Program: Integrated Early Childhood Licensure, (MAT) - University of Memphis

Jun 01, 2025

2025-2026 GRADUATE CATALOG {Editing in Progress}

ECE-SPED teacher candidates will be able to:

Plan lessons that are developmentally appropriate for the age, background knowledge, culture, and interests of most learners.
Plan lessons that engage students in higher level/critical thinking skills.
Utilize assessments that measure performance in more than two ways and are aligned with State/SPA standards.
Relate objectives to prior knowledge and illustrate that most of the class has mastered the objective.
Develop lesson content that is personally meaningful and relevant to the students.
Demonstrate an understanding of the impact that different theories and philosophies of early learning and development have on assessment, curriculum, intervention, and instruction decisions.
Apply knowledge of biological and environmental factors that may support or hinder children’s early development and learning as they plan and implement early intervention and instruction.
Demonstrate an understanding of characteristics, etiologies, and individual differences within and across the range of abilities, including developmental delays and disabilities, their potential impact on children’s early development and learning, and implications for assessment, curriculum, instruction, and intervention.
Apply their knowledge of family-centered practices, family systems theory, and the changing needs and priorities in families’ lives to develop trusting, respectful, affirming, and culturally responsive partnerships with all families that allow for the mutual exchange of knowledge and information.
Communicate clear, comprehensive, and objective information about resources and supports that help families to make informed decisions and advocate for access, participation, and equity in natural and inclusive environments.
Use a variety of collaborative strategies when working with other adults that are evidenced-based, appropriate to the task, culturally and linguistically responsive, and take into consideration the environment and service delivery approach.
Partner with families and other professionals to develop individualized plans and support the various transitions that occur for the young child and their family.
Understand the purposes of formal and informal assessment, including ethical and legal considerations, and use this information to choose developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate, valid, reliable tools and methods that are responsive to the characteristics of the young child, family, and program.
Analyze, interpret, document, and share assessment information using a strengths-based approach with families and other professionals.
Use their knowledge of early childhood curriculum frameworks, developmental and academic content knowledge, and related pedagogy to plan and ensure equitable access to universally designed, developmentally appropriate, and challenging learning experiences in natural and inclusive environments.
Engage in ongoing planning and use flexible and embedded instructional and environmental arrangements and appropriate materials to support the use of interactions, interventions, and instruction addressing developmental and academic content domains which are adapted to meet the needs of each and every child and their family.
Promote young children’s social and emotional competence and communication, and proactively plan and implement function-based interventions to prevent and address challenging behaviors.
Use responsive interactions, interventions, and instruction with sufficient intensity and types of support across activities, routines, and environments to promote child learning and development and facilitate access, participation, and engagement in natural environments and inclusive settings.
Engage in the profession by joining local, regional, national, and/or international professional organizations.
Engage in ongoing reflective practice and access evidence-based information to improve their own practices.
Practice within ethical and legal policies and procedures.

MAT Program Admission

Teacher candidates must perform content specific tasks with high levels of accuracy and demonstrate appropriate management of time and resources. The ability to work in educational settings with students, families, and colleagues from varied backgrounds is also an essential requirement.

The following are the minimum requirements for admission:

A bachelor’s degree

Undergraduate GPA
1. 2.75 from an accredited college or university

Exams are not required for admittance to the MAT Program.

Please note: Praxis II Content exams are required for Teacher Education Program (TEP) admission.

Retention

To remain in the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Program, candidates must maintain a graduate 3.0 grade point average (GPA). Failure to maintain a 3.0 GPA will result in academic probation. A 3.0 GPA is required to graduate.

Teacher Education Program (TEP) Admission

All graduate students pursuing a teaching license must be admitted to the Teacher Education Program (TEP) by the end of the first semester. Obtaining TEP admission as indicated is necessary to avoid delayed program matriculation.

To be admitted into the Teacher Education Program (TEP), a graduate teacher education candidate must have:

A 3.0 graduate GPA.
A passing score on the Praxis content area examination, if required by your program.
A cleared TBI background check on file in the Office of Teacher Education.

NOTE: MAT admission, TEP admission, and Graduate School admission are separate processes.

Program Requirements-MAT

A minimum of 30-36 graduate semester hours must be earned by candidates seeking licensure and the MAT degree.

Please note that all initial licensure candidates must take ICL 7993. Candidates with a Job-Embedded Practitioners License must complete ICL 7992 in place of ICL 7993, during the final semester of their program.

Integrated Early Childhood Licensure Program Requirements

As teacher education program candidates must engage with Pre-kindergarten through 12^th grade students, they are required to demonstrate their dispositional fitness to meet the essential requirements of the program. Such essential requirements include ability to work with diverse students, families, and colleagues, perform content specific tasks, and manage time and resources.

Core performance standards for admission and progression:

Demonstrates effective oral communication skills.

Demonstrates effective written communication skills.

Demonstrates professionalism.

Demonstrates a positive attitude.

Integrated Early Childhood Level I Coursework

Integrated Early Childhood and Special Education (IECSE) Licensure (PREK-3) Licensure Master of Arts in Teaching Program of Study

Level 1 Courses
Fall I	Spring I
ECED 7102	ECED 6520
ECED 6510	ECED 6530
Fall 1 Semester Begin preparing for your Praxis Content Exam.	Spring I Semester Continue Praxis preparation. Take your Praxis II Content exam(s), if not already passed. Apply for TEP Admissions.

ECED 7102 - Observation, Documentation & Assessment of Young Children Credit Hours: (3)
ECED 6510 - Early Childhood Programs and Practices Credit Hours: (3)
ECED 6520 - Planning and Facilitating Social Learning and Development Credit Hours: (3)
ECED 6530 - Pln/Fclt Math/Sci Lrng Credit Hours: (3)

Integrated Early Childhood Level II Coursework

Level 2 Courses – TEP Admission Required
Summer I	Fall II
EDPR 7111	LITL 7552
ICL 7106	ECED 6540

Level 2 Courses – TEP Admission Required
Spring II	Summer II
IDT 7061	SPED 7000
LITL 7553
EDPR 7521
Candidates must have completed Levels I and II coursework and passed the Praxis Content exam prior to enrolling in Level 3 Courses.

EDPR 7111 - Child Development & Education ** Credit Hours: 3
ICL 7106 - Professional Ethical and legal practices and standards: Working with families, classrooms and communities ** Credit Hours: (3)
LITL 7552 - Foundation Skills: Phonological Awareness and Phonics Credit Hours: 3
ECED 6540 - Pln/Fclt Infnt/Tdlr Dev Credit Hours: (3)
IDT 7061 - Digital Literacy and Multimodal Instruction ** Credit Hours: (3)
LITL 7553 - Literacy in Grades PreK-4 ** Credit Hours: (3)
EDPR 7521 - Introduction to Research Design and Methodology ** Credit Hours: (3)
SPED 7000 - Introduction to Critical Foundations of Inclusive Education in the 21st Century Credit Hours: (3)

Integrated Early Childhood Level III Coursework

Level 3 Courses

Fall II

ICL 7808

ICL 7993

ICL 7992 -Embedded Candidates (3 Hours)

For additional information about the program of study, please contact the MAT Academic Counselor in the Office of Teacher Education and Clinical Practice at tecp@memphis.edu.

ICL 7808 - Clinical Teaching Credit Hours: (3-9)
ICL 7993 - Current Trends/Topics Exploring Diverse Issues in Education ** Credit Hours: (3)
ICL 7992 - Master’s Project ** Credit Hours: (3)

Other Requirements

All students seeking teacher licensure must successfully pass clinical teaching semester or must document successful completion of professional experience in lieu of clinical teaching semester.
1. Students who are employed by a school district on a Practitioner License issued by the State of Tennessee may have the Level III clinical teaching semester waived if they provide the necessary documentation to verify one year of successful teaching experience and composite score of 3 or higher on the Teacher Evaluation used by their employing district. They must also be successful with the Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) to be recommended for licensure. Students in this category should contact the Licensure Coordinator for specific requirements.
2. Students must enroll in the appropriate clinical teaching semester course during clinical teaching semester.
3. Applications for clinical teaching semester must be filed one semester before clinical teaching semester.
4. Application for documenting successful completion of professional experience in lieu of clinical teaching semester must be filed at the beginning of the first month of the semester in which the candidate plans to complete the approved academic program leading to final licensure. The Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) must be completed during the semester the candidate on a Practitioner License plans to apply for their Professional License.
Licensure in Tennessee requires acceptable scores on specified Praxis II Tests of pedagogy and teaching content knowledge.
Validation of methods courses is not permitted.

Retention

To remain in the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) and the Teacher Education Program (TEP) the student must maintain a graduate grade point average of 3.25. Failure to maintain a 3.25 GPA will result in termination of a candidate’s TEP status and will result in academic probation in the MAT program.