Amended Program to Show Compliance with New State Standards

 

Recommendations from Review Panel Regarding Programs to Prepare

Teachers of Physics (DE)

 

May 15, 2004

 

Institution: Eastern Michigan University

 

 

Program 

Level

 

Major

(# Credits)

 

Minor

(# Credits)

 

Group Major

 (# Credits)

 

Group Minor

(# Credits)

 

Endorsement Only

(# Credits)

 

Elementary

 

 

 

 

 

 

Secondary

32-41

21-24

 

 

 

 

 

K-12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source of Standards/Guidelines: Michigan State Board of Education

 

Pub. Date: August 2002

 

 

Program Assessment Summary/Recommendation

 

 

 

Meets all standards and requirements

X

Not all standards and requirements are met

 

Insufficient documentation for program review

 

 

Approval

X

Approval Pending

 

Approval Suspended

 

Standards/Requirements Not Met:

 

1.1.3.10 cryogenics

The syllabus submitted for PHY 360 does not list cryogenics as a covered topic.

 

The documentation submitted for review did not address the following standards:

1.1.4.10   photometry

1.1.5.5     theory of solids

1.1.7.3    nuclear magnetic resonance

1.1.7.4     radioactivity

1.1.7.5    Fission

1.1.7.6    Fusion

1.1.7.7    elementary quark model

1.1.7.8     standard model of elementary particle physics

6.0                   understand and promote the maintenance of a safe science classroom as identified by    the Council of State Science Supervisors, including the appropriate use and storage    of scientific equipment, and safe storage, use, and disposal of materials;

 

3.0, relate the concepts of physics to contemporary, historical, technological, and societal issues; in particular, relate concepts of physics to current controversies and other issues.

No response was given to this standard for the minor.

 

Reviewers could not find evidence in the materials provided that minors will meet the following standards, particularly if they have a non-science major.  Will the courses listed in the matrix require physics minors to have science-specific experiences?

7.0              demonstrate competence in the practice of teaching as defined within the Entry-Level Standards for Michigan Teachers

8.0        create and maintain an educational environment in which conceptual understanding             will occur for all science students.

9.0               demonstrate competence in the practice of teaching through investigative experiences       and by demonstrating the application of the scientific processes and in assessing       student learning through multiple processes.

 

 

Additional information needed/action to be taken:

 

Section 4, MTTC pass rates

Please provide updated records of students from 2002 and beyond.  Reviewers would like to see how the restructuring of the physics minor might have affected the outcome of the MTTC test.  Also, when was the minor restructured to require the junior level courses?

 

Section 5, early field experiences

Do physics minors have early field experience in physics classrooms? To be more precise, what will a Physics minor/Non-science major experience and what will a Physics minor/Science major experience?

 

Please provide course descriptions and syllabi for FETE 201, 302, and 402 and the syllabi for PHY 325, 436, 442, 456, and 458. 

 

The response to Section 9 does not indicate how minors are prepared to teach physics.  This is a major concern to program reviewers.

 

 

Comments:

 

Reviewers noticed in the program description that plans were being made to address most of the unmet standards.  The institution is to be commended for making every effort to meet the standards.

 

A thorough offering of lab courses is a fundamental part of any DE teacher preparation program.  EMU offers such courses (i.e. PHY 332, 372, 436, 442, 456, and 458). 

 

Program Summary descriptions meet or exceed requirements.

 

Reviewers were impressed by the variety of experiences that faculty have and that all faculty were familiar with the K-12 Michigan Curriculum Framework and MEAP at some level. 

 

Reviewers were pleased that the institution took initiative in addressing the pass rate for minors on the MTTC.

 

The ethics course (PHY 406) seems to be a valuable course that may enable a high school Physics teacher to teach societal issues.  If time permits in the course, cultural issues and/or prominent minorities in Physics may also be addressed.  After all, the MTTC test does ask the teacher candidate to recall these types of facts.

 

wu6specialty recommendation form new standards.doc