2013-2014 Graduate Catalog

School of Teacher Education

Director: Jingzi (Ginny) Huang, Ph.D.

Location: McKee 216

Telephone: 970.351.2908

Faculty: Frederick J. Bartelheim, Ed.D.; Margaret Berg, Ph.D.; James A. Erekson, Ph.D.; Gary Fertig, Ph.D.; Thomas A. Griggs, Ph.D.; Jenni L. Harding-DeKam, Ed.D.; Jody K. Lawrence, Ph.D.; Valerie Middleton, Ph.D.; Madeline Milian, Ed.D.; Kathleen O’Neil, Ph.D.; Michael F. Opitz, Ph.D.; Fredrick L. Silverman, Ed.D.; Susan A. Thompson, Ed.D.; Dana Walker, Ph.D.; Mia K. Williams, Ph.D.; Suzette Youngs, Ph.D.

Cumbres prepares Hispanic/Latino students to teach with an English as a Second Language or bilingual education endorsement.

Location: McKee 262

Telephone: 970.351.2417

Educational Studies Ed.D.

The Ed.D. in Educational Studies prepares candidates to understand the relationship among research, policy, and practice in education in order to contribute to reforming educational systems. Candidates complete an educational studies core, a multidisciplinary cognate, a research core, and a dissertation. The program prepares candidates to assume roles as university faculty members, educational leaders in school districts and state and federal agencies, district level curriculum specialists, and to assume leadership roles in nonprofit and private sectors.

Graduate applicants for this degree must have evaluations by the School of Teacher Education, in addition to the Graduate School, in order to determine admissibility.

Programs of study for degree candidates will be individualized to meet candidate’s career goals. A minimum of 64 semester hours are required for the completion of this program. The extent of an individual’s program will be dependent upon previous college work and professional experience.

For degree and program requirements, see:

Educational Studies Ed.D.

Education M.A.T.

The Master of Arts in Teaching degree provides experienced practitioners with the knowledge, abilities, and dispositions needed to scaffold their own professional development toward a vision of accomplished practice. Candidates in this program analyze philosophical and contemporary practices and theories relating to knowledge acquisition as a means of enhancing student learning and the curriculum development process within school systems. Three abilities are emphasized throughout the program: critical reflection, systematic inquiry, and collaboration. Teacher participants use these abilities to plan and implement a series of learning and assessment projects for the purpose of improving students' learning and achievement. The M.A.T. program provides opportunities to develop in-depth understanding of content-specific pedagogy, the curriculum development process, teacher research, and portfolio approaches to teaching and learning. Teachers are encouraged to become school leaders as they gain confidence working with increasingly diverse groups of children, parents, and colleagues. The program has several emphases: in Elementary Education including Post Baccalaureate initial licensure, Curriculum Studies, Linguistically Diverse Education, and English Education. The latter three programs require one year of successful classroom teaching experience for graduation.

 

For degree and program requirements, see:

Education M.A.T. — Curriculum Studies Emphasis

Education M.A.T. — Elementary Education with Licensure Emphasis

Education M.A.T. — English Education Emphasis

Education M.A.T. — Linguistically Diverse Education Emphasis   

Reading M.A.

The Reading/Literacy graduate programs prepare students to be inquiring practitioners who seek knowledge and experiences about reading/literacy processes and practices.

These evolving scholars are guided and encouraged to pursue knowledge, commit to inquiry, engage in problem solving related to reading/literacy processes and practices, and participate as leaders in reading/literacy related activities. The inquiring practitioners learn to use reading/literacy knowledge, practices, and processes to serve the changing technological, diversity, and reading/literacy education needs of dynamic local and global environments.

Admission . Applicants must have one year of full-time teaching experience, an overall 3.0 GPA on the last 60 semester hours; must complete the Reading program Application and have three letters of recommendation sent to the Coordinator of the Reading Program in McKee Hall. Upon receiving formal notification of admission a student must meet with his/her assigned advisor to plan a program of study.

If applicant’s GPA is below 3.0, the applicant may choose to submit a Graduate Record Exam (General Test) score to attain non-probationary admission to the Reading program.

The Reading program faculty recommend that an applicant have a total score that meets or exceeds 1350 on the Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical subtests; and it is highly recommended that the Verbal score meets or exceeds 500.

There are several steps to the evaluation of the Reading Program as well as to the evaluation of the students enrolled in the Reading M.A. degree program. The evaluation process is ongoing. For admission into the Graduate School and admission into the Reading M.A. degree program a student must complete and submit specific documents (Graduate School application, Reading program application, three letters of reference and a resume) that Reading program faculty members review and evaluate. As a student takes courses, he/she completes a university generated course evaluation form and may be asked to complete an instructor developed evaluation form. When a student reaches the mid-point of taking the eleven reading courses (after five courses), the student and the student’s advisor meet to complete a progress interview. The purpose of the interview is for the student to reflect upon his/her performance to date, as well as to make known his/her evaluation of the strengths and needs of the Reading program. At the conclusion of all the Reading M.A. degree coursework, a student completes a synthesis notebook and oral defense or completes a thesis. Following the successful completion of the synthesis notebook and oral defense or thesis defense, the student completes an exit survey evaluating all of the elements of the Reading program that the student has participated in and completed. Two years after graduating from the Reading program with a Master of Arts degree the student will be asked to complete another survey and to reflect on his/her overall program experience.

Endorsement

By completing the Master of Arts degree in Reading students fulfill the requirements for institutional recommendation for endorsement as a K-12 Reading Teacher. Students seeking endorsement must provide evidence of two or more years of teaching experience in an accredited and/or established elementary, middle, or secondary school while holding a Type A or teaching license equivalent certificate before such recommendation is made. Students wishing to obtain Colorado licensure in reading are required to pass a State of Colorado administered proficiency examination PLACE-Reading. Students should contact the Licensure Officer in McKee for information.

For degree and program requirements, see:

Reading M.A.