College of Education

The specific objectives of the College of Education (COE) are to coordinate the teacher education programs of the University; to prepare teachers, librarians, counselors, and school leaders for the education profession; to provide professional development opportunities and programs for educators who are already in service; and to actively partner with school districts to improve student achievement at all levels.

Laboratory Schools

The Homer Pittard Campus School is a public school, comprising grades K through 5, which is staffed and operated by Rutherford County Schools. The Campus School is a laboratory unit that serves the professional education programs in teacher education. University students are provided varied, field-based practicum opportunities which merge theory and practice through observations and participation in teaching and learning activities.

The Ann Campbell Early Learning Center is an inclusive early childhood education program that offers full-day early care and education to children ages 12 months to kindergarten and provides play-based learning experiences in an engaging environment throughout the year for children with and without developmental delays. The program offers field-based opportunities for observation and hands-on classroom experience for pre-service undergraduate and graduate students. Students learn how to support the development of all young children by assessing learning and planning and implementing developmentally appropriate learning opportunities. The Tennessee Department of Human Services monitors the program for compliance with their child care rules and regulations.

The Child Development Center (CDC) provides part-time care and play-based early learning experiences during the academic year for children ages one year to five years. The center also serves as a teaching laboratory for students enrolled in child development, early childhood education, and other related University programs. Approximately 35 students enroll in the practicum course each semester in their junior year and support the classroom lead teacher through hands-on experiences as the assistant to all classroom activities. The Tennessee Department of Human Services monitors this program for compliance with child care rules and regulations. The program holds one of the highest standards for quality through its accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Accreditation

The College of Education is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The college holds membership in the Tennessee Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. The Professional Counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). The Master of Library Science (M.L.S.) program has been granted pre-candidacy status by the Committee on Accreditation of the American Library Association.

Admission to Teacher Education

Students who wish to prepare themselves for careers as teachers must make formal application for admission to the teacher education program. Applications should be submitted during the second semester of the sophomore year. Students who transfer to Middle Tennessee State University after the completion of their sophomore years, or with more than 45 semester hours of credit, should make application during their first semester of residence at MTSU. Admission to teacher education is a prerequisite to enrollment in most upper-division education courses.

To be formally admitted to the teacher education program, candidates must

1. complete the admission application;
2. have required scores on the ACT, SAT, or the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Tests as set by the Tennessee State Board of Education and MTSU;
3. complete at least 45 semester hours;
4. Complete EESE 2010  and EESE 2011  (or approved substitutions) with a grade of B- or better. Application to Teacher Education may be submitted while a student is enrolled in EESE 2010  or EESE 2011 , but admission procedures will not be final until the final grades are posted. NOTE: This requirement does not apply to secondary education minors.
5. have an overall grade point average of 2.75; (Grades earned in basic, learning support, and university studies courses are not used in computation of the required average.)
6. have disciplinary clearance from the MTSU Office of Student Conduct;
7. complete a background/fingerprinting check.

Application forms and appeals process information for Admission to Teacher Education are located at www.mtsu.edu/education/admission.php.

Teacher Education Retention and Progression Policy for Initial Teacher Licensure 

Developing professional dispositions is a critical element to preparing students to work in education or community agencies. The College of Education expects students to progressively grow and develop in their professional dispositions as they matriculate through their coursework and field experiences embedded within our programs. Students should reach a level of performance acceptable for a beginning professional if enrolled in an initial preparation program or exhibit advanced professional dispositions if enrolled in a graduate program designed to train individuals for specific roles and responsibilities (e.g., leadership, teacher at an advanced level, counselor).

If a student exhibits dispositional challenges within a course and/or field experience, faculty should immediately address the challenge by providing support and guidance to the student through conversation, a support plan, or other appropriate approach. If the dispositional challenge does not improve during the semester, the faculty member should note the issue at the end of the semester using the COE dispositional tool.

In order to ensure the success of students enrolled in our initial teacher licensure preparation programs and implement supports when needed, program faculty will review disposition ratings and performance in coursework for all teacher candidates at the conclusion of the first semester after being admitted to teacher education, at the end of the semester prior to Residency I, and again at the end of the semester prior to Residency II. For initial licensure programs that do not include Residency I and/or Residency II, after admission to teacher education, disposition ratings and performance in coursework will be monitored every other semester until completion of coursework.

As a result of this review:

If a student receives unsatisfactory on one or more disposition indicators on the adopted COE dispositional tool as rated by one or more faculty: 

• At least two program faculty (one each from COE and Content Area if secondary) and/or COE advisor will meet with the student to discuss the rating and develop a Support Plan for improving in skills related to the indicator(s). The support plan will include specific goal(s), targeted activities to complete to support with achieving the goal, and timelines for achievement.
• A follow up meeting will occur at the conclusion of the following full-term semester to review current disposition ratings and discuss the progress on the support plan. Candidates identified at the end of the semester prior to Residency I or at the end of the semester prior to Residency II also will have a mid-semester check-in to ensure adequate progress is being made.

If a student has a GPA of less than a 2.75: 

• At least two program faculty (one each from COE and Content Area if secondary) and/or advisor will meet with the student to discuss the student’s progress in the program and develop a support plan for improving. The support plan will include specific goal(s), targeted activities to complete to support with achieving the goal, and timelines for achievement. 
• A follow up meeting will occur at the conclusion of the following full-term semester to review GPA and progress in courses and discuss the progress on the support plan. Candidates identified at the end of the semester prior to Residency I will also have a mid-semester check-in to ensure adequate progress is being made.

For secondary minors, if a student earns less than a B in one of the YOED courses: 

• At least two program faculty (one each from COE and Content Area if secondary) will meet with the student to discuss the student’s progress in the program and develop a support plan for improving. The support plan will include specific goal(s), targeted activities to complete to support with achieving the goal, and timelines for achievement. 
• A follow up meeting will occur at the conclusion of the following full-term semester to review GPA and progress in courses and discuss the progress on the support plan. Candidates identified at the end of the semester prior to Residency I will also have a mid-semester check-in to ensure adequate progress is being made.

If progress is not met in the area(s) identified after one full semester (fall or spring), the support plan will be modified to provide additional supports or activities for another semester if possible (based on amount of time the student has remaining in the program).   

Total time period for a support plan will be no longer than one academic year (fall, spring, summer). 

If after no more than one academic year of enrollment (or equivalent; including fall, spring, summer), progress is still not achieved with the disposition or course progression; OR  

If at any point during the program, a faculty member or the director of the Office of Educator Preparation and Licensure (OEPL) identifies a professionalism or ethical issue that places PK-12 students at risk, program faculty will meet with the student within two days of identifying the issue to discuss the unethical or unprofessional issue. Then, the following actions will be taken:

1. The course instructor or program faculty will notify the department chair of the issue.
2. The department chair will collect all documentation about the issue from all parties (e.g., student, instructor, mentor teacher) and submit the documentation within two weeks from the incident or the end of the semester.
3. The COE Student Support Committee (newly formed committee that includes associate dean, OEPL director, two tenure-track/tenured faculty from each department*) will review the documentation of the issue from all parties (e.g., student, instructor, mentor teacher) and hold separate meetings with the student and program faculty and will forward a recommendation for dismissal/non-dismissal to the chair with an explanation of the reasons for the decision.  
4. The student will be notified in writing by the COE Support Committee chair of the decision.   

*If there is a conflict of interest with a member of the COE Student Support Committee and the student, the committee member will not participate in the review. A substitute member will be identified.

*NOTE: If a student has specific issues with a faculty member, the chair of the department for the faculty member is available to discuss concerns. The chair offices are located in COE 314.

Post-baccalaureate Teacher Program

The post-baccalaureate teacher education program is designed for individuals who have completed baccalaureate degrees but who did not complete teacher preparation programs leading to a teaching license. The College of Education requires candidates to address any course and program deficiencies in their undergraduate education to ensure the attainment of the knowledge and skills required in general education, professional education, and the major for the teaching field. Additional coursework and program requirements will be determined by the appropriate academic department faculty. Transcript analysis forms for the post-baccalaureate program are available at www.mtsu.edu/education/licensure.php.

Post-baccalaureate students must also make formal application for admission to the teacher education program. Admission to teacher education is a prerequisite to enrollment in most upper-division education courses.

Residency Year

Residency Year is the culminating experience of the professional education program in which teacher candidates undertake two consecutive semesters of an increasing amount of time in school settings, Residency I followed by Residency II. During Residency I, teacher candidates will be in schools for approximately two full days per week while taking additional coursework/seminars on the other days. Residency II is a full-time, entire semester experience. Candidates will be in school settings all day, five days a week.

Admission to Residency I and II is based upon successful completion of a formal application by the candidate and requirements established by individual programs. Applications must be submitted at the beginning of the semester prior to beginning Residency I and II. Candidates should confirm deadlines with the Office of Educator Preparation and Licensure. To enroll in Residency II, candidates must

1. complete the admission application;
2. have an overall grade point average of 2.75 (grades earned in learning support or university studies courses are not used in computation of the required average).
3. complete all education courses and appropriate methods courses with the minimum grade established by the candidate’s program;
4. be classified as a senior, graduate student, or post-baccalaureate student;
5. be favorably evaluated in the required field and clinical experiences (course grades alone may not be used to meet this requirement);
6. submit a negative tuberculin test.

Licensure of Teachers

Completion of an approved program and recommendation by the University are required for a Tennessee Practitioner License. Information on the licensure application will be provided for teacher candidates during Residency II. Information is also available at www.mtsu.edu/education/licensure.php. Please note that licensure requirements are subject to change based upon state policy changes.

All assessment scores required for licensure must be submitted to the Tennessee Department of Education. All applicants for a teacher’s license shall furnish teacher licensing analysts with all required licensure assessment scores. When students make application to take licensure assessments, they should indicate on the application form that their test scores be sent to MTSU Code R1466 and the Tennessee Department of Education Code R8190.

To be recommended for a license, students who have majors in Elementary Education, Middle Level Education 6-8, Early Childhood Education, Special Education, and/or Secondary Education must have at least a 2.75 overall grade point average. Grades earned in learning support or university studies courses are not used in computing the average required.

Early Childhood Education: Integrated Early Childhood Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 3

Requirements for the major in Early Childhood Education must be completed. Consult Department of Elementary and Special Education  for requirements.

Elementary Endorsement, Grades K-5

Requirements for the major in Elementary Education must be completed. Consult the Department of Elementary and Special Education  for requirements.

Middle Level Endorsement, Grades 6-8

Requirements for the major in Middle Level Education must be completed. Consult the Department of Elementary and Special Education  for requirements.

Special Education Endorsement, Comprehensive, Grades K-12, Interventionist Endorsement, K-8, 6-12

Requirements for the major in Special Education must be completed. Consult the Department of Elementary and Special Education  for requirements.

Teacher Education Programs

Following is a list of the teacher education programs leading to initial licensure in secondary education. Since licensure programs change from time to time, access the most current list of licensure areas at www.tn.gov/education/licensing.html.