Michigan Teacher Education Schools Provide Options for Prospective Educators

Q: What are some program options available to individuals changing careers and who wish to become teachers?

A: Central Michigan University (CMU)

• The Alternate Route to Certification (ARC) program was created to assist college graduates interested in entering the teaching profession at the secondary level and to help school districts identify potential teacher candidates for existing teacher shortage areas, particularly in math and the sciences. The ARC program is a competitive cohort-based program and admits students as a group to complete all coursework together and in sequence. The ARC program consists of graduate level courses leading to certification in approximately 31 credit hours. However, some students may need to complete additional coursework in order to meet subject area departmental requirements. ARC classes are offered in several formats: on-campus, hybrids (combination of on-campus and online), and field experiences. By taking approximately 18 more credit hours after being recommended for certification, students may earn a Master of Arts degree in Secondary Education. Specific information is found on the CMU Web site at www.ehs.cmich.edu/css.
• CMU offers an undergraduate, post-bachelor, certification-only program. Qualification to teach individual subjects depends on the background of the student. For more information, visit www.ehs.cmich.edu/css/Post-Bacc/Post%20Bacc%20HomePage.htm.
• CMU offers a second degree option in teacher education, which follows the guidelines and requirements of the traditional teacher education program. CMU also offers a bachelor degree program for career changers in elementary education through Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City. For more information, visit www.ehs.cmich.edu/css/Post-Bacc/Post%20Bacc%202nd%20Bach%20Degree.htm.
• CMU offers a bachelor degree program in elementary education through a Lansing Community College/ CMU partnership. This program also follows the traditional education program guidelines and requirements.
• CMU offers numerous content area programs of study (endorsements) for certified teachers considering changing their teaching area/focus. In addition, CMU offers certification education in the following specialty areas: special education (learning disabilities, cognitive impairment, emotional impairment, and a graduate certificate in autism), reading specialist, technology specialist, and for schools with middle grades.

Q: What are some ways that No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has impacted your program?

A: Michigan State University (MSU)

• Teacher candidates in the science and social science areas should aim certification goals toward broad fields that make candidates “Highly Qualified” to teach multiple subjects. They are urged to consider adding an optional endorsement in a related broad area.
• MSU encourages elementary education candidates, interested in teaching sciences or social studies at the middle school level, to choose the broad areas of integrated science or social studies instead of choosing two minors from the specific sub-areas of these fields.
• Due to new NCLB standards, some teachers are no longer qualified to teach certain subjects. Therefore, MSU set up approved plans for teachers to earn additional subject endorsements, primarily in science (DX or DI) or social studies (RX). The additional endorsement in science or social studies requires a minimum of 36 semester credit hours if completed as a major, or 24 semester hours if completed as a minor. The department keeps in touch with recently certified teachers to advise them about adding specific subject endorsements as a minor or major area of study to become Highly Qualified in more subject areas and thus increase their marketability.

Q: How have the Michigan Merit Curriculum (MMC) requirements for high school graduation impacted your program?

A: Central Michigan University (CMU)

• Faculty are exploring the option of offering a minor or endorsement for providing online learning experiences to high school students.
• In response to new state high school graduation requirements for math and other subjects, CMU professional education faculty is in the process of examining the university’s major/minor curriculum.
• Faculty continues to develop “differentiated instruction” methods that will be infused throughout the curriculum to assist general education and special education teacher candidates in meeting the new graduation requirements.
• Faculty will teach differentiated teaching strategies to teacher candidates to support the learning of all Pre K-12 students.
• The Professional Education Cohort course, EDU 323, which is primarily for middle and high school teachers in training, will be reviewed and adjusted to reflect the MMC requirements and its implications for teaching candidates.

Q: What do you consider to be the strengths of your teacher preparation program?

A: Michigan State University (MSU)

• MSU’s teacher preparation program emphasizes field teaching/learning experiences. Students are required to complete supervised fieldwork weekly as part of their sophomore, junior, and senior-level teacher preparation courses. Opportunities for service learning components also are available to students in the freshman and sophomore years. A post-baccalaureate internship year combines classroom experience with 12 credits of graduate coursework.
• The MSU teacher education program has a goal to fulfill societal needs. Recently, MSU initiated the Urban Education Cohort program that allows students committed to teaching in urban districts to apply and be admitted as freshman to MSU’s teacher education program. MSU also partners with Detroit Public Schools (DPS) in the Broad Partnership, a program that involves bringing DPS high school students to summer programs at MSU to augment their college preparation, as well as hiring MSU teacher education students to teach in DPS summer school programs.
• MSU was one of the first four institutions nationwide selected to be part of the Carnegie Corporation’s Teachers for a New Era initiative. As part of the project, MSU is using the $5 million grant to implement new initiatives that will serve as models of teacher preparation for universities throughout the country. For more information, see “Teachers for a New Era Project Seeks to Improve Teacher Education” on page 11.
• The National Science Foundation’s funding of a $35 million grant to establish Promoting Rigorous Outcomes in Mathematics and Science Education (PROM/SE) has provided recently new insights about how teachers can deepen the curriculum in math and science to affect achievement gains for all students. For more information, see “Promoting Rigorous Outcomes in Mathematics and Science Education” on page 24.