Education: Curriculum and Instruction / 62
Program Admission Requirements
Students wishing to pursue a graduate degree in Professional Education in the program area of Curriculum and Instruction must meet the admission requirements of the University and department as stated in this catalog. See admission requirements under specific program descriptions.
Admission Appeal
Students not meeting the departmental GPA admission standards as stated may appeal to the departmental admission committee. Appeals should be made in writing to the department chairperson.
If after a second attempt on the GRE the student is unable to attain the minimum admission score, he or she may appeal to the departmental admission committee. Appeals should be made in writing to the department chairperson.
Students not successfully completing a second writing assessment may appeal in writing to the department chairperson.
Departmental Admissions Appeal Committee
The chairperson will appoint a committee of three department members, including the advisor, and two professors, one who has had the student in class and one who has not.
The student is to:
- Submit a portfolio including, but not limited to:
- Transcripts of all credits.
- A written request for alternative admission (minimum 250 words not to exceed three double-spaced typed pages).
- Two employer/supervisor recommendations.
- Make an oral presentation to the committee including:
- Statement of personal and professional reasons for appeal.
- Factors or motivation for seeking a graduate degree.
- Projected plans for degree completion.
Students seeking admission through the appeal process should contact respective program advisors for portfolio guidelines.
Comprehensive Exam
To assess program effectiveness, a comprehensive exam is administered for the M.S.Ed., Teaching: Early Childhood Education program. Students should contact the advisor for more information.
Portfolio Requirement
To assess program effectiveness and meet the comprehensive assessment requirement, a performance-based graduate portfolio is required of all students completing the following programs:
M.S.Ed., Teaching: Elementary (Self-Contained)
M.S.Ed., Reading
M.S.Ed., Teaching English Language Learners
M.S.Ed., Special Education: Cross Categorical
Program advisors will provide candidates with the program-specific portfolio template at the time the Degree Audit Form is completed. See General Portfolio Template below.
General Portfolio Template
The portfolio will include artifacts from the following categories, in addition to two that will be chosen by the candidate. The portfolio should include:
- A presentation of the candidate’s teaching and learning philosophies.
- Artifacts that demonstrate a knowledge of and the ability to apply educational theories and research to practice. Artifacts will demonstrate competency to meet the department’s knowledge base and the Missouri Standards for Preparation of Educators (MOSPE). Scoring guides for artifacts in the candidate's program are to be included in the portfolio.
- A reflection will be written for each standard that includes a description of:
- The artifact included under a given standard and context in which it was prepared and/or delivered. This should be an overview of what a reviewer would see in the portfolio.
- How artifacts relate to one or more of the specific standards chosen for the organization of the portfolio (i.e. Missouri Standards for Preparation of Educators, Missouri Educator Evaluation System), and uses the vocabulary of the standards.
- How artifacts relate to the Missouri Learning Standards for K-12 students (refer to Missouri performance and content standards printed on the “placemat,” or use the standards from the student’s state of residence or employment). Use vocabulary of the standards.
- How artifacts reflect theory/research.
- Why this particular teaching strategy/procedure was used to achieve the learning objectives.
- How artifacts assisted the candidate's growth and development as a teacher—include those things that went well and things in need of change if the experience was being conducted again. Address what was learned in the process.
- What the student(s) learned or what was learned about the student(s). Include samples/examples/protocol of student’s work/assessment to add to the portfolio.
- How the teaching (or learning) experience represented by the artifact affected growth as an ethical decision-maker based on the candidate's beliefs about teaching and students. Reference personal educational philosophy or belief statements and the dispositions of an effective teacher.
- An appendix which contains two artifacts of candidate’s choice. The candidate will preface each artifact with a written rationale that explains how each artifact demonstrates standard competency. Examples could include, but are not limited to: a video tape with analysis, action research in the classroom, teaching innovations, professional activities, career ladder projects, etc.
The portfolio is to be submitted to the appropriate program advisor no less than 30 days in advance of the oral presentation of the portfolio to the review team. Candidates are responsible for communicating with the appropriate program advisor regarding plans for scheduling the specific time of the portfolio review session.
Diverse Field Experience
The Department of Professional Education is committed to preparing professionals to work with all students. To facilitate multicultural awareness and understanding of issues related to teaching students from diverse backgrounds, the department requires a twelve-clock-hour field experience in a diverse setting for candidates in all of the following programs:
- M.S.Ed., Early Childhood
- M.S.Ed., English Language Learners
- M.S.Ed., Reading
- M.S.Ed., Special Education
- M.S.Ed., Teaching Elementary
Guidelines for this experience will be presented to graduate students when the Degree Audit Form is completed.