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Master of Arts in Education Model III: Initial Teacher Certification

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.

Educator Preparation Program

Introduction

The Lindenwood University Educator Preparation Program (EPP) is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE http://dese.mo.gov/). The initial teacher education program is accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC www.teac.org) through 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 9 hours of education coursework. Students should apply during EDU 51500 Teacher Education Seminar I. All application for admission to the teacher education program and admission to student teaching must be completed and submitted in Foliotek.

Admission

The teacher education program is divided into two stages or benchmarks 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. The student will not be allowed to enroll in most upper level or methods coursework until he/she has been formally admitted at Benchmark/Stage 1 to the teacher education program.

Benchmark/Stage One

  1. The student has been accepted to the graduate program at Lindenwood University indicating they have completed a bachelor’s degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.0.
  2. The student has completed 9 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 growth plan with his/her advisor.

Benchmark/Stage Two

Acceptance into Benchmark/Stage Two is required for admittance into student teaching, and consists of the following additional requirements:

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

    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 PRAXIS II scores if taken after August 31, 2014.

    The correct MoCA exam is posted on the Missouri Educator Gateway Assessment (MEGA) website (www.mo.nesinc.com).  If a student is unsure of which test to take after reviewing the webstie, he/she may contact the Teacher Certification Office at 636-949-4379 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. The teacher candidate must 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.
  3. Additional components for admission to Benchmark/Stage Two can be found on the Lindenwood University School of Education Teacher Education website at (http://www.lindenwood.edu/education/teacherEd/studentTeachingApplication.html).
Completion of Teacher Education Program
  1. The teacher candidate must 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.
  2. The teacher candidate must successfully complete the student teaching course, EDU 60599, including all seminar sessions and portfolio requirements.The 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.
  3. Candidates are also required to complete the Missouri Performance Teacher Assessment (MoPTA) during student teaching 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. 

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 is 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.