| The
fifth-year program is being redesigned in order to align with
the intent of the law and better serve the needs of students
and public education in Alabama. |
Currently
the fifth-year elementary and early childhood program includes
junior and senior block courses and two clinical practicums.
These courses are taught during the day. Students must give up
their jobs or teaching if they have already been hired as
teachers for at least two semesters and perhaps three
semesters. |
|
Curriculum
and Teaching: |
|
ED 500
Foundations of Curriculum and Instruction |
3 |
|
ED 502
Critical Issues in Education |
3 |
|
Professional Studies: |
|
EP 500
Advanced Educational Psychology |
3 |
|
Special
Education: |
|
SE 500
Introduction to Exceptional Children* |
3 |
|
Technology: |
|
ED 506 Technology
Based Assessment |
3 |
|
Evaluation
of Teaching and Learning: |
|
ED 504
Techniques of Ed. Research |
3 |
|
Reading: |
|
EE 500
Teaching Reading |
3 |
|
Internship: |
|
ED 509
Internship in Preschool/Grade 12 |
3 |
|
*Students who
have previously completed the Special Education
requirement will take an advisor approved graduate
elective. |
|
|
Teaching Field Courses** |
|
EE 523 Math in
the Elementary School |
3 |
|
EE 525 Science
in the Elementary School |
3 |
|
EE 506
Literacy Through Literature |
3 |
|
CE 512
Planning Program in Early Education |
3 |
|
Additional
Required Courses: |
|
EE 524 Social
S. in the Elementary School |
3 |
|
EE 526 Lang.
Arts in the Elementary School |
3 |
|
EE 300 Effect
Teaching and Learning |
3 |
|
EE 301 Methods
of Teaching Reading |
3 |
|
Deficiencies at the B.S.
Level: |
|
The non-traditional Elementary/Early
Childhood program at the University of West Alabama should be
streamlined in order to become more accessible to
non-traditional students seeking to become teachers. The purpose
of the non-traditional program is to provide qualified
individuals holding baccalaureate degrees the opportunity to
become certified to teach through an expeditious master’s degree
program. The non-traditional program naturally attracts more
mature teacher candidates. These students have already graduated
from four-year institutions in a variety of programs, have had
varied life experiences, including parenting, careers, and
post-secondary training. These individuals have acquired skills
and competencies that are transferable to becoming teachers. As
K-12 student enrollment increases and teacher retirements
escalate, a pressing need for qualified teachers results. The
current trend in these areas indicates a need for approximately
2 million teachers nationwide over the next seven years.
In June of 2002, U. S. Secretary of
Education, Rod Paige, issued a call to action to states to
dramatically revamp their teacher certification systems. In
order to meet the challenge of a highly qualified teacher in
every classroom by the end of the 2005-2006 school year,
Institutions of Higher Learning must make their programs
accessible and rigorous. Preparation programs must be
streamlined so that repetition and light-weight courses are
deleted from the curriculum. As a part of the “No Child Left
Behind Act” passed by Congress in January of 2002, states must
submit state certification and licensure requirements for
completers of traditional and non-traditional teacher
preparation programs to the U.S. Department of Education.
The University of West Alabama has a
history of preparing competent teachers. This institution will
continue to train individuals for the teaching field, but must
adapt its programs to the changing times, changing students, and
changing needs of its service area. The Elementary/Early
Childhood non-traditional program provided by the University of
West Alabama is inaccessible for many non-traditional students.
Currently, the Elementary/Early Childhood program consists of 67
hours. Graduate courses equal 37 hours. The remaining hours are
undergraduate courses that include the junior and senior block
courses. These courses are only taught during the fall and the
spring between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Clinical
experiences are also included in the program. Students must be
in K-6 schools from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays
during their junior and senior blocks. These two semesters of
undergraduate coursework cost elementary fifth-year students an
additional $2,930.
The original intent of the law which
established fifth-year non-traditional programs in Alabama was
to encourage and recruit capable individuals into the teaching
field by making it possible for them to be hired as teachers as
soon as they were admitted into the program. The structure of
UWA’s Elementary /Early Childhood non-traditional program makes
the program prohibitive for many students who may already hold
full-time employment. In comparison, the secondary and physical
education fifth-year programs are designed with total coursework
of 45 hours. The courses are offered at night and during the
summer to accommodate non-traditional, working students. It is
counterproductive for the Elementary /Early Childhood program to
be as cumbersome and inaccessible as it is at present.
A copy of our current
non-traditional program is attached (Exhibit A) as well as the
proposed changes to this program (Exhibit B). A copy of the
minimum program requirements as dictated by the Alabama State
Department of Education is also attached (Exhibit C).
The methods courses will be offered
at the graduate level. EE300 and EE301 will contain field
requirements. All of the courses will be offered at night or
during the summer in order to accommodate students’ schedules.
The student teaching segment of the program remains, and as is
presently allowed, students may be salaried teachers during this
phase of the program. A university supervisor will make a
minimum of four visits during the student teaching segment of
the program and evaluate the students using the Pepe guidelines.
Revamping our program in the manner proposed makes the time and
tuition of the Elementary/Early Childhood program (49 hours)
comparable to the programs in secondary and physical education
(45 hours), and special education (54 hours).
Adjusting our programs to match
student needs is a necessity if we wish to survive as a viable
teacher preparation college. The revamped program will offer the
necessary theory, methods, and practical experiences to provide
students with the skills and knowledge to become competent
teacher candidates. |
PEPE skills
will be addressed in EE 300 Effective Teaching and Learning.
These skills are also covered in student teaching seminars as
well as in presentations made in EE 500 Teaching Reading.
Student teachers are evaluated using the Pepe rating system and
get feedback from their university supervisor at least four
times during their student teaching. It is also important to
realize that fifth-year teachers who are hired during their
student teaching practicum are not evaluated as first year
teachers until the following year. This gives them an entire
year in the classroom and an opportunity for the principal in
the school to assist in familiarizing the teacher with Pepe
standards.
Two courses
will contain field experiences (EE 300 and EE 301). Students
enrolled in EE 300 will be required to visit in five schools to
conduct guided observations. Reflective journals will be tied to
these observations and a requirement for the course. This course
requirement will be for fifth-year students only. Specific
topics will be assigned that link to the course of study. For
instance, guided observations may include the following topics:
effective teaching behaviors, questioning skills, lesson
planning, direct instruction strategies, indirect instruction
strategies, classroom management techniques, and assessing
learners. Visits in the schools will last an entire class
period, one to two hours. Thirty-five hours total will be
required for this field experience component. Reflective journal
entries will be discussed during class. This focused, guided
observation and reflection will provide an effective
field-related learning experience for our undergraduate students
as well as our fifth-year students. The second field experience
will be a component of EE 301 Methods of Teaching Reading. This
course develops student knowledge of reading instruction methods
in the elementary classroom. Students will be required to tutor
a student in reading one hour a week for a period of 12 weeks. A
case study will be developed on the student using the guidelines
included in the course syllabus.
Providing a
strong foundation in reading instruction methods and strategies
will be a critical component of our elementary fifth-year
program. I am adding EE 301 Methods of Teaching Reading to the
program to address this concern. By including this course in the
program, students will complete 12 hours of literacy related
instruction through the following courses:
EE 301 Methods
of Teaching Reading
EE 506 Literacy
Through Literature
EE 526 Language
Arts in the Elementary School
EE 500 Teaching
Reading
You will notice
that EE 301 has been inserted as a required course. In addition,
EE 526 and EE 300 have been pushed back to three-hour courses.
Adding the reading course will therefore increase the total
hours of the program by only one hour from 48 hours to 49 hours.
One section of EE 300 and EE 301 will be taught at night or in
the late afternoon in order to meet the scheduling needs of the
fifth-year students.
It is important
to keep in mind the intent of the law when we develop education
programs. Clearly, in codifying the fifth-year non-traditional
education program the Alabama legislature was providing a
vehicle to recruit more teachers into the classroom in addition
to providing a second chance to those individuals who really
want to become teachers, but cannot pursue this goal through
normal channels because of job and family responsibilities –
non-traditional students. I believe we can adhere to these
guidelines and still provide a comprehensive degree program that
will develop competent, caring teachers. |
The
proposed changes will not incur any additional financial
requirements. |