Master of Arts in Teaching Model III: Leading to Initial Certification

Please Note: While certification requirements can be met by undergraduate coursework, full completion of the MAT degree may be achieved only through the completion of graduate coursework. Students will need to substitute undergraduate work that meets 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 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 nine 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 one 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 nine hours of education coursework from the School of Education.

3. The teacher candidate has achieved a cumulative minimum GPA of 3.0 (including all undergraduate and graduate coursework), 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 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 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 website, 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 (including all undergraduate and graduate coursework), 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).

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 nine 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 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 Lindenwood University Counseling Center for guidance in test-taking. The Student Counseling Resource Center will advise the dean of 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

•     Mathematics emphasis

•     Science emphasis

•     Social Science emphasis

•     Speech and Theatre emphasis

•     Technology and Engineering 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).

K-12 Education

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

• Art 
• Health
• Foreign Language

• French

• Spanish

• Music-Instrumental
• Music-Vocal
• Physical Education
• Special Education

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.

MAT students may be eligible for an alternative certificate if they meet the following criteria:

• Conferred undergraduate degree closely aligned with their intended content field of certification (middle school, 9-12, or K-12 only).
• Passed the appropriate Missouri Content Assessment in no more than two attempts prior to or during their first semester in the MAT program.
• Met all DESE GPA requirements (2.75 cumulative, 3.0 in content).
• Completed all education coursework required for the MAT degree.

• Completed student teaching and DESE-required performance assessments (Missouri Preservice Teacher Assessment).
• Students interested in pursuing alternative certification need assistant dean or dean approval.  Additional content coursework may be required. 

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.