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B. Pass the required State of Michigan certification tests for elementary teaching or the appropriate major and minor subject area tests for secondary teaching
For those seeking elementary certification, including special education and early childhood education, students must take and pass the MTTC in elementary education (test #83) as a condition for progression to the internship (TE501). Elementary Education, Special Education , and Child Development candidates who request internship placements in grades 7-8 must also pass appropriate subject matter tests for their major/minors prior to the internship.
For elementary education students, passing the elementary education test is a requirement for completion of the teacher certification program and is the minimal requirement of the State of Michigan in order to receive certification to teach in grades K-5. Students who additionally wish to teach in grades 6-8, must pass tests in subject matter areas in which they wish to receive endorsements. (All students must have completed majors or minors in these areas). Students in special education or early childhood must pass tests in their respective area (e.g., HI, LD, or early childhood education) in order to be endorsed in those areas and eligible to teach in those areas. Passing these subject matter tests, however, is not required for program completion and to enter the internship, but is required to be recommended for certification.
For those seeking secondary certification (including the K-12 majors of Music, Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Kinesiology, and Art), students must take and pass the MTTC in their major as a condition for progression to the internship (TE 501, CSD 894A, MUS 495). For secondary education students, passing the separate MTTC content area test in their minor is a requirement for being certified to teach the minor and is a requirement for placement in the minor subject area in the internship. All secondary education students, except music, art, and physical science (comprehensive group majors), are required to complete an approved teaching minor. While it is in the best interest of secondary education teacher candidates to be certified in both their major and minor areas, the Michigan State Department of Education now permits secondary education students to obtain provisional certification in the major only without recommendation in the minor.
Updated 3-27-07 by Associate Dean of Student Affairs to reflect mandated changes in Michigan Department of Education Teacher Certification Code and MSU department name changes.
C. Criminal Disclosure Form
It is important that prospective interns be appropriate candidates for teacher education. In Michigan, the State Board of Education may refuse to grant, or may impose conditions upon, a teaching certificate for an individual who is convicted as an adult of a felony involving moral turpitude or who is convicted of an act of immoral conduct contributing to the delinquency of a child. Conviction of these crimes may, therefore, preclude the teacher candidate from participating in the internship. To be eligible for an internship, the teacher candidate must complete, sign, and submit to the Teacher Education Department the Criminal Disclosure Form. Concealment or misrepresentation of information required to be disclosed in the Criminal Disclosure Form may result in denial of admission to the internship year or in denial of recommendation for teacher certification.
D. Professional Criteria
The internship involves the intern in extensive co-planning and co-teaching with an experienced collaborating teacher and requires the intern gradually to assume responsibility for all aspects of learning and teaching in the classroom. To be eligible for an internship, the teacher candidate must have demonstrated a readiness to work in accordance with the Professional Standards in part III below and an appropriate disposition for the profession of teaching. Therefore, a teacher candidate who meets the Academic Requirements listed above may be denied the opportunity to do an internship if, in the judgment of the Teacher Education Department, the teacher candidate has failed to meet any of the following Professional Criteria. The Professional Criteria are related to the Professional Standards used to evaluate interns’ progress during the internship year (see part III below).
(1) Reliability and Responsibility
Teacher candidates must generally have been present and on time for professional commitments, including classes and field experiences. Teacher candidates must have regularly communicated about necessary absences or lateness according to the guidelines in the Professional Conduct Policy. Teacher candidates must have a record of meeting deadlines for course assignments and program requirements. A pattern of repeated absences, lateness, and failure to meet deadlines in courses or fieldwork is not acceptable. Any form of dishonesty (lying, plagiarism, forged signatures, etc.) about these and other requirements is not acceptable.
(2) Communication Skills and Social Relationships
Teacher candidates must have demonstrated the ability to express their viewpoints and negotiate difficulties appropriately, without behaving unprofessionally with instructors, peers, or students. Teacher candidates must have shown that they are ready to accept constructive feedback in a professional manner. Teacher candidates must have demonstrated an awareness of appropriate social boundaries between students and teachers and have shown that they are ready and able to observe those boundaries. Extreme forms of behavior (such as outbursts in class, sexual or other harassment, threats of suicide or of harm to others) are not acceptable.
(3) Comfort with and Concern for the Learning of all Children
Teacher candidates must be able to engage in informal conversations with children and keep their attention in such conversations. Teacher candidates must interact courteously, fairly, and professionally with people from diverse racial, cultural, and social backgrounds and of different genders or sexual orientations. Racial and other slurs are not acceptable, nor is conduct that violates the University’s Anti-Discrimination Policy or that would violate the Anti-Discrimination Policy if it were directed at a member of the University community.
Procedures for Decisions and Notification
A. Academic Requirements and Criminal Disclosure Form
The Student Affairs Office will have primary responsibility for confirming that a teacher candidate has met all Academic Requirements and submitted the Criminal Disclosure Form. Students are responsible for insuring that they meet all criteria for progression to the internship, including fulfilling grade requirements. Students should meet with advisors to verify grade point averages if necessary.**
If a teacher candidate’s records are not complete or if a student has failed to meet one or more Academic Requirements or to submit the Criminal Disclosure Form, the Student Affairs Office will endeavor to notify the teacher candidate and the Teacher Education Department (usually the teacher candidate’s Team) before May 30 prior to the beginning of the teacher candidate’ internship. If the deficiencies are not remedied before the end of the summer term, the Student Affairs Office will so notify the Teacher Education Department (the teacher candidate’s Team), and the beginning of the teacher candidate’s internship will be delayed until the beginning of the next internship after the deficiencies have been remedied.
B. Professional Criteria
The Department of Teacher Education and its representatives, including course instructors and collaborating teachers, have primary responsibility for evaluating whether teacher candidates have met the required Professional Criteria. The following procedures will be used to assure that teacher candidates are systematically evaluated according to the Professional Criteria and that potential problems are investigated:
- All collaborating teachers working with students taking TE 401/407 and TE 402/408 will be asked to fill out a questionnaire concerning the students’ performance in the field, including their performance with respect to the Professional Criteria. Any classroom teacher indicating concerns about a student’s performance or professionalism will be contacted by the course instructor or another Team representative, and the Team will investigate the concerns.
- The Teams will request that course instructors teaching TE 301/302, TE 401/407, and TE 402/408 identify students who may not be meeting the Professional Criteria and provide information about their possible failure to comply with the Professional Criteria. The Teams will investigate any such concerns expressed by other course instructors.
- Teams will investigate concerns expressed by other course instructors, including instructors in other departments, which might involve a student’s failure to meet any of the Professional Criteria.
Generally, the Team Coordinator and/or Team Leader will review situations which may involve a teacher candidate’s failure to meet any of the Professional Criteria. If the likelihood of failure to comply with the Professional Criteria is serious enough to jeopardize the teacher candidate’s progress to the internship, the Team Leadership will review the case.
If the Team Leadership concludes that the situation involves a failure to comply with one or more of the Professional Criteria that is so serious that the Team recommends that the teacher candidate not be allowed to progress to the internship because of it, the Team Leader will inform the teacher candidate and the Assistant Chair/Coordinator of the Teacher Preparation Programs of the recommendation and of the basis for it. The Assistant Chair/Coordinator will be responsible for reviewing the recommendation and determining that the teacher candidate may, upon meeting certain conditions, proceed to the internship, or that the teacher candidate will not be allowed to proceed to the internship. The Assistant Chair/Coordinator will contact, and preferably, meet with the teacher candidate prior to making this determination.
If the Team Leadership concludes that the teacher candidate has failed to comply with one or more of the Professional Criteria, but that the failure is not, by itself, serious enough to prevent the teacher candidate from progressing to the internship, the teacher candidate will be notified of the failure and of the teacher candidate’s need to comply with the Professional Criteria in the future. If the teacher candidate again fails to comply with any of the Professional Criteria, the Team Leadership will again review the case. If, because of the teacher candidate’s repeated failure to comply with one or more of the Professional Criteria, the Team Leadership recommends that the teacher candidate will not be allowed to progress to the internship, the Team Leader will inform the teacher candidate and the Assistant Chair/Coordinator of the recommendation and the basis for it. The Assistant Chair/Coordinator will be responsible for reviewing the recommendation and determining that the teacher candidate may proceed to the internship upon meeting certain conditions or that the teacher candidate will not be allowed to proceed to the internship. The Assistant Chair/Coordinator will contact and, preferably, meet with the teacher candidate prior to making this determination.
The teacher candidate may appeal the decision to the Associate Dean of the College of Education.
Professional Standards for the Internship
The Teacher Education Program has adopted the following Professional Standards which are used to evaluate interns' performance and make decisions about recommendations for certification.
- Employ a liberal education
- Teach a subject matter
- Work with students as individuals
- Organize a class
- Use an equipped school room
- Join a faculty and school
- Engage guardians and community
- Teacher as professional and reflective learner
For more detailed information, please click here to get a full version of Professional Standards for the Internship (PDF).
Note:
1. This requirement applies to teacher candidates who applied to Teacher Education during and after the 1994-95 academic year and who sought admission for Fall, 1995 or later terms.
2. Pre-internship Professional education courses required for teacher certification including the following:
• TE 150, CEP 240/TE 250, TE 301/TE 302, TE 401-2/TE 407-8
• TE 842/3 (for Music and CSD majors)
• STA 481-2 (for Art majors),
• CSD 483 (for Communicative Science and Disorders majors).
3. This requirement applies to teacher candidates accepted into Teacher Education after
January 1, 1999.
* Approved by the Teacher Education Council: Spring 1999 and October 1999.
* Approved by the University Committee on Academic Policy: September 30, 1999 and October 28, 1999.
* Updated 4-21-04 per Dean's Office.
**Updated 9-4-08 per Dean's Office
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