Master of Arts in Teaching, MAT

Please Note: While certification requirements can be met by undergraduate coursework, full completion of the MAT degree requires graduate coursework only. Students will need to substitute undergraduate work that met certification requirements with other graduate level coursework in order to meet graduate degree requirements.

Background Check

Conviction, guilty plea, or nolo contendere plea involving a crime involving drugs, moral turpitude, or other criminal charges may prohibit licensure or employment as a professional educator.

Introduction

The Lindenwood University Educator Preparation Program (EPP) is accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE http://dese.mo.gov/). The School of Education is also a member of the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC www.teac.org) and was reviewed for national accreditation by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP www.caepnet.org)

Students who enroll in the School of Education may select one of two pathways to completion of the program:

•  Successful completion of the Lindenwood University teacher education program qualifies the student for recommendation for teaching certification, issued by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MoDESE).

•  Those students who desire to work in an educational field but do not desire teaching certification may pursue the Master of Arts in Education degree.

Application

A student who seeks entrance into the teacher education program typically does so after successful completion of 12 hours of education coursework Many students apply during EDU 51500 Teacher Education Seminar I. Applications are available on the School of Education website.

Admission

Acceptance into the teacher education program is divided into two stages and is the result of action by the Council of Teacher Education (CTE). The council, broadly representative of all schools at the University, considers the student’s application to the teacher education program to be in Stage One after the student has completed the six steps outlined below.

STAGE ONE

1. The student has been accepted to the graduate program at Lindenwood University indicating they have completed a bachleor’s degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.0.
2. The student has completed at least 12 hours but not more than 15 hours of education coursework from the School of Education.
3. The teacher candidate has achieved a cumulative minimum GPA of 3.0, a content area coursework GPA of 3.0, and a professional education coursework GPA of 3.0, with a minimum grade of C in all professional education and content area coursework.
4. The student has passed the criminal background clearance(s) required by Lindenwood University and the school district(s) in which the teacher candidate is seeking placement.
5. The student has taken the Missouri Educator Profile (MEP) and developed a professional goal plan with his advisor.

Stage Two acceptance, required for admittance into student teaching, consists of the following additional requirements:

STAGE TWO

The teacher candidate has obtained a passing score on the PRAXIS II, or the Missouri Content Assessment (MoCA)

1. The Missouri Content Assessment (MoCA) are tests required  for all student teacher candidates.  The test should be taken  after most of the content courses for the desired program have been successfully completed and prior to student teaching.  Candidates must also pass the appropriate Missouri Content Assessment in order to be recommended for certification.  The MoCA exams replace the Praxis II exams.  Students who passed the Praxis II exam in their content area before August 31, 2014 will have until December 31, 2016 to complete the program, including student teaching in order to use the PRAXIS II for certification.  After that date, the Praxis II exam scores will expire. DESE will not accept your PRAXIS II score if taken after August 31, 2014.

   The correct MoCA exam  is posted on the Missouri Educator Gateway Assessment (MEGA) website.  If you are unsure of which test to take after reviewing the list, contact the Teacher Certification Office at 636-949-4844 for more assistance.

   A passing score on the MoCA exam demonstrates that the teacher candidate has mastered the subject area that he/she will teach.

2. Candidates are also required to complete the Missouri Performance Teacher Assessment (MoPTA) which employs a range of strategies and builds on each candidate's strengths, needs, and prior experiences. The MoPTA consists of four assessment tasks. The tasks will demonstrate performance in content coursework and clinical experience. All of the tasks will require a written commentary and submission of artifacts. A video submission will be required for Task 4. The task categories are:

   Task 1: Knowledge of Students and the Learning Environment

   Task 2: Assessment and Data Collection to Measure and Inform Student Learning

   Task 3: Designing Instruction for Student Learning

   Task 4: Implementing and Analyzing Instruction to Promote Student Learning 

   Note: As the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MoDESE) continues to develop the assessments to be used in Missouri’s teacher preparation programs, one component of the MoPTA will be videotaping of the candidate’s lessons for assessment and evaluation by faculty at Lindenwood University and other institutions across the state. This newly required assessment began in Fall 2014 for all teacher candidates. As part of these new procedures, Lindenwood has a Memorandum of Understanding with most school districts. However, candidates should confirm with their cooperating teacher and principal what the district’s policy is for securing permission to videotape in the classroom. Policies may include the use of permission slips for students in the classroom. More information will be made available from the Office of Field and Clinical Experiences as this component is still being developed by DESE.

3. The teacher candidate earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, a minimum content area course GPA of 3.0, and a minimum professional education coursework GPA of 3.0, with a minimum grade of C in all professional education coursework.
4. The teacher candidate must successfully complete the student teaching course, EDU 60599, including all seminar sessions and portfolio requirements.
5. The teacher candidate must complete an Impact to Student Learning project/portfolio approved by the School of Education before a grade for student teaching is recorded. This portfolio must be completed according to the standards outlined by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MoDESE) Missouri Standards for the Preparation of Educators (MoSPE), as specifically outlined in the 9 beginning standards for teacher educators. Additionally, students must successfully demonstrate competency in Lindenwood University School of Education Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs).

Certification

Each state issues its own teaching certificates based on its own requirements. Upon passing the state-mandated exit assessment and successfully completing the planned degree program, each Lindenwood University School of Education student applies for certification to teach in Missouri. The student who wishes seek certification in other states should seek advice from the Department of Education within the state she or he is seeking certification.  A list of those contacts are located on the School of Education webpages.

International students or students who have completed high school outside of the United States are also required to complete coursework in the following areas:

•     English composition, two courses, each a minimum of three credit hours

•     U.S. history, three credit hours

•     U.S. (National) government, three credit hours

Note: Students in the teacher education program who have taken the suggested coursework before taking the required assessments and do not pass the assessments can seek assistance from the LU Counseling Center for guidance in test-taking. The Student Counseling Resource Center will advise the Dean for the School of Education of student eligibility to repeat up to 18 additional hours of tuition-free courses in order to further prepare the student for the required assessments. These additional hours do not apply to student teaching. In order to be considered for this support, students must have followed all proper procedures throughout the program.

Programs Leading to Certification

Early Childhood Education (Birth-Grade 3)

Early Childhood Special Education

Elementary Education (Grades 1-6)

Middle School Education (Grades 5-9)

•     Business Education emphasis

•     English Language Arts emphasis

•     Technology and Engineering emphasis

•     Mathematics emphasis

•     Science emphasis

•     Social Science emphasis

•     Speech and Theatre emphasis

Notes: (1) Each of the programs above leads to certification upon the student’s successful completion of the appropriate certification exam(s) and successful application for certification, submitted to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MoDESE).

(2) The Technology and Engineering degree is offered at Lindenwood University in conjunction with an agreement at Saint Louis Community College-Florissant Valley. For information concerning this program, consult an advisor in the Department of Teacher Education.

Secondary Education (Grades 9-12)

Students seeking certification at the secondary (9-12) level must complete the requirements for a certificate in the desired content instructional area in secondary education (9-12).

• Business Education emphasis
• Marketing emphasis
• English Language Arts emphasis
• Technology and Engineering emphasis
• Mathematics emphasis
• Unified Science-Biological Science emphasis
• Unified Science-Chemistry emphasis
• Biological Sciences emphasis
• Chemistry emphasis
• Social Science emphasis
• Speech and Theatre emphasis

K-12 Education

Students seeking K-12 certification must complete the requirements for a certificate in the desired content area, K-12 education.

• Art emphasis
• Music-Vocal
• Music-Instrumental
• Foreign Language

• French

• Spanish

• Physical Education
• Health

The Master of Arts in Teaching is a 45 hour program.  Coursework required may extend 45 hours due to content area coursework.  Coursework in content may be completed at an undergraduate level.  Note that for all certification areas, further coursework in the content area beyond that which was required for the bachelor’s degree may be required by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in order to be eligible for certification.

A student entering the MAT program with a bachelor’s degree in the same content area of the content area certification pursued are able to complete the MAT program within 45 hours.  Students who do not have the content coursework in the desired certification area would need to complete the required content coursework in addition to the 45 hour MAT program.  Middle school certification preparation including content coursework is a 60 credit hour program. Elementary school certification preparation including all content is a 71 credit hour program. Early childhood certification preparation including all content is a 71 credit hour program, and early childhood special education certification preparation including all content is a 93 credit hour program. All areas include certification requirements.

The education courses required for certification, (not including specific content area coursework that may be required by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for a subject certification) are described below.