports must be on file with the MUW Education Department.

Guidelines for this submission are reviewed in the course ED 302  Art and Science of Teaching.

Note to Transfer Students:

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

Admission To Teacher Internship

Following admission to Teacher Education, a student must complete a minimum of one semester of coursework before being admitted to Teacher Internship. The Teacher Internship application is made available in Taskstream during the advising periods of the fall and spring semesters. :

1. Admission to Teacher Education at least one semester prior to applying for the Teacher Internship.
2. Submit all parts of the Teacher Internship application in Taskstream by the published deadline. Secondary and K-12 majors must submit verification of experience with school age children and/or youth (75 hours).
3. Passing scores on Praxis II: Principles of Learning & Teaching (PLT), and Praxis II: Subject Area Assessment. Official score reports from ETS must be on file with the MUW Education Department.
4. Completion of 84 semester hours of credit (to include all required professional education courses).
5. 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.
6. Overall GPA of 2.75 and overall MUW GPA of 2.75.
7. Obtain the Intern 101 Mississippi Educator License.
8. Obtain liability insurance.

Professional Field Experiences

As part of the program of study, students in teacher education are required to complete field-based experinces aligned with education courses. Students in teacher education curricula should plan their schedules to allow addtional field experience-hours per week in related field-based activities as outlined by the requirements of their program of study. Elementary education majors will complete their hours of field experience within the residency courses. 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. The Professional Semester is the final semester of the senior year when students complest the Teacher Internship. During this final semester, students are enrolled in either ED 401  Classroom Management or ED 351  Educational Measurement. The program of the Professional Semester is followed without deviation. No regular college course, no other coursework may be taken during the Professional Semester, except with the approval of the Admissions/Exceptions Committee for Teacher Education.

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. Students must have an official score report for the Praxis Series and MS Reading Foundations Exam (elementary education only) forwarded to the Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Educator Licensure.

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 (Music, Spanish and Theatre) and the various subject areas of Secondary Education-Grades 7-12 (Chemistry/Physical Science; English; Biology; Mathematics). 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 Analytic and Intuitive 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 311 - Elementary Residency 1
• 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 367 - Elementary Residency 2
• ED 401 - Classroom Management
• ED 406 - Teacher Internship: Elementary
• 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