TEP Admission Requirements
Students seeking teacher certification must apply for and be admitted to the Teacher Education Program (TEP). Additionally, to enroll in the clinical practice and meet state certification requirements, students must maintain a GPA of 2.75 overall (in all course work), as well as in professional education courses, with no grade lower than a "C" in professional education courses.
Courses marked with an asterisk (*) require admission to the Teacher Education Program.
Program Requirements
- Admission to MSU with an assigned academic advisor.
- Pursuance of program completion leading to teacher certification.
- Completion of at least 30 credit hours.
- Minimum GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale; or a GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale on the last thirty (30) credit hours. All college courses attempted must be a part of the applicant's MSU transcript. Transcripts must reflect all transfer coursework completed to date. All transfer courses, as well as MSU credit, are used in calculating the GPA.
- Completion of the following five core courses with grades of “C” or better:
- ENG 100 – Writing I
- Mathematics General Education Requirement, as required by program
- COMS 108 – Fundamentals of Speech Communication
- EDF 207 – Foundations of Education (CTE and Agriculture Teaching candidates may substitute CTE 207) or UTCH 100 (MSUTeach programs)
- EDF 211 – Human Growth and Development (IECE candidates may substitute EDEC 253) or UTCH 150 (MSUTeach programs)
Testing Requirements
TEP candidates must obtain the following scores on the ACT exam:
- Composite score of 22 or the corresponding minimum scores: Reading (20), English (18), and Mathematics (19),
OR, the following scores on the Praxis I Core Skills for Educators exam:
- Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Combined 5752 Computer OR
- Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Mathematics 5733 Computer (Minimum score 150) and
- Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Reading 5713 Computer (Minimum score 156) and
- Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators: Writing 5723 Computer (Minimum score 162)
An applicant may use a combination of ACT and Praxis I minimum scores to meet testing requirements. If an applicant is within five points of one or more of the corresponding minimum scores of the Praxis I assessments, the candidate may be admitted if the candidate has a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. For information about the Praxis exams and to register for the test, please visit the Praxis website at https://praxis.ets.org/.
Program Competencies
- An understanding of the varied nature of exceptional children, and of the range of special programs and resources available in the public school and the community.
- Knowledge and skills in the development of alternative individualized curricula and in the effective teaching of academic skills, including oral and written language and the content areas.
- An understanding of the principles and techniques of behavior management, and the ability to implement those techniques in the public school classroom.
- An ability to measure the effectiveness of ongoing special education programs, and to critically evaluate the utility of published materials.
- An understanding of the roles and responsibilities of special education teachers in various education program settings, including due process for the identification, placement and continuing evaluation of students in special instructional programs.
- Knowledge of the curriculum in various areas of child development at the preschool level, together with an understanding of the characteristics of disabled preschool children and the program modifications that they require.
- An understanding of career education as an integral part of the P-12 curriculum including knowledge of teaching methods, materials, and outside agencies typically involved in vocational training and independent living.
- An understanding of fundamental principles of education assessment and the ability to administer a wide range of formal and informal, academic, communication, and behavioral assessment instruments.
- The ability to interpret formal and informal assessment data in the process of forming conclusions about student needs, implementing and evaluating individualized education programs, and designing appropriate curricula for children with learning, behavioral or developmental needs.
- An understanding of KERA and the full inclusion of special education students with nondisabled students in regular classrooms.
- Demonstrate appropriate uses of technology to support classroom instruction.
- Demonstrate the capacity to provide leadership within the school, the community, and the profession.
Assessment
- GPA of 2.75
- Core Academic Skills for Educators (CASE) Testing Series and/or ACT for TEP admission
- Completion of required field experience hours
- PRAXIS II Exams for certification
Program Requirements
General Education
Area Requirements
P-5 and LBD Area Requirements
| EDF 207 | Foundations of Education | 3 |
| EDF 211 | Human Growth and Development | 3 |
| EDEE 305 | Learning Theories and Practices in Early Elementary | 3 |
| EDSP 230 | Education of Exceptional Children | 3 |
| EDEE 327 | Literature and Materials for Young Readers | 3 |
| EDSP 350 | Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities | 3 |
| EDSP 353 | Language Arts Teaching LBD* | 3 |
| EDSP 355 | Teaching Students with LBD* | 3 |
| EDSP 356 | Applied Behavior Analysis | 3 |
| EDSP 357 | Math and Content Teaching LBD* | 3 |
| EDSP 359 | Practicum in Teaching for Students with LBD* | 1 |
| EDSP 360 | Characteristics of Individuals with Learning Disabilities and Behavior Disorders | 3 |
| EDSP 365 | Including Students with Diverse Needs in the Classroom* | 3 |
| EDSP 372 | Transition to Adult Life | 3 |
| EDEE 423 | Supervised Student Teaching Practicum* | 6 |
| EDSP 435 | Supervised Teaching Practicum* | 6 |
| EDEM 499C | Seminar in Effective Teaching* | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 55 |
EDSP 365 (taken with either Elementary II or Elementary III)
Elementary I: courses to be taken concurrently
| EDEL 302 | Integrating Technology into the Classroom | 3 |
| EDEM 330 | Foundations of Reading | 3 |
| EDSP 367 | Educational Assessment | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 9 |
Elementary II: courses to be taken concurrently
| EDEE 321 | Teaching Math in Early Elementary Grades* | 3 |
| SCI 490 | Science for the Elementary Teacher* | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 6 |
Elementary III: courses to be taken concurrently
| EDEE 322 | Teaching Social Studies in Early Elementary Grades* | 3 |
| EDEE 323 | Language Arts for Early Elementary* | 3 |
| EDEE 331 | Reading for Early Elementary Teachers* | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 9 |
Additional Requirements
| BIOL 110 | Inquiry Biology for Teachers | 3 |
| ESS 112 | Inquiry Earth Systems Science for Teachers | 3 |
| MATH 231 | Mathematics for the Elementary Teacher I | 3 |
| MATH 232 | Mathematics for the Elementary Teacher II | 3 |
| PSY 154 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| SCI 111 | Inquiry Physical Science for Teachers | 3 |
| | | |
| HST 261 | American History since 1865 | 3 |
| | or | |
| HST 271 | World History Since 1500 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 21 |