EMU | COE NCATE 2003 Standard 3.C

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Standard 3.C
Candidate's Development and Demonstration of Knowledge,
Skills, and Dispositions to Help All Students Learn

Target: Candidates demonstrate mastery of content areas and pedagogical and professional knowledge before admission to and during clinical practice. Assessments used in clinical practice indicate that candidates meet professional, state, and institutional standards and have a positive effect on student learning. Multiple assessments are used by candidates and clinical faculty to determine areas that need improvement and to develop a plan for improvement. Candidates work collaboratively with other candidates and clinical faculty to critique and reflect on each others= practice and their effects on student learning with the goal of improving practice. Field experiences and clinical practice facilitate candidates' exploration of their knowledge, skills, and dispositions related to all students. Candidates develop and demonstrate proficiencies that support learning by all students as shown in their work with students with exceptionalities and those from diverse ethnic, racial, gender, and socioeconomic groups in classrooms and schools.

Admission to student teaching. In order to be admitted to student teaching, students must demonstrate mastery of content areas and pedagogical and professional knowledge. Click here to see the particular requirements. In general, the demonstration of mastery in the content area requires that the student must have completed the majority of courses in her/his major with a GPA in the teaching major of at least 2.50 (on a 4.00 scale) and have a positive recommendation from the designated representative of the department in which the major is located.

Critical courses in pedagogical and professional knowledge must be completed before student teaching, including course work in curriculum and methods (CURR 304, CURR 305), human development (EDPS 322, EDPS 325), multicultural society (SOFD 328), assessment (EDPS 340, EDPS 341, SPGN 390, PHED 440 [now PHED 470]), the relevant special methods course for K-12 and secondary teaching fields, (for elementary) reading and mathematics methods (RDNG 300, RDNG 310, MATH 381), and (for early childhood education) CURR 302, CURR 303. These are formal prerequisites and it is not possible to register for student teaching unless/until these have been completed.

In the event a student shows inadequate preparation in either content or pedagogical and professional knowledge during the student teaching experience, the university supervisor or the cooperating teacher will initiate a withdrawal from the student teaching assignment. Before being given a second student teaching placement, the student must remediate whatever deficiencies were defined. See Exhibit 3.6.

Assessments used in Student Teaching. The assessment instruments used during student teaching are shown in Exhibit 3.5. Shared assessments for student teaching include a reflective journal, the assessment/employment portfolio, the student teaching evaluation by the cooperating teacher and university supervisor, and the student teaching unit. Student teachers teach and assess a unit of instruction; they are required to demonstrate that when they teach, students learn. See Exhibit 2.3.E. A self-evaluation is required as well. Student teachers demonstrate their professional dispositions and communication skills in real-world situations and they are assessed on these traits by the cooperating teacher and the university supervisor.

A series of seminars is held during each semester by university supervisors and the Director of Student Teaching. These sessions provide an opportunity for candidates to share experiences and to learn from each other. In addition, a $75,000 award from the SBC Foundation (the charitable giving arm of SBC Ameritech) supports the New Teacher Resources Network. Student teachers and new teachers have electronic access to each other, to faculty members, and to resources that were not possible before.

Effects on Student Learning. In the Fall Semester of 2002, a pilot group of student teachers (108) each developed and taught a unit which emphasized student learning outcomes. For this project students designed and implemented a pretest, post test, and an analysis of student learning. In the Winter Semester of 2003 all student teachers were required to engage in this activity. This project helps student teachers focus on student learning outcomes in an applied setting. See Exhibit 3.6 for an expanded description of the process. See Exhibit 2.3E for outcomes.

Experiences in Working with Diverse Groups of Students. FETE 201 is designed to be a multicultural experience. While FETE 301/302 is not required to be in a culturally diverse setting, it is strongly encouraged. (Diverse is defined as 30% high need--language minority, ethnic minority, low SES.) FETE 401/402 must be in a culturally diverse setting. See Exhibit 3.11.

EMU maintains student teacher placement agreements only with districts and other educational entities that include significant diversity in their student bodies. Except by special arrangement (e.g., out-of-state student teaching), candidates may not do student teaching outside the list of EMU approved cooperating districts. Click here, then scroll to "Placement," for additional information. As a result of these policies, candidates have field experiences that involve diverse groups of students. The student teaching unit implemented by each student teacher is expected to include documentation as to how instruction has been adapted to the needs of various categories of students.