Master of Education in Elementary Education

1
Master of Educationin Elementary Education

• Information Session

2
Agenda

• Presentation about the M.Ed. in Elementary
  Education
• Discussion of the routes to initial elementary
  teacher certification (Instructional I)
• Overview of program and student handbook
• Explanation of the application, admission and
  financial aid IUP School of Graduate Studies and
  Research staff member, Ms. Paula Sandusky

3
What Is a Cohort?

• A cohort is a group of graduate students that has
  the same start date and progresses through the
  entire sequence of required courses together.
• All of the students in your group will have
  similar career goals.
• Availability of courses is assured and you can
  plan well in advance.

4
Elementary Teacher Certification

• Currently certifies you to teach kindergarten
  through 6th grade studentsthe state is proposing
  a change to PreK-4th.
• Instructional I is the initial certificate, what
  use to be called temporary.
• Instructional II is the certificate for
  practicing teachers, what use to be called
  permanent.

5
Did you graduate in a field other than education?

• Then you are seeking an Instructional I in
  elementary education.
• Program consists of one year of part-time study
  (6 credits in fall, spring and summer) and one
  year of full-time study and intern teaching (9
  credits fall, 9 credits spring).
• In addition to these cohort courses, students
  must complete GSR 615 Elements of Research
  (register early for the online course), and 6
  credits of electives (you may use these electives
  to fulfill the PDE requirements for mathematics
  and English).

6
Routes to Elementary Teacher Certification

• Why Pursue Certification at the Graduate Level
  at IUP?

7
Teacher Certification in PA

• No institution awards the teaching certificate.
  Certification of teachers is a function of the
  Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). IUP
  has a longstanding reputation for high standards
  in teacher preparation with PDE.

8

• IUP recommends candidates for certification after
  they have successfully met all criteria,
  including the relevant coursework, passing scores
  on the Praxis II (national teacher exam),
  criminal record clearance, and student teaching.
• Pennsylvanias requirements for certification are
  exceptionally rigorous. As a result, many states
  accept a Pennsylvania teaching certificate as
  equivalent to their own (reciprocity).

9
Comparison of Typical Undergraduate Teacher
Preparation and M.Ed. In Elementary

• Am I starting all over again?

10

• M.Ed. in Elementary
• Approximately 130 credits
• in another field
• 45 graduate credits for
• Instructional I and M.Ed. In
• Elementary Education
• Teach for 3 years however,
• 24 credits for Instructional II
• have been met
• 175 credits
• Eligible for graduate assistant support
• Master of Education degree
• Salary increment in most districts

• Undergraduate
• Approximately 130
• credits in education
• Instructional I Certification
• Teach for 3 years and earn
• 24 credits or equivalent in
• 5 years to earn
• Instructional II
• 154 credits
• No graduate degree
• No salary increment

11
Pennsylvania Teaching Intern

• Upon successful completion of the first semester
  of Year 2, interns apply for the Pennsylvania
  Teaching Intern Certificate. This certificate
  enables you to gain experience teaching without
  another certified teacher present.
• IUP is one of the few institutions that is
  authorized to offer this certificate.

12
Partnerships with School Districts

• IUP has agreements wit Hempfield Area School
  District, Franklin Regional School District, and
  Gateway Schools
• All interns are assigned to these districts and
  schools during Year 2
• Interns follow their school districts calendar
  until they graduate in May
• All interns participate in new teacher induction
  and teacher inservice days..

13
Financial Support

• Highly-qualified graduate students are eligible
  for graduate assistant support. Deadline is March
  15th for the subsequent year.
• Tuition and stipend, tuition only, stipend only,
  and summer assistantships are available.
• Fellowships, scholarships, and loans are
  available to qualified applicants.

14
Application Process

• Apply to IUPs School of Graduate Studies and
  Research (may be done online) and pay the
  application fee
• Grade point average is a cumulative 3.0 or higher
  in undergraduate work
• Official transcripts (from school to school) must
  be sent to IUP for all college-level work
• Obtain two letters of referencepreference is for
  one academic that speaks to your potential as a
  graduate student and one from an
  employer/supervisor
• You must submit FBI Fingerprinting clearance (see
  handbook for details)

15

• Register for the Praxis I (PPST) series in
  Reading, Writing and Mathematics (this can be
  scheduled at IUPs Career Development Center, at
  any Sylvan Learning Center, or at the ETS
  website)
• Your application cannot be processed without
  these scores.
• Follow the guidelines in the handbook for making
  a recorded presentation mail it to the program
  coordinator
• Dr. Mary Jalongo, 122 Davis Hall, IUP, Indiana,
  PA 15705