HELP Undergraduate Catalog 2006-07 [ARCHIVED CATALOG] College of Education Print-Friendly Page (opens a new window) Facebook this Page (opens a new window) Tweet this Page (opens a new window)

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Gary Wegenke
Dean

Katharine Cummings
Associate Dean

In general, the College of Education performs eight functions:

1. Supervises the selection, admission, and retention of students in advanced teacher education curricula;
2. Provides professional education courses designed to develop competent, efficient performance in the classroom and within a school system;
3. Provides advanced specialized courses in selected major and minor fields in departments within the college;
4. Provides service courses to students in other colleges within the University;
5. Provides clinical and curricular development services to teachers and school personnel;
6. Conducts experimentation and research at all levels of professional education;
7. Maintains liaison with professional organizations and learned societies involved in teacher education;
8. Prepares professionals for careers related to improving the quality of life of individuals and families and management of consumer resources.

Academic Units:

Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology
Educational Studies
    Educational Studies
    Educational Technology
    Evaluation, Measurement, and Research
    Special Education
Family and Consumer Sciences
    Career and Technical Education
Health, Physical Education, and Recreation
Teaching, Learning, and Leadership
    Educational Leadership
    Teaching, Learning, and Leadership

Centers and Offices:

Office of Admissions and Advising
Office of Field Placements
Office of Teacher Certification
Counseling and Psychological Services Center
Merze Tate Center
Reading Center and Clinic

Curricula for Teachers
The program for prospective teachers consists of three parts: (1) general education, designed to develop an intellectual foundation of appropriate depth and breadth in liberal arts and general studies; (2) advanced specialized study, in a major and minor field structured to develop a high level of academic competence and understanding; and (3) professional education study organized to prepare teacher candidates to work effectively in schools.

Prospective teachers choose to work for the Michigan Elementary Provisional Certificate (valid for teaching all subjects in grades kindergarten through fifth, all subjects in self-contained classrooms in grades kindergarten through eighth, and major/minor subjects in grades sixth through eighth) OR the Michigan Secondary Provisional Certificate (valid for major and minor subjects in grades seven through twelve).

The following undergraduate curricula lead to certification and are offered in the College of Education: Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Special Education, and Physical Education. Students seeking admission to these curricula must contact the Office of Admissions and Advising, 2504 Sangren Hall.

Students electing to major in Art, Career and Technical Education, Music, Physical Education, Health Education, and Special Education may be certified to teach in their specialized area in grades K-12 by completing the curriculum and certification requirements.

Students seeking admission to one of the following curricula must see the appropriate college or department advisor as well as the Office of Admissions and Advising:

• Art (see School of Art advisor)
• Music (see School of Music for audition)
• Special Education (see Department of Educational Studies, Special Education advisor)
• Speech Pathology and Audiology (see Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology advisor)

Teaching certificates are granted only to those students who satisfactorily complete an approved teacher education program with an overall grade point average of 2.5, passing scores on MTTC subject area test(s), and a bachelor’s degree. Students in Speech Pathology and Audiology must complete a master’s degree to be eligible to receive teacher certification.

Office of Admissions and Advising

2504 Sangren Hall
387-3474

Advisors:
Joyce DeRight, Director
Annemarie Bates
Sheena Bolton
Cynthia DeRyke
Douglas Engebretsen
Paul Hildenbrand

The Office of Admissions and Advising provides information regarding teacher education curricula and processes applications for admissions to those curricula in the College of Education. The office also provides academic advisement for students enrolled in non-teaching and teaching curricula within the College and advises post-baccalaureate students seeking initial teacher certification.

All students seeking admission to teacher education curricula as entering freshmen, transfers, or as students changing curricula must contact the Office of Admissions and Advising. All students declaring a preference for a curriculum leading to a teaching certificate will be assigned a pre-education designator at the time of admission to the University.

Students wishing to enter the Elementary Education or Secondary Education program must meet the following minimum requirements at the time of application:  

• Completion of at least 35 credit hours
• Completion of all Western Michigan University Intellectual Skills Development courses if required (e.g. MATH 1090, ED 1040, ENGL 1000)
• Completion of an approved college level writing course
• Completion with a grade of “C” or better ED 2500 Human Development (for Elementary and K-12 programs) or ED 2000 Introduction to American Education (for Secondary 7-12 programs)
• Achievement of a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or better
• Achievement of passing scores on the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) - Basic Skills Section
• Once all of the above requirements have been met, a formal application requesting admission to the program must be submitted to the Office of Admissions and Advising, 2504 Sangren Hall.

Students wishing to enter the Special Education program must meet the following minimum requirements at the time of application for consideration-admission is not guaranteed:

• Completion of 56 hours (Spring semester hours may be counted)
• Completion of all Western Michigan University Intellectual Skills Development courses if required (e.g., MATH 1090, ED 1040, ENGL 1000)
• Completion of an approved college level writing course
• Completion of ED 2500 Human Development or an approved course, with a grade of “C” or better
• Achievement of a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or better
• Achievement of passing scores on the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) - Basic Skills Section
• Documentation of thirty clock hours of experience with person(s) with a disability and a current T.B. test.
• Completion of a formal application for admission to Special Education by  January 15.  Admission applications will be processed once a year. 

Teacher Testing
Public Act 282 (1992) amends Section 1531 of Public Act 451 (1976), as amended by Public Act 267 (1986), mandates the implementation of a teacher certification testing program in Michigan effective July 1, 1992. Under the provisions of this act, all candidates for teacher certification in Michigan must pass a basic skills (reading, writing, math) test. Candidates for a secondary level teaching certificate must pass the appropriate available major/minor subject area examination for each subject area in which they are to be certified. Candidates for an elementary level teaching certificate must pass the elementary certification examination, and the appropriate available subject area examination for each subject area, if any, for which they apply to be certified. The basic skills examination must be passed prior to enrollment in intern teaching. The elementary examination and the subject area examinations must be passed before a person is recommended for certification.

This act requires the passing of appropriate and available test(s) prior to the addition of new subjects or grade-levels.

Information regarding required teacher testing and test booklets may be obtained from the Office of Admissions and Advising, 2504 Sangren Hall. 

Appeals
A student aggrieved by an action taken within the College of Education has the right to appeal such action by filing an appeal form in the Office of Admission and Advising within twenty-one (21) days of the aggrieved action. Appeals may be reviewed by the Academic and Professional Standards Committee.  Information about the appeal procedure is available in the Office of Admission and Advising. 

Office of Teacher Certification

Jane Kramer, Certification Officer
Pamela Miller, Certification Assistant
2104 Sangren Hall
(269) 387-3473
www.wmich.edu/coe/tc

The Office of Teacher Certification processes all recommendations for certification and advises students seeking additional teaching endorsements. Further information about available certifications can be found under Types of Michigan Certificates elsewhere in this catalog.

Certificates

Michigan Teaching Certificates, Validity Level
There are two basic levels of Michigan teaching certificates currently available:

1. Elementary certificates issued after September 1, 1988 have the following validity: Kindergarten through fifth grade all subjects; kindergarten through eighth grade all subjects in a self-contained classroom; and sixth to, and including, eighth grade in the teachable major(s) and/or minor(s) for which a subject area test has been passed.
2. Secondary certificates issued after September 1, 1988 have the following validity: Seventh through twelfth grade in teachable major(s) and minor(s).

Types of Michigan Certificates
There are four basic types of Michigan regular and vocational certificates currently available: the required initial certificate, called the Provisional;  the  Professional certificate, which may eventually be obtained when the holder of a Provisional certificate meets requirements as outlined in the “Professional Certificate” section below; the Interim Occupational  certificate; and the Occupational Education certificate.

Provisional Certificate
A Provisional certificate is issued by the Michigan Department of Education upon satisfactory completion of an approved program, including a bachelor’s degree, offered by a teacher preparation institution and payment of a $125.00 certificate fee. An overall grade point average of 2.5 is required at Western Michigan University for a Provisional certificate. Effective September 1, 1991, the Michigan Board of Education issues a teaching certificate to a person only after that person passes both a basic skills examination and an appropriate subject area examination for each subject in which certification is granted. Effective July 1, 2004, candidates for initial teacher certification must also present evidence that they have successfully completed an approved course in first aid and adult and child cardiopulmonary resuscitation and hold valid certification from the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association.

Professional Certificate
The requirements for the Professional certificate are:

1. Experience.  The candidate must have taught successfully for the equivalent of three years following the issuance of and within the grade level and subject area validity of the Provisional certificate.

   The success of the teaching experience is determined by the State Board of Education upon recommendation of the University and of the local school district(s) in which the candidate taught.  

   Experience can be accumulated through part-time (including substitute teaching under the following pro-rating formula: one half or more of a teaching day (2-1/2 or more clock hours) is the equivalent of one day, and 150 accumulated days is the equivalent of one year. There is no requirement that such experience be under contract, in consecutive years, be completed in Michigan, nor be completed before expiration of the Provisional certificate. All experience stays forever cumulative toward the Professional certificate.

2. Planned Program.  The candidate must earn eighteen semester hours  after  the issuance of the Provisional certificate in a course of study established and/or approved as a “planned program” by an approved teacher education institution. A person with an approved master’s or higher degree (regardless of when earned) is not required to complete the eighteen semester hour program.  

   A “planned program” is a master’s degree program, an additional subject endorsement (a major or minor program), an additional grade level program, or an eighteen hour professional development program signed by the Certification Officer.  

   Beginning September 1, 1993, Public Act 182 of 1992 was implemented. This act requires subject area testing prior to adding additional subject or grade-level endorsement(s).  

   WMU students who wish to be recommended for the Professional certificate by WMU must earn at least twelve semester hours of the eighteen semester hour program from WMU.  

   Credits may not be earned by correspondence, from a two-year college, or from a non-accredited institution. The candidate must earn a grade equivalent to a “C” or better in all courses.  

   All candidates for the Michigan Professional certificate must present a minimum of six semester hours of reading methodology credit for the elementary level certificate or three semester hours of reading methodology credit for the secondary level certificate. Such credit may have been completed at any stage of the candidate’s college level preparation; it has been an integral part of teacher preparation programs at Michigan colleges and universities since July 1, 1983.

Occupational Education Certificate
Individuals holding a Provisional certificate with a vocational education endorsement are required to complete ten semester hours of relevant vocational education credit within the eighteen semester hour planned program in order to earn an Occupational Education certificate.

Certification Application Procedures
The Professional and the Occupational Education certificate and the Provisional Renewal will be recommended by the approved Michigan teacher education institution which “planned” or approved the eighteen semester hour program of additional credit. The candidate applies directly to such Michigan college or university regardless of what other college or university may have recommended the initial Provisional certificate. Public Act 339 of 1988 requires the collection of certification fees by the Michigan Department of Education “as a condition of having the application evaluated for conformance with the application requirements.” After payment is made, the certificate will be issued by the Michigan Department of Education.

Applications are available from the Certification Office, College of Education, Sangren Hall, 269-387-3473 or on our website at www.wmich.edu/coe/tc

Certification And Criminal Convictions
The Michigan State Board of Education has authority under Part 10 Administrative Hearings of the  Administrative Rules Governing the Certification of Michigan Teachers  to deny, suspend, or revoke a teaching certificate (R 390.1201). Rule 101 states: “The State Board may refuse to grant or renew, or may revoke or suspend for a fixed term, or may impose reasonable conditions on, a teaching certificate pursuant to these rules for the following reasons:

1. Fraud, material misrepresentation, or concealment in the application for a certificate.
2. Failure or ineligibility of the applicant or certificate holder to meet the criteria for eligibility for the certificate.
3. Conviction, as an adult, of an act of immoral conduct contributing to the delinquency of a child, or of a felony involving moral turpitude.

Students are asked to provide information indicating whether they have been convicted as an adult of felonies or misdemeanors involving moral turpitude prior to (1) admission to teacher education programs, (2) field placement, and (3) recommendation for certification. It is the student’s responsibility to report convictions at any time between these application periods.

An applicant who has been convicted as an adult of a felony or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude may be denied admission to teacher education or field placement or recommendation for certification. An applicant will be granted a hearing prior to such a final decision. Such a hearing will be initiated by the College of Education and referred to the College of Education Academic and Professional Standards Committee for review and recommendation.

Completion of our program does not guarantee final certification by the Michigan Department of Education. That decision rests with the Michigan Department of Education.

Validity Span of Michigan Certificates
All initial Michigan Provisional certificates, Provisional Renewal certificates, Professional Education certificates, Occupational Education certificates, and Interim Occupational certificates expire on June 30 of the appropriate year, determined by the month and year of issuance. The initial Michigan Provisional certificate and the Interim Occupational certificate are valid for 5-1/4 to 6-1/4 years, depending on the month of issuance. A Provisional Renewal is valid for 2-1/2 to 3 years depending on the month of issuance.

Continuing certificates (issued prior to July 1, 1992-predating the present Professional certificate); Permanent certificates (issued prior to July 1, 1976 - predating the Continuing certificate); and Full Vocational Authorizations (issued prior to July 1, 1992 - predating the Occupational Education certificate), have identical validity spans and identical reinstatement requirements. They automatically remain valid as long as the holder serves in an “educational capacity” (any full- or part-time education employment at any level) for a minimum of 100 days (need not be consecutive days) in any given five-year period. (The “given five-year period” is determined by looking backward - NOT forward - from any current date to the equivalent date five years earlier.)

Certification Renewal Requirements 
Provisional Certificate:  When the Provisional certificate expires before the holder is able to fulfill all requirements for the subsequent certificate, such holder can,  at any future time(s),  qualify in the following manner for a renewal of the Provisional certificate: The first three-year renewal is available any time after actual completion of the first ten semester hours of the eighteen semester hour “planned program.” After expiration of the first three-year renewal, if the holder has not completed the teaching experience requirement or the reading methods course requirement for the  Professional  certificate, a second three-year renewal is available any time after actual completion of the entire eighteen semester hour “planned program.”

Professional Education and Occupational Education:  Beginning July 1, 1992, persons receiving a Professional Education certificate or an Occupational Education certificate will be subject to the provisions of Rule 390.1135. The certificate(s) will be renewed every five years on the basis of six (6) semester hours of appropriate academic credit from a two- or four-year Michigan approved institution, or the equivalent in State Board approved professional development programs that will award credits obtained as Continuing Education Units (SB-CEU’s). Three SB-CEU’s are equivalent to one semester hour of credit. This renewal process is completed directly with the Michigan Department of Education. Applications are available from the Michigan Department of Education.

Office of Field Placements

Kathy Mitchell, Coordinator
2206 Sangren Hall
387-3466|
www.wmich.edu/coe/intern

The Office of Field Placements is responsible for the coordination and oversight of all field experiences, including intern teaching associated with teacher education curricula.

Intern Teaching
The following criteria must be met prior to undertaking intern teaching:

1. Completion of all required course work.
2. A cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or above.
3. An overall grade point average of 2.5 in the professional education sequence and no grade lower than a “C” in any professional education course.
4. Recommendation from major and minor departments.
5. Completion of methods course(s) in major and/or minor with a minimum grade of “C”.
6. Passing scores on the Michigan Basic Skills Test.

Students must contact the Office of Field Placements at least one year prior to the semester in which they plan to complete their intern teaching requirements. The deadline for submitting intern teaching applications for the Fall Semester is October 1 of the preceding fall. The deadline for submitting intern teaching applications for the Spring Semester is April 1 of the preceding Spring. Students may not select their placements for intern teaching. Placements are made by the Office of Field Placements based on programmatic needs and are usually within a 50 mile radius from the main campus and/or in designated partnership schools. Students may not enroll in other course work during intern teaching.

Please note:  To be recommended for teacher certification, students must achieve at least a grade of “C” in ED 4100 Seminar in Education and “credit” in Intern Teaching, in addition to having met all other requirements for graduation.

Health and Liability Insurance
Students engaged in field experiences or intern teaching must give evidence of having health insurance at the time of course enrollment. Liability insurance coverage will be provided by the University through a fee assessed at the time of enrollment in courses requiring field experiences.

Dorothy J. Mcginnis Reading Center and Clinic

3514 Sangren Hall
(616) 387-3470

The primary purpose of the Dorothy J. McGinnis Reading Center and Clinic is to provide clinical experiences in literacy (reading and writing) assessment and instruction for students enrolled at Western Michigan University who are preparing to work with children and adults in literacy instruction. All activities and experiences designed by clinic instructors and students provide literacy assessment, diagnosis, and tutoring in one-on-one or small class clinical settings. Additional services of the Reading Center offer consultative literacy workshops and seminars for teachers and schools in southwestern Michigan. The Reading Center also houses a library serving educators in the community with a large collection of children’s and young adults’ literature for use in all contents categorized on database. Furthermore, the clinic provides students in education an opportunity to observe and participate in the administration of educational and clinical assessments, and the procedures employed in interviewing children, parents as well as procedures in interviewing children, parents, and school personnel. See Department of Teaching, Learning, and Leadership course listings for reading courses offered.

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