Greetings Ben and Allison,
I have completed the documents that you requested regarding MSUTeach. As you recall, EPSB requested MSUTeach complete these documentsin support of our request for the EPSB’s acceptance of our 125 intentionally planned pre-student teaching field hours rather than the 200-hour field hoursrequired by16 KAR 5:040 Section 3.3. The documents attached support this request and provide detailed information about the MSUTeach programs, which are revisions of our previous programs (not new programs) leading to teacher certification in Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science, Mathematics, and Physics. Through MSUTeach candidates will earn a bachelor’s degree in the content, the same content a non-teaching major will complete, and the coursework needed for certification -- in the words of UTeach, “one degree, two careers”. The students in MSUTeach are carrying heavy STEM course loads in addition to the content/pedagogy courses, thus we have carefully planned field hours that are doable by our candidates, can be monitored by Master Teachers and faculty, and that can be arranged with the limited number of STEM teachers in a rural area. The revisions of the STEM education programs and the implementation of MSUTeach is supported by a generous donation and grant from Drs. Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau and the National Math + Science Initiative (www.nms.org), respectively.
The primary document you requested is Template III. Throughout this document, I have hyperlinked all of the required supporting documents. All files are in the .zip file attached.
In speaking to our request for the waiver of a portion of the 200-hour requirement, it is noteworthy to mention the brief history of this requirement. The 200-hour requirement was established through16 KAR 5:040 Section 3.3which was, in part, based uponTransforming Teacher Preparation Through Clinical Practice: A National Strategy to Prepare Effective Teachers, also referred to as theBlue Ribbon Panel Report, commissioned by National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), referenced in the EPSB technical document. Specifically, theBlue Ribbon Reportstates, “that teachers benefit from preparation programs that provide well supervised field experiences (analogous to medical school internships) that are congruent with candidates’ eventual teaching” (p. 2). The 125 pre-student teaching field hours integrated in the MSUTeach Program are “well supervised” and “congruent with candidates’ eventual teaching”.
Recent research is more deeply investigating the number and type of field hours that are most supportive of advancing prospective teachers’ knowledge and beliefs (Jacobsen, 2017).This research is beginning to reveal that field hours which are not focused on specific aspects of content or pedagogy and/or are not carefully mentored may actually have a detrimental effect on candidate learning. I referenced some of this research in Template III.
You will also note in theMSUTeach Field Hours Matrixfile that every category required by16 KAR 5:040 Section 3.3is addressed intentionally by MSUTeach. MSUTeach not only addresses, but goes beyond the requirement and intentionally develops these experiences over the course of the program to benefit the candidates, the schools and districts with whom we work, and the MSUTeach program, as well as MSU. One example of this is the progression of three school board meetings, but increasing complexity can be seen across the categories and experiences at each subsequent course level.
I had anticipated completing this documentation more quickly, however, there is much detail required. The upside is that I learned many details about each course in the program and the program as a whole. To me, it is beautiful the way UTeach has woven critical content and pedagogy learning throughout the courses and program, integrating intentional and increasingly complex field experiences along the way. UTeach created an excellent model which MSUTeach has augmented with additional experiences that thoughtfully integrate the requirements of16 KAR 5:040 Section 3.3while avoiding hours that may, at the very least, distract from the intentionally designed hours, and potentially worse, could be detrimental to candidate learning.
Thank you for the opportunity to request this important and time sensitive waiver. I look forward to a response soon.
Kindest regards,
Edna
--
Edna O. Schack, Professor
P-5 Mathematics Education
Co-Director, MSUTeach
Reference
Jacobsen, E. D. (2017). Field experience and prospective teachers’ mathematical knowledge and beliefs.Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 48(2), 148-190.