Education (MAE)

Affiliation: School of Health Sciences & Education
Degree Offered: Master of Arts in Education

The Department of Education at Truman State University offers the Master of Arts in Education, a professional teaching degree. All prospective teachers enrolling in the professional program must complete a strong liberal arts and sciences baccalaureate degree.

The basic components of the professional teacher preparation program are 1) graduate pedagogical coursework, 2) advanced content in the teaching specialty 3) the internship experience; and 4) action research. Teaching specialties include English, elementary education, exercise science, foreign language (French and Spanish), mathematics, music, science (biology, chemistry, physics), history/social science, special education, and visual arts. Students who wish to become teachers should consult their academic advisor and the Department of Education (660-785-4386) as early as possible for information. Many of the courses required for Missouri certification can be met by careful planning of the Liberal Studies Program or through electives.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE PROGRAM

The mission of the MAE is to achieve excellence through a nationally competitive professional program which ensures that the graduate will be a true professional who possesses a broad realm of knowledge as well as mastery in a subject specialization, is skilled in the art and science of learning and instructing, and exemplifies outstanding professional practice and professional ethics.

The process of developing the professional program is marked by strong cooperation with the K-12 community and based on established education research and essential knowledge of sound professional practice. The program exemplifies an integrated approach to liberal education, professional studies, and specialty studies. The “theme of reflection…binds all of the curricula together. Each program weaves instruction, practice and evaluation of reflection in coursework, field experience and assessments.” (NCATE, 2003)

GRE SCORES

Graduate Record Exam percentile rankings corresponding to mean scaled scores for incoming Master of Arts in Education students, fiscal year 2008:

Analytical Writing: 46.24%
Quantitative: 51.06%
Verbal: 49.47%

Average GPA of incoming Master of Arts in Education students, fiscal year 2008: 3.52.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAM

The Master of Arts in Education program prepares students to become teachers who are proficient in a teaching or specialty field and in the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of liberal learning, and who demonstrate skills for effective professional practice. The program objectives are to:

1. prepare teachers who are distinguished by their comprehensive liberal learning, developed through the challenging liberal studies component and integration of the undergraduate degree program;
2. prepare teachers who have mastery of the subject specialization, developed through the baccalaureate degree and through graduate courses and experiences in their chosen teaching field;
3. prepare teachers who demonstrate professional skills of high quality, developed through solid professional education curriculum offerings and meaningful clinical and internship experiences;
4. prepare teachers who are stimulated to exchange and implement the results of research and new knowledge in the profession;
5. prepare teachers who function with competence and confidence in confronting issues of the profession in a pluralistic society characterized by continuous change;
6. prepare teachers who have leadership competence in making informed professional judgments;
7. prepare candidates who are able to enter doctoral or other professional education programs; and
8. prepare reflective teachers who are capable of continually and critically analyzing their own professional performance which allows them to grow in a professional manner; who are characterized by habits of life-long learning; and who engage in scholarly interaction and further learning experiences.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Students are admitted into the MAE on the basis of scholastically competitive criteria. Requirements for admission to graduate study are listed in the Graduate Studies section of this catalog. Note that there are core requirements AND specialty area requirements. Admission to the MAE program is a three-step process:

1. recommendation of the faculty and Department Chair in the specialty area,
2. recommendation of the Department Chair in Education, and
3. admission to the Truman State University Graduate School.

Core requirements for admission are:

1. a strong liberal arts and sciences baccalaureate degree with at least a 2.75 cumulative GPA (3.0 GPA preferred);
2. for secondary candidates, a minimum 2.5 certification GPA in the target certification area and a major (or the equivalent) in the certification area;
3. GRE scores submitted;
4. three letters of recommendation submitted;
5. application forms submitted.
   

Specialty area requirements can be found on the eduction website: http://education.truman.edu/.

STUDENT OUTCOMES OF THE PROGRAM

The graduates of the program are expected to demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and personal qualities associated with outstanding performance in the profession of teaching. They will exhibit the following characteristics:

1. Competency in the teaching, learning, and evaluation techniques/skills/technology demanded for effective professional practice and performance as a master teacher as assessed by:

1. the state-mandated national standardized exit examination for teacher education;
2. the academic record;
3. the student’s digital portfolio;
4. demonstrated competency in the classroom and school setting;
5. positive recommendations from appropriate professionals.

2. Proficiency in communication skills as demonstrated by:

1. the student’s undergraduate and graduate academic and assessment record;
2. the student’s academic and professional work, e.g. research, papers, videotaped sessions, interpersonal skills assessment, and performance in classroom setting.

3. Appropriate depth of knowledge in a specific discipline and mastery of teaching as demonstrated by:

1. the academic record and the graduate grade-point average of 3.00 or above;
2. exemplary performance in the teaching internship;
3. testimony by appropriate participating professionals regarding the integrity of the specialty knowledge and skills;
4. demonstrated growth in the learning and academic achievement of the students taught by the candidate for the professional degree.

4. The skills, breadth of knowledge, and attitudes characteristic of a liberally-educated person as assessed through the university-wide assessment model and the portfolio assessment programs;

5. The ability to conduct professional research and to utilize, with appropriate applications, such research and professional publications as demonstrated through:

1. the MAE candidate portfolio, the research component, and the comprehensive examination of the MAE Evaluation Plan;
2. independent work and inquiry;
3. faculty and student interaction.

6. The ability to critically analyze student results and make decisions which positively impact future student performance, as demonstrated in the internship and research component;

7. Personal qualities of integrity, courtesy, compassion, and respect for all cultures as assessed through

1. the MAE candidate portfolio and other elements of the MAE Evaluation Plan;
2. biographical information;
3. recommendations of participating professionals;
4. videotaped sessions;
5. other personal skills assessments.

GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

Graduation requirements for candidates of the Master of Arts in Education degree are as follows.

1. a 3.0 graduate grade point average;
2. successful completion of the internship;
3. satisfactory performance on the nationally normed exit examination (Praxis II Subject Assessment Specialty Area Test) as required by the Department of Education;
4. successful completion of a major reflective case study, a publishable research project, a thesis, or another approved research project;
5. successful completion and approval of digital portfolio;
6. successful completion of all requirements necessary to receive a Missouri teaching certificate in a university-approved certification area.

TITLE II NOTICE

Title II of the Higher Education Act requires that every institution of higher education provide certification or licensure assessment of the state in which the institution is located. Additionally, Title II requires that a comparison of each program’s pass rate be made with the average pass rate in the state.

Graduates of the teacher education program at Truman State University have achieved a 100% pass rate on the Praxis II, a nationally normed examination required by the State of Missouri for certification purposes. The average pass rate in Missouri is 98%.

MISSOURI CERTIFICATION

The MAE program provides Missouri certification in the following subject areas at the grade levels indicated.

Basic level: (Initial Certification)

Elementary 1-6
Secondary

Biology 9-12
Chemistry 9-12
English 9-12
Exercise Science (Phys Ed) PK-12, K-9
Foreign Lang.-French PK-12, K-9
Foreign Lang.-Spanish PK-12, K-9
General Science 9-12 (additional certification area only)
Health PK-12, K-9 (additional certification area only)
Mathematics 9-12
Music-Instrumental PK-12
Music-Vocal PK-12
Physics 9-12
Social Sciences 9-12
Unified Science-Biology 9-12
Unified Science-Chemistry 9-12
Unified Science-Physics 9-12
Visual Arts PK-12, K-9

Special Education

Mild/Moderate Cross-Categorical K-12

MAE graduates are issued teaching certificates by the Missouri State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Certification requirements differ by program and state and are published by the certifying agencies of the various states. Students are advised to obtain certification requirements for their teaching specialty from other states. The state of Missouri requires a grade point of 2.5 or better in any area of certification and no lower than a “C” in any professional education course. The University, and especially the Department of Education, will help students plan their programs to meet certification requirements.

THE PROFESSIONAL STUDIES SEQUENCE FIELD EXPERIENCES

The field experience component of the MAE program is designed to provide prospective teachers with an incremental set of field experiences which enables students to know themselves in relation to the school setting. This set of sequential experiences allows the students to see themselves as potential teachers and to observe and participate in the teaching/learning process within the public school setting. Initial experiences are exploratory and descriptive in nature and become increasingly more grade and content specific as the student increases his/her knowledge of theory, pedagogy, and experience.

EXPLORATORY FIELD EXPERIENCES

It is important for students entering ED 393 Clinical Experiences in Teaching to have had a common core of baseline field experiences upon which to reflect and through which to begin to view the teaching/learning process in relationship to the complex nature, structure, variety, culture and organizational climate of the public school. In addition, this baseline set of field experiences forms the foundation upon which additional sequential field experiences in the specialty areas (elementary education, special education, and secondary disciplines) can be implemented.

Prior to taking ED 393, students must observe a minimum of 55 clock hours in a public school setting. Minimum observations are to be divided as follows:

10 clock hours—Elementary (1-6) observations
10 clock hours—Junior High/Middle School (6-8) observations
10 clock hours—High School (9-12) observations
15 clock hours—Additional observations (any grade level, pre-K to 12)
10 clock hours—Special Education observations

Within the 45 hours not designated for a special education setting: 5 clock hours must provide observations of a setting or program which includes at-risk students. Within the total 55 Exploratory Field Experience hours: 5 clock hours must be in a setting determined to be culturally diverse.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS: