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Elementary Education FAQ
The following is a list of the most
frequently asked questions of the Education Department. It is intended
primarily as a guide for undergraduate students in the College of Arts and
Sciences who are interested in being certified as elementary school teachers.
An Explanation of Elementary Certification
Applying to the Elementary Education Program
Elementary Education Program Specifics
Information on Elementary Teaching in Another State
Elementary Certification After Graduation
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT ELEMENTARY
EDUCATION
AN EXPLANATION OF ELEMENTARY
CERTIFICATION
- ?
- Elementary, secondary,
and K-12 are the three levels of teacher certification available at the
University of Michigan-Flint. The Michigan Elementary Provisional
Certificate is valid for six years from the year of issuance and
qualifies you to teach all subjects in kindergarten through fifth grades
(K-5) and in teaching major(s) and/or minor(s) in grades 6-8. The
certificate will also allow you to teach all subjects in grades K-8 when
those subjects are taught in a self-contained classroom in which the
majority of the instruction is provided by you.
- ?
- In elementary education,
there are two options from which you may choose to determine your
requirements for major(s) and/or minor(s). Option I consists of a minimum of
one major and one minor and Option II requires the completion of at least
three minors. In general, a major requires the completion of 36 credits in
one of the four groups: fine arts, integrated science, language arts, or
social studies. The completion of 30 credits is required for a major in
mathematics. A minor requires 24 credits in one of the four groups:
fine arts, integrated science, language arts, or social studies. Minors in
foreign language or mathematics require the completion of 20 credits.
-
- 1. Basic Skills Test.
All candidates for teacher certification in Michigan must pass a test in
basic skills (reading, writing, and mathematics). Candidates MUST
pass the MTTC Basic skills examination BEFORE admission into the
Education Department will be granted.
- 2. Elementary
Education Test. This is the ONE test ALL elementary
education students MUST pass in order to be certified to teach all
subjects in grades K-5 and K-8 in self-contained classrooms.
- 3. Subject-Area Test.
The required subject-area test is the test that corresponds to your major
and minor field(s) of study in the education program and in which you are
planning to seek certification in the state of Michigan. A candidate
planning to seek certification in more than one field of study must take the
subject-area test for EACH field. Passing the subject-area test(s)
allows you to be certified to teach those subject(s) in grades 6-8.
Students are encouraged to take the subject-area tests but are not required
to do so if they do not wish to receive certification to teach their subject
areas in grades 6-8.
- ?
- 1. There is no study
guide for the Basic Skills test. Therefore, it is suggested that you
study the test objectives as listed in the MTTC Registration Bulletin. As is
stated in the bulletin, the most appropriate resources for studying may well
be basic textbooks. You may also wish to consult your class notes, state
core curriculum guidelines, and publications from local, state, and national
professional organizations.
- 2. Study guides for
the Elementary Education test and the major/minor subject-area
testsare on reserve at the
reference desk in the Frances Willson Thompson Library. They may also be
ordered online at
or
through , or using the order form in the
Michigan Test for Teacher Certification Registration Bulletin. In addition,
you may wish to consult the Michigan Curriculum Framework and Content
Standards (accessible at
for assistance in understanding the content covered by the test(s).
APPLYING TO THE ELEMENTARY
EDUCATION PROGRAM
top
- education program?
- You must complete a
written application and be admitted formally to a teacher certificate
program. The application deadline is January 15 for admission the following
fall semester. September 15 is the application deadline for admission the
following winter semester. Applications are available in the Education
Department. A student must be admitted to a teacher certificate program
before registering for EDE 300, EDE/EDS 302, and EDE 360 and for any course that has one
of these courses as a pre or co-requisite.
- Education Program?
- Currently, anyone who
meets all admission requirements is admitted. However, admission may
be selective. Enrollment decisions will be based upon student qualifications
as well as faculty and program resources.
- admission requirements?
- In general, applicants
are admitted twice per year, in the fall and winter semesters, and
students must meet the following requirements at the time of application.
- Admitted to the
University of Michigan-Flint
- Completion of at least
55 semester hours if course work
- Completion of PSY 100 and MTH 115 each with a grade of
C or better and SCI 125 or 126 with a passing grade.
- A 2.75 overall
G.P.A.
- A 2.75 G.P.A. in
each major and minor subject area, with at least 18 hours
completed in the major and 12 hours completed in the minor
- A passing score on the
(This test is administered four times each
year at different test sites throughout the state of Michigan for a
current fee of $49.00. Registration bulletins are available in the
Education Department. Students should request that the test results be
sent to the University of Michigan-Flint.)
-
- Submit the following
materials:
- An application
(available in the Education Department in early September and early
January)
- One transcript from
each institution you have attended
A student
autobiography
- A copy of your MTTC Basic Skills test
results
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION PROGRAM SPECIFICS
- education?
- Elementary education
students are advised in the Academic Advising Center, 285 PAV, (810)
762-3085, until they are admitted to the teacher certification program. Upon
admission, the Coordinator of Academic Advising in Education, ,
will have an initial advising consultation with each student. Students will
then be assigned to a faculty advisor who specializes in
the their teaching major. Pre-education students are welcome to seek
advising through the Education Department except at peak advising times.
Students with a bachelor's degree are advised by Student Services personnel
in the Education Department.
- courses I may take before I am admitted
to the teacher certification program?
- There are a few
education courses open, on a space-available basis, to students who have not
been admitted to the Education Department. You should talk to your advisor
concerning the course prerequisites and the recommended education course
sequences.
-
education students?
- EDE 360, Education Field
Experience/Seminar, is the initial field placement in an elementary or
secondary school. It is accompanied by a seminar. Students must commit to at
least six hours of fieldwork per week that conform to public school
schedules. Your EDE 360 instructor will make
the placement and notify you--please do not contact the Education
Department! EDE 360 is a pre- or co-requisite for most other education
courses.
-
Explain the elementary field experience
placement policy.
- The early field
experience (EDE 360) will be in a critical need school district. A critical
need school district may have one or more of the following characteristics:
an urban setting, multicultural population, high level of poverty, low
standardized test scores and inadequate funding sources. Student teaching
may or may not occur in a critical need district. Although every effort will
be made to place students in their student teaching experience (EDE 469)
within a half- hour radius of their home, circumstances may necessitate
students being placed outside the half- hour target area, including in
critical need districts. Both of the major field experiences in the MAC
program (EDU 595, 596) will be in critical need districts, and placements
are not required to be within a half-hour radius of a student’s home.
-
- Student teaching is the
capstone field experience to your professional preparation in the Education
Department. Student teaching is a full-time teaching internship in an
elementary classroom for 14 weeks under the joint supervision of a
University Supervisor and a Cooperating Teacher. During your student
teaching semester, you will also enroll in a seminar, EDE 499, in which
issues relevant to your teaching and career will be discussed.
- Education Program?
- Students should complete
their student teaching in the fall or winter semester of their last year.
All prerequisites must be met to be eligible. Refer to the on-line
for
further details. Student teaching and the seminar are taken for a total of
12 credits and may NOT be done in the spring or summer semester.
- apply to student teach?
- The application period
for students planning to student teach in the following fall semester is in
early January. The application period for students planning to student teach
in the following winter semester is in late April-early May. Applications
are completed on-line via the
. Reminders are sent to students through their
UM-F student email accounts.
INFORMATION ON ELEMENTARY TEACHING
IN ANOTHER STATE
-
in another state with a Michigan
certificate?
- A certificate is valid
only in the state for which it is issued. If you are interested in teaching
in another state, you should contact the teacher certification office in
that state. Addresses of state offices are available in the Education
Department, 430 French Hall.
ELEMENTARY CERTIFICATION AFTER GRADUATION
- education after I graduate from the
University of Michigan-Flint?
- Yes. A student who has
completed a bachelor's degree at the University of Michigan-Flint or any
approved institution may meet state requirements for teacher certification
without earning a second degree. Highly-motivated students who can attend
school full time should consider applying to the
. Students with bachelor's degrees should contact the
Education Department for information concerning a coursework evaluation.
- ?
- If you already have a
bachelor's degree and wish to become certified to teach, you may request an
evaluation of the coursework you have completed. Such an evaluation will
tell you what additional courses will be required in order to meet state
elementary certification requirements. In addition to the professional
education courses, prospective elementary teachers must also complete
coursework in one teaching major and one minor or in three minors to be
eligible for certification. This coursework must conform to the UM-Flint
major/minor programs approved by the Michigan Department of Education.
Coursework evaluations are performed by Student Services personnel in the
Education Department and may take up to four weeks to complete. Call or
visit the Education Department for details.
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