College of Education

KANDI HILL-CLARKE, Ed.D., Dean
Room 215, E.C. Ball Hall
(901) 678-5495
http://www.memphis.edu/coe/

The College of Education is dedicated to preparing students for careers in a variety of professional and related occupational areas. In helping the university pursue its three broad objectives of teaching, public service, and research, the College of Education is committed to the following missions.

The first mission of the College of Education is to prepare teachers, other licensed school personnel, and educationally related professionals who are qualified and competent in both practice and theory. The second mission is to conduct educational and educationally related research and to engage in the dissemination of the outcomes of that research. The third mission of the college is tightly interwoven with the two preceding missions, that is: to provide teaching, research and service that extends beyond the confines of the campus and to make educational delivery available in its urban setting and at other outreach locations.

The departments in the college value the pursuit and practice of quality teaching and research in a multicultural setting. Specifically, the college actively seeks to foster the advancement of knowledge and pedagogy involved in educational training in school and non-school settings. With a priority on urban related studies, both faculty and students are engaged in timely, diverse experiences of a scholarly nature.

This mission and vision for the College of Education is embodied in the theme of Educational Leaders. The college seeks to prepare leaders who demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the learning process, skill in instructional planning and delivery, and a disposition to create dynamic learning environments that incorporate multi-cultural knowledge into instructional design and delivery. Multiple performance assessment measures are used to identify what teacher candidates know and can do and their impact on P-12 students based on eleven learning outcomes derived from the Interstate New Teacher Assessment Support Consortium (INTASC) standards for teacher preparation.

Organization

Three academic departments make up the College of Education: Counseling, Educational Psychology and Research; Instruction and Curriculum Leadership; & Leadership. One department offers undergraduate degrees, and all departments offer a variety of graduate degree programs.

In addition, there are several research and service units in the college: The Office of Teacher Education, Advising and Student Services, The Center for the Study of Higher Education, The Reading Center, The Center for Research in Educational Policy, The Barbara K. Lipman Early Childhood School and Research Institute, and the University Campus School.

River City Partnership

The River City Partnership is a collaborative partnership between UofM College of Education, Shelby County Schools, and the Achievement School District. For more information, please visit: River City Partnership.

BSED Requirements

Professional Studies for Educators

Professional studies in the College of Education consist of both subject matter, pedagogical knowledge, and specialized studies related to specific P-12 settings. All teacher education students will study knowledge and skills in human development, methods, technology, classroom management, cultural diversity, balanced assessment, and differentiated instruction. Students must also know and display professional dispositions expected of educators. Skills in assessment, behavior management and specialized instructional methods are incorporated in courses delivered by their respective specialty areas. Specific requirements are listed in the section of the Catalog addressing each major.

Accreditation

The College of Education holds membership in the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. Its undergraduate programs, as well as all graduate degree programs through the doctoral degree for the preparation of teachers and related school personnel, are approved by the Tennessee State Department of Education. The College is fully accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Licensure Areas

Areas of licensure that are available at the completion of undergraduate education programs include:

Interventionist K-8 (144)

Interventionist 6-12 (145)

Physical Education K-12 (420)

Elementary K-5 (120)

Early Childhood PreK-3 (467)

Visual Arts K-12 (427)

Music Inst. K-12 (429)

Music Voc./Gen K-12 (428)

Visual Arts K-12 (427)

English as a Second Language PreK-12 (490)

Elementary K-5 (120);

Early Childhood Pre K-3 (467)

Interventionist K-8 – (144)

Interventionist 6-12 – (145)

Special Education Comprehensive K-12 (461)

Physical Education K-12 (420)

Secondary

English 6-12 (159)

French 6-12 (163)

German 6-12 (164)

Spanish 6-12 (169)

Russian 6-12 (168)

Latin 6-12 (167)

Mathematics 6-12 (125)

Biology 6-12 (126)

Chemistry 6-12 (127)

Physics 6-12 (129)

Earth Science 6-12 (128)

History 6-12 (133)

Government 6-12 (132)

Geography 6-12 (131

Psychology 9-12 (426)

Sociology 9-12 (425

Students who intend to enter the Master of Arts in Teaching program should consult the MAT advisor about this program to ensure that the general education curriculum, pre-professional studies, and teacher licensure requirements are completed.

Endorsements at the Graduate Level

Speech/Language Pre K-12 (464)

School Counselor PreK-12 (487)

Instructional Leadership PreK-12 (442)

Instructional Leadership Professional (443)

School Psychologist PreK-12 (489)

Library Information Specialist PreK-12 (473)

English as a Second Language PreK-12 (490)

Reading Specialist PreK-12 (486) add on endorsement

Admission to Teacher Education Program

Students who plan to pursue an undergraduate program of studies leading to teacher licensure must submit a formal application to the College of Education Teacher Education Program (TEP). Students are encouraged to apply for admission in their sophomore year.

Prerequisites for Provisional admission to the Teacher Education Program are as follows:

Complete a minimum of 45 semester hours.
Complete and submit the TEP application. Applications can be downloaded from the following site: http://www.memphis.edu/coe/
TALN and HDVL students must complete with a grade of C- or above ENGL 1010, ENGL 1020, EDPR 2111, MATH 1420 (or an equivalent math course). ITGS/Secondary Math students must complete ENGL 1010, ENGL 1020, EDPR 3302, MATH 1530.
Take and submit satisfactory scores on the CORE Academic Skills for Educators. Students scoring a 22 or above on the Enhanced ACT do not have to take the CORE. Passing scores for the CORE: Reading 1156, Writing 162, and Mathematics 150.
Earn and maintain a GPA of no less than 2.75. An undergraduate student whose cumulative grade point average drops below 2.75 will not be provisionally admitted/retained in the Teacher Education Program.
Submit and request forwarding to the Office of Teacher Education and Student Support Services a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation criminal history background check.
For detailed steps on how to complete this process visit: http://www.memphis.edu/tep/clinical/background-checks.php.

Candidates who do not meet the regular Teacher Education Program (TEP) Provisional Admissions criteria may apply for alternative admission based on the following policy:

Alternative Admission Based on CORE Scores

The candidates must meet the minimum cut-off scores for two of the three subtests or they cannot appeal. The writing subtest must be passed by all candidates.
The appealed CORE subtest score (math or reading) cannot vary more than 3% (5 points) from the acceptable minimum score.
Candidates who do not meet the minimum requirements must meet the following guidelines to submit an appeal based on CORE:
1. Must have a GPA of 3.00.
2. Must have taken the CORE subtest in question twice.
3. If appealing the Reading Subtest, the student must have at least a 3.00 average in general education literature course and a general education history course.
4. If appealing the Mathematics Test, the student must have a 3.00 average in all required mathematics courses in the general education curriculum.
5. All the above courses must be taken at an accredited college.
Candidates MUST have taken all relevant core courses as described above for their appeals to be considered.
Candidates who have the required grade point average and the required grades in the specified courses may be approved by the Director of Teacher Education without further appeal committee action.

Alternative Admission Based on Grade Point Average

Candidates appealing to be Provisionally admitted to TEP because their grade point average has fallen below 2.75 must meet the following requirements in order to appeal:

Must have passed all sections of the CORE
Must provide, as part of their appeal, a plan describing the courses they will repeat or take to raise their grade point average to the 2.75 minimum and a proposed timeline. No restricted courses can be included in the plan.

Special Notes:

Candidates may not appeal for alternative admission if they have less that a 2.50 grade point average and have not met the minimum requirements of the CORE. These students will be advised individually regarding a remediation plan to improve their grade point average and/or PPST performance. In some instances, the candidate may be counseled out of the program.

Retention

Candidates may be referred for retention throughout their program of studies. If candidates’ graded point average drops below the required 2.75 while in Provisional Admission status, they will not be allowed to take any restricted courses in subsequent semesters and will lose their TEP admission status. Referrals can be made for academics, but also for professional dispositions related to ethical or attitudinal problems. There are also specific actions that can result in Disqualification (http://www.memphis.edu/tep/admission/disqualification.php). The College of Education Professional Dispositions guide the retention process. Candidates may be referred for counseling or be reviewed before the TEP Retention Committee.

Pre-Student Teaching Clinical Experiences

Students pursuing teacher licensure complete, as a part of their program, a variety of required clinical experiences incorporated into professional education courses. Students will be expected to have experiences in a variety of settings (real and virtual) and with pupils who reflect differences in age, socioeconomic backgrounds, and cultural heritage.

Clinical experiences include both laboratory experiences (typically fulfilled on campus) and clinical experiences (typically fulfilled in PreK-12 schools). The early childhood programs require field experiences in PreK-3 grades. Other licensure programs require placements in a variety of grades (K-12). The amount of time spent in a clinical experience varies according to the specific requirement being met. Fulfillment of these experiences requires that students make available out-of-class time between 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. All students are required to complete the number of clinical experience hours expected in their licensure area.

Completion of field experiences will occur in sites arranged and approved by the University of Memphis College of Education Office of School Based Clinical Practice.

Full Admission to Teacher Education Program and Residency

Teacher candidates entering their Junior year of study must meet the requirements for Full Admission to the Teacher Education Program and the Yearlong Residency. These requirements include:

Overall grade point average of 3.0.
Praxis Content Knowledge must now be passed prior to Residency II.
Successful on-demand writing task.
Provide for review an exemplar work sample (e.g., lesson plan, etc.).
Complete an online aptitude for teaching questionnaire.
Evidence of professional liability insurance of at least one million dollars.

Residency II/ Second Semester Senior Year

Students who pursue degree programs at the University of Memphis that lead to teacher licensure must complete their Residency II in placements arranged, coordinated, and approved by the Clinical Coordinator of the College of Education. Residency II teaching assignments are full day in length for 15 weeks.

Residency II is offered only during the spring semesters in partnership schools. No Residency assignments for initial licensure are made during the summer semester. Under the direction of Preservice Instructive Mentors (PIM), and Residency II Supervisors, candidates are afforded opportunities to co-plan, co-teach, and co-assess in the PIM’s classroom. In addition, all teacher candidates must submit an edTPA for national scoring. edTPA is the capstone assessment for all programs and success is required for a successful Residency II.

NO OTHER COURSES MAY BE TAKEN DURING RESIDENCY II EXCEPT FOR THE PROFESSIONAL SEMINAR.

Grades in Residency II are reported as “S” (satisfactory) or “U” (unsatisfactory).

Requirements for enrollment in yearlong Residency are:

File an application the semester before Residency I.
Gain full admittance to and be in good standing in the Teacher Education Program one semester before the Residency Year (senior year).
Attain classification as a senior with a minimum grade point average of 3.0.
Complete of all prerequisite professional education courses.
Earn a minimum grade of “C-” in University General Education Program courses, each required professional education course, and each course in the major.
Submit passing scores on all remaining required Praxis II licensure exams for the specific area of licensure being sought prior to Residency II. Candidates must submit scores on the exam no later than 30 days prior to the first day of Residency II.
Must have a background check on file.

Graduation

To be recommended for graduation and licensure, teacher candidates must complete the requirements listed below:

Minimum of 120 semester hours, including at least 45 hours of upper division courses.
Overall minimum GPA of 3.0.
A minimum GPA of 3.0 in all courses taken at the University of Memphis, excluding all credit transferred from other institutions.
Minimum grade of “C” in each required professional education course and each course in the major. Candidates can only repeat a professional education course once. Failure to make a satisfactory grade on the second attempt will result in disqualification from the teacher education program.
Submit scores for all Praxis II licensure exams.
Successfully complete the Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA).

For Tennessee Teacher Licensure, students must obtain satisfactory scores for Specialty Area Examinations of the PRAXIS II, according to the criteria established by the Tennessee State Board of Education.

Any courses taken in excess of those needed to fulfill the requirements of professional education courses and major and minor endorsement areas, are considered to be general electives and are included only in the calculation of the overall GPA. In those areas where students are required to take elective courses, the student, in consultation with and approval of the major advisor, designates where the elective courses are to be applied.

Majors

In addition to completing the degree requirements listed above for teacher licensure, B.S.Ed., students must complete requirements for the Human Development and Learning, Integrative Studies, Physical Education Teacher Education, and Teaching All Learners. Following the requirements for these majors are the requirements for the non-licensure degree and majors offered through other departments in the college.

B.S. ED REQUIREMENTS (NON-LICENSURE)

Students may complete a non- major in the Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership. Degree requirements for this include the following:

Graduation

In addition to specific course requirements listed below, students must complete the following:

Minimum of 120 semester hours of which at least 45 hours must be upper division and at least 45-51 hours must be liberal content courses.
Overall minimum GPA of 2.00.
A minimum GPA of 2.00 in all credits earned at the University of Memphis excluding all credit transferred from other institutions.
A minimum GPA of 2.25 in all courses required for fulfilling the completion of the major.

NOTE: Any courses taken in excess of those needed to fulfill the requirements of the major are considered to be general electives and are included only in the calculation of the overall GPA. In those areas where students are required to take elective courses, the student in consultation with and approval of the major advisor, designates where the elective courses are to be applied.

Individual program requirements described in the University of Memphis Undergraduate Catalog are subject to change. Please consult the college level advisor for changes that may occur before publication of the next issue of this Catalog.