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This program is designed for those who

- have already earned a Bachelor's degree,

- want to earn an Elementary Teaching License at the graduate level

- want to earn a Master's degree.

This program provides a four semester experience during which the student will typically earn 48 graduate credit hours towards a Utah teaching license plus 9 credit hours towards the masters' degree.

 

The Application deadline is March 1^st. It is the responsibility of each student to see that all admission materials, including recommendations and test scores, are in his/her admissions file prior to the deadline. You may contact the Advisor to check on your application status.

 

Due to the competitive nature of our programs, meeting minimum admissions
standards does not guarantee acceptance into the teacher licensure programs.

 

CURRICULUM:

 

Year One Choose 22 hours, *Required

*TL 6315	Reading Methods K-3 (3)
*TL 6320	Reading Methods 4-6 (3)
*TL 6370	Elementary Science Methods(3)
*ED PS 6005	Writing Methods (3)
*MATH 4020	Math for Elementary Teachers II (4)
FA 6000	Integrating the Arts into Academic Learning (3)
SP ED 6021	Principles of Assessment and Data Based Decisions (3)
LING 6200	Instruction for English Language Learners (3)

 

Year Two (15 hours)- Fall Semester

TL 6390	Field Practicum (3)
TL 6310	Classroom Management (3)
TL 6321	Advanced Reading Methods (3)
TL 6360	Elementary Math Methods (3)
TL 6380	Elementary Social Studies Methods (3)

 

Year Two (12 hours) - Spring Semester
All licensure courses need to be completed before beginning the student teaching semester.

TL 6395	Student Teaching (or Internship) (9 hours)
TL 6391	Professional Development Seminar (3 hours)

 

Year Three (Advanced Graduate Work) (9 hours)

TL 6500	Introduction to Research (3)
TL 6400	Learning and Instruction (3)
TL 6100	Prevention in Schools (3)

 

Total : 58 total hours
          (49 hours of Licensure course work + 9 hours graduate)

 

Note: if any course is taken at the undergraduate level, it must be replaced with a graduate level elective from Teaching & Learning in order to fulfill the credit hour requirement for a master's degree

 

Basic Academic Requirements:

 

1) A valid Bachelor's degree from an accredited University or College.

2) A 3.0 GPA in previous undergraduate work, on a 4.0 scale.

3) Take the GRE and meet our minimum standards: Analytical Writing - 4.5. We are only looking for your writing score.

5) Students will need to pass the PLT (Content) Praxis II test by the end of their student teaching semester to be recommended for licensure.

 

►The GRE test must be taken far enough in advance of our deadline that we will receive test scores by March 1^st.

The ADMISSION PROCESS occurs in two stages simultaneously at the University level and the Department level. Different forms and data must be submitted to each.

 

1. University Level -- University of Utah Admissions Office (250 SSB)

201 South 1460 East, Room 250 S

Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-9057

 

A. File Application for Admission to Graduate School. Return the completed form to the University Admissions Office along with the admission fee of $45.00 ($65.00 for International Students) . The University application should be filed at least 30-45 days before departmental deadline (no later than September 1^st) to allow for processing. Please indicate M.Ed. as the degree, and "Teaching & Learning" as the intended academic plan on this application.

 

B. Transcripts. Arrange for the Transcript Office of each college previously attended (other than the University of Utah) to send one official transcript directly to the University of Utah Admissions Office (see address above) .

 

C. Students whose first language is not English are required to submit scores from the TOEFL exam. A minimum score of 600 on the paper-based test or 250 on the computer-based test is required. An official TOEFL score should be sent directly to the International Admissions Office.

 

NOTE: Once the Admissions Office has all of the above materials, your application and transcripts will be processed in their office, and a copy will be sent to Teaching & Learning. Our department must receive this material by our March 1^st deadline.

 

 

2. Department Level -- Department of Teaching & Learning (142 MBH)

Elementary MAT Program

1705 East Campus Center Drive, Room 142

Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-9526

 

A. Complete Departmental Application. This form describes your professional and educational background for the Committee.

 

B. Personal Statement. Included with the department application, you must submit a brief personal statement describing the kind of professional and academic studies you hope to undertake. The Departmental Admissions Committee pays close attention to this statement. Please prepare it with care and consideration. This statement should be typed and included as an attachment.

 

C. GRE. An official GRE score should be sent to the department and must be received prior to the admission deadlines. The GRE is offered multiple times a week through the Testing Center in the Student Services Building. Call the Testing Center at 581-8744 for times and registration. At the time of testing, please request that official copies of your scores be sent directly to our department. Scores may take up to 4-6 weeks to be sent.Please select the university code 4853 for the University of Utah, and the department code 3301 for Elementary Education. GRE scores must be within the past 5 years.

 

E. Three Letters of Recommendation. We require letters in three areas:

1.       Academic - Course instructors, speaking to your ability to complete graduate work.

2.       Professional Attributes - An additional course instructor or a previous or current employer or work supervisor.

3.       Teaching/Working with Youth - a supervisor of a field placement in the public school or a similar setting (recommended sources include volunteer work, substitute teaching, or TL 1010) .

► All letters should be on official letterhead from the organization with which the author is affiliated. Letters should also be typed and include complete contact information for the author.

► Family, friends, and religious advisors are considered inappropriate references since they cannot attest to the applicant's professional qualifications.

 

All of the above data will be considered by the Graduate Committee of the Department of Teaching & Learning, who will use their best professional judgment to reach decisions. All the evidence is considered together; there is no automatic minimum cutoff, and some factors may outweigh others in the judgment of the committee. A recommendation will be sent to the University Graduate School, where the Graduate Admissions Office will make the final decision and notify the student by mail.

Information About Fall & Spring Semesters

 

Time Commitment: During the first year, students will have the option to complete their course work on a part-time basis. The Elementary schools we use for field placements and student teaching maybe year round. Therefore, Teacher Candidates may begin their Fall semester field practicum in mid-July. During the second year, students must complete as it is listed this must be done full-time. Fall semester of the M.Ed. Licensure Program, students can expect to be in education classes 4 times a week, and in the public schools 2 full days a week. Teacher Candidates are also required to meet with their Site Teacher Educator for weekly planning. This usually takes place on Friday afternoons, but is up to the discretion of the STE. Also as part of the field placement in Fall semester, Teacher Candidates are required to be in the field every day during the week prior to the start of the new school year. During the final Spring semester students will begin to assume the responsibilities of a regular classroom teacher. The time commitments during this phase of the program (approximately 12 weeks) can be extensive and students should plan to be in the schools for the full school day (approximately 8:00am-4pm) plus an education class 1 night a week. Working outside of school and/or taking additional classes will present extreme hardship.

 

Student Teaching: During the Fall and final Spring semesters of the M.Ed. Program, teacher candidates teach under the guidance of a classroom teacher and a cohort leader employed by the Department of Teaching & Learning. Student teaching assignments are located in a group of specially selected schools in which teacher candidates observe and practice teaching methods. Student teaching placements are arranged by the cohort leader in consultation with the teacher candidate and school personnel. Due to the volume of student teaching placements, personal circumstances (i.e. commute, etc. ) are not criteria for placement.

 

Tests. Students will be required to pass the PLT (Content) Praxis II test for elementary education by the end of their student teaching semester to be recommended for licensure.

► Praxis II test scores are not sent directly to the University of Utah; students must submit the original copy that is mailed directly to them.

 

Transcripts. If you are admitted to the program, you must submit official transcripts directly to the Department of Teaching & Learning from the institution where you earned your bachelor's degree.

 

Licensure by the State of Utah

 

In addition to the professional requirements for licensure and to be present in public schools, the state requires:

 

Background Check for Initial Licensure. By legislative mandate, applicants for teaching licenses are required to have a background check including fingerprinting. Once admitted, materials must be submitted prior to the beginning of the program. For further information, contact the Dean's office, 581-8221, or the Utah State Office of Education, 250 East 500 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111 (801) 538-7741, Attn: Coordinator, Educator Licensing.

 

o        Complete fingerprinting process at least one month prior to the application deadline to ensure that results can be processed in time.

 

o        Go to www.utah.gov/teachers

 

o        Select "Background Check" application.

 

o        Follow prompts

 

o        Select the "Live Scan" method for fingerprint processing.

 

o        $69 processing fee must be paid by credit card only. Cash and personal checks can not be used as payment.

 

o        Be sure to click on "Generate Form" if you selected the Live Scan method. Print his form because it must be taken to a Live Scan site of your choice to complete the fingerprinting process. Your fingerprints will not be processed until you take this form to a Live Scan site!

 

o        An additional charge of $10-15 must be paid at the Live Scan site to complete your fingerprinting. You must submit a copy of this receipt WITH YOUR NAME WRITTEN ON IT with your application materials as proof of fingerprint completion.

 

 

Student Teaching License

The $25 student teacher license is now in effect. Your students will sign up online at

www.utah.gov/teachers and choose the third option, "Student Licenses". This is the same

website they accessed to begin the background check process. If the student does not have a

cleared background, the system will automatically send them to the fingerprinting portion of the

site. If they have a cleared background, the system will allow them to sign up for a student

teaching license. They will need to print off the license and bring it to their department for

authorization signature.

 

Criminal Conviction. Teacher licensure may be denied by the state of Utah because of a previous criminal conviction. You must contact the Associate Dean for Professional Education of the College of Education before proceeding with your program in teacher education if you have questions about your status. The Utah Professional Practices Advisory Committee, c/o Executive Secretary, State Office of Education, 250 East 500 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84111, reviews all such cases.

 

Registration Information	Contact the Testing Center to register, 801-581-8744, or register online at www.ets.org
Study Guides	www.ets.org
Score	4.5 Analytical Writing minimum
Score Submission Information	University Code: 4853 Early Childhood and Elementary: 3301 Secondary: 3601

For the Praxis II, applicants must pre-register with the Prometric Testing Site at least one month in advance. Approximately 4 weeks after the test date, students will be mailed the examination results.

 

Teacher candidates are required to take and pass the appropriate content knowledge test to be eligible for a Level I licensure recommendation. Specific tests are listed below. Also, please consult the Educational Testing Service (ETS) website (www.ets.org) for each test's content domains, scoring, test preparation guidelines, and other test information.

 

PRAXIS II Elementary Education Content Area Test #10014
Utah minimum passing score = 150

 

 

FINAL EXAMINATION: All M.Ed. students must complete and pass a final comprehensive examination based on course work in order to be awarded a Master's of Education degree. The comprehensive exam is an open book, take home exam consisting of three questions. This examination will be based on your course work, but will go beyond course content to include synthesis across courses, critical analysis of research and practice, and integration of theory and practice. Comprehensive exams are scheduled during fall and spring semesters, and may be offered summer semester. Students must be registered for three hours of graduate credit the semester they take the exam. Notify the Graduate Academic Program Specialist no later than the beginning of the semester you wish to take the exam. Students need to submit the "Request for Supervisory Committee" form and the "Application for Admission to Candidacy for the Master's Degree" at least two months before the beginning of the semester they plan to graduate. These forms can be obtained from Teaching & Learning or online at www.utah.edu/graduate_school/forms.html.

 

Other Sources for Helpful Information

 

Teaching & Learning homepage: www.ed.utah.edu/TandL

Campus Information System: http: //gate.acs.utah.edu

Class Schedules: www.acs.utah.edu/catalog.html

Tuition Information: www.acs.utah.edu/tuition

Admissions Office: www.saff.utah.edu/admiss

Graduate School: www.utah.edu/graduate_school

Financial Aid & Scholarship: http: //www.sa.utah.edu/finance

Criticality scale by regions: www.aaee.org

Praxis II information: www.ets.org/praxis

GRE information: www.gre.org

Utah State Office of Education: www.usoe.k12.ut.us

USOE Alternative Route to Licensure: www.usoe.k12.ut.us/cert/apt/arl

National Alternative to Licensure: www.teachforamerica.org

U of U Career Services: http: //careers.utah.edu