Unified Elementary PROTEACH
University of Florida
School of Teaching And Learning
College of Education
Student Handbook
2015
Welcome Unified Elementary ProTeach (UEP) Teacher Candidates!
The faculty and staff of the University of Florida, College of Education’s, Unified Elementary ProTeach program wish to welcome you or for many of you, welcome you back! You are beginning or are well into the challenging but exciting journey of becoming a professional teacher who will influence the lives of potentially thousands of young children over a long career. After completing three-years of the rigorous UEP teacher preparation program, our graduates are prepared to enter schools and classrooms with confidence, knowledge, skill, and passion, highly sought after by school districts and principals all over the state of Florida. It is our role to facilitate your development as a future teacher through coursework and fieldwork that complement and inform each other, merging theory and practice.
Each year brings with it a new set of challenges and opportunities. All are designed to develop the best teachers the state of Florida has to offer and to prepare you to be successful from the first day you walk into your own classroom. This handbook contains information you will need for each new experience and milestone as you progress through the program. We ask that you support each other throughout each experience and work collaboratively with faculty and staff whose desire is to help you succeed. We are here for you!
Have a Wonderful Year!
The Faculty and Staff of the UEP Program
Table of Contents
Purpose of the Program 4
Program Themes 4
Highlighted Program Features 5
Graduation Requirements 5
Residence Requirement Last 30 Semesters 5
Department Policies 6-7
GPA/Grades/EAS 6
Degrees Earned 6
Fifth Year and Internship 6
Communication 6
Single and dual Certification Options 7
Field / Clinical Work 7-8
Undergraduate Program of Courses 9
Fifth Year Program of Courses 10-11
The Junior Year 12
The Senior Year 13
The Pre-Internship 14
Preparing to Graduate 15
Preparing for the Fifth Year 16-17
Graduate School 18
The Fifth Year 19
Tips for Success 20
Appendices
Appendix A: Florida Education Accomplished Practices 21-22
Appendix B: Program Contacts 23
Appendix C: Florida Teacher Certification Examination 24
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
UNIFIED ELEMENTARY PROTEACH
SCHOOL OF TEACHING AND LEARNING &
School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies
PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM
The Unified Elementary Proteach program (UEP) is designed to prepare teachers with a dual emphasis in elementary education and mild disabilities as well as to prepare teachers to work with students who are English Speakers of Other Languages. The purpose of this program is to prepare teachers who are capable of:
(a) creating and maintaining supportive and productive classrooms for diverse student populations, and
(b) working collaboratively with school personnel, families, and members of the community to develop alternative ways of educating all children, including those who present unique instructional and/or behavioral challenges to teachers.
AREAS OF CERTIFICATION
• All students completing the 5-year program are eligible for certification in
elementary education with an ESOL endorsement and reading endorsement.
• Those who select the dual certification track in special education during the Masters’ year of the program will be eligible for certification in elementary education (K-6) and exceptional student education (K-12) as well as being eligible for an ESOL endorsement and may use course credits and send transcripts to apply for the reading endorsement.
PROGRAM THEMES
Program themes guide the development and implementation of all courses and
experiences. Themes are integrated throughout the program. The program is organized around two complementary themes:
(1) Democratic values: Teachers within a democratic society must be
committed to the value of equity in education and society and must be
able to work collaboratively with others to develop alternative ways of
educating our diverse population while accepting the responsibility for the
learning of ALL children.
(2) Knowledge of content and inclusive pedagogy: Because in today’s world
content knowledge is constantly expanding, teachers increasingly will be
asked to make decisions about what and how to teach. Our aim is to help
pre-service teachers develop knowledge of subject area content in order to
identify and organize appropriate content for elementary instruction and to
develop inclusive pedagogy to facilitate all student’s learning.
HIGHLIGHTED PROGRAM FEATURES
• Dual emphasis in elementary and special education
• ESOL endorsement eligible upon completion of either the dual or single certification program
• Technology taught explicitly and implicitly
• College of Education faculty collaboration to facilitate student success
• Full - year internship in the 5th year
• Reading endorsement eligible upon completion of the single certification program
Please note: Completion of the UEP program requires 5 years of intensive study including
registration and attendance in program courses during summer semesters.
GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS
UEP students who complete a department approved undergraduate degree in
the College of Education are awarded the Bachelor of Arts in Education (B.A.E.). UEP students are required to complete an additional year of study in a master’s degree or post baccalaureate program to receive a statement on the transcript verifying completion of a Florida Department of Education and National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) approved program. Grades below “C” will not fulfill requirements in either professional education or in general education areas. A GPA of 3.0 or higher is required at the bachelor’s level. A GPA of 3.0 is required from graduation at the graduate level.
Prior to program completion, students must demonstrate satisfactory performance on the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs) at the pre-professional level. In addition, program completion requires UEP students to take and pass all sections of the Florida Teacher Certification Exam. This includes the General Knowledge Test, appropriate subject area exam(s) required to have passed prior to awarding of bachelor’s degree, and Professional Education Exam (required prior to graduating with Master’s degree). Students in the dual certification track must also pass the Exceptional Student Education K-12 subject area test.
*Residence: The last thirty semester hours to be applied toward a degree must be completed in residence in the College of Education. (From The University of Florida Undergraduate Catalog 2007-2008)
POLICIES
GPA/Grades/Competencies
• Elementary education students with upper division grade point averages below
3.0 may be denied further registrations in the program. Students have the right to petition.
• Students in their graduate year MUST maintain an overall GPA of 3.0.
• Courses with a grade of C- or lower will not count as credit toward a degree or graduation and must be re-taken, if required, or an approved alternative course may be taken in certain circumstances.
• All UEP students are assessed using the electronic COE Educator Assessment
System which includes evidence of successful completion of each of the Florida
Accomplished Practices (FEAPs). (See Appendix A for FEAPs). https://my.education.ufl.edu/node/3
Graduation / Degrees
• Completion of the UEP program results in the awarding of both a Bachelor’s of Arts in Education degree at the end of the fourth year and a Master of Education degree at the completion of the fifth year.
• The UEP program is a five-year program. UEP students not completing Post- Baccalaureate coursework or a Master of Education degree in either elementary education (for single certification) or special education (for dual certification) cannot be recommended for certification nor can recommendations be provided for teaching positions as it is our belief that candidates are not ready to successfully face the demands of the first year of teaching with the level of competence now required in public elementary school classrooms without completion of the entire program. It should also be noted that registration during summer semesters will be necessary for both the elementary education and special education masters degree programs.
Fifth Year and Internship
• Application for graduate internship will be limited to those students who attend the mandatory orientation session AND complete the student teaching application and submit it on time to the Office of Student Services. Internships may take place in local elementary schools or elementary schools in other Florida counties. Information pertaining to orientation sessions is posted on the student services/internship website: http://education.ufl.edu/student-services/student-teaching/student-teachinginternships-bulletin/
• Students may transfer in up to 15 hours of graduate credit taken as an undergraduate or post-baccalaureate student into their graduate program. Any graduate level courses taken as an undergraduate will only transfer to the Master’s program if a grade of B or higher is earned. Students should not take graduate level courses until their senior year.
Communication
All students are required to check their UFL email daily and the Wednesday Updates sent via email.
Single and Dual Certification Options
The Unified Elementary ProTeach program offers students two options for teacher
certification. Programs leading to single (elementary certification) or dual certifications (elementary and special education certification) are available. Both
options are described below.
Single and Dual Certification Options: What do they have in common?
All UEP students follow the same program throughout the undergraduate portion of their programs. Regardless of whether a student plans to follow the single or dual certification option, the undergraduate program of study will be the same. All coursework at the undergraduate level is common to both programs. At the graduate level, the programs differ and culminate with different degrees. The single certification option culminates with a Master of Education degree in elementary education. The dual certification option culminates with a Master of Education degree in special education. Students are required to declare one or the other option in their first or second semester of the program. When applying for the graduate portion of the UEP program students indicate if they are applying for the elementary education graduate program or the special education graduate program.
Certification- Single: Elementary Education
Students selecting the single certification option will be eligible for and recommended for certification in elementary education, the ESOL endorsement, and the Florida reading endorsement at the completion of their programs. Graduates of the elementary education graduate program are qualified to teach kindergarten through grade 6, ESOL K-12, and reading K-12.
Certification -Dual: Elementary Education and Exceptional Student Education
Students selecting the dual certification option will be eligible for certification in
elementary education and exceptional student education (ESE K-12) as well as the ESOL
endorsement at the completion of their programs. Students will also complete a reading block, which may make them eligible for the Florida reading endorsement, if approved by the Florida Department of Education. Successful completion of the reading courses taken during the summer semester of the fifth year also qualify students to sit for the International Dyslexia Association’s certification exam to become available in 2016. Exceptional student education certification qualifies teachers for classes serving students with disabilities in kindergarten through grade 12.
Field/Clinical Work
In the unified elementary program, fieldwork begins early extending throughout the program and culminates with an internship in the graduate year of the program. Activities in the field are directly aligned to university courses taken concurrently. Similar to required labs for courses, fieldwork is required and all UEP students must attend.
Semester 1 – Practicum 1
· UEP candidates provide one-on-one mathematics mentoring
· 2 days a week
· 1 hour each after school session
· Mentor students from racially and economically diverse backgrounds
· 10-12 weeks
Semester 2 – Practicum 2 with UFLI Tutoring
· Pairs of UEP candidates work in elementary classrooms
· 3 days a week
· 10-12 weeks
· Trained in University of Florida Literacy Initiative tutoring
· Provide one-on-one tutoring in literacy while at elementary settings
· Implement assignments in elementary classrooms related to effective teaching and management courses (EEX3616 and EEX3257)
Semester 3 – Practicum 3 with ESOL Emphasis
· Elementary candidates work one full day a week in elementary classrooms with ESOL students in rural schools
· Implement assignments associated with coursework; i.e. technology, ESOL, mathematics tutoring, intermediate reading
· 10-12 weeks
Semester 4 – Practicum 4: The Pre-internship
· Pairs of UEP candidates work in Professional Development Community schools partnering with the university teacher education program
· 16-hours a week
· 15 – 16 weeks
· Develop skills as reflective teachers in co-teaching arrangements with other UEP candidates and classroom teachers while improving the learning and achievement of students in their classrooms
· The pre-internship is NOT an internship.
The Graduate Year – Internship
· Full-time internship in an assigned public school classroom
· Interns follow the calendar of the school districts, not the University of Florida calendar
· May be performed in school districts across the state, if approved by UEP coordinator
· Complete online coursework each semester of the internship
· Single and dual certification programs offer full-year internships
· Required for professional certification and completion of the program
Unified Elementary PROTEACH
Undergraduate Program of Study
Semester 1 / Semester 2Composition 3 / Introduction to Education (EDF 1005) 3
Geometry Content (MAC 1106 or MAC 2311) 3 / Composition/Literature 3
Social/Behavioral Science
(POS, ECO, INR, ANT, SYG, PSY) 3 / Social/Behavioral Science
(POS, ECO, INR, ANT, SYG, PSY) 3 3
Physical Science 3 / Biological Science 3
Humanities: Fine Arts (MUH, MUL, ARH, THE, or HUM) 3 / Humanities: American History 3
Semester 3 / Semester 4
Teaching Diverse Populations (EDG 2701) 3 / Intro to Ed Technology (EME 2040) 3
Statistics (STA 2023) 3 / College Algebra (MAC 1105, MAC 1140 or MAC 1147) 3
Earth Science (GLY, AST, MET, OCE, ESC) 3 / Social Behavioral Science: Human Growth & Dev (DEP) 3
Physical, Biological, or Earth Science Lab 1 / Humanities: American History 3
Transferable Elective 3 / Transferable Elective 3
Transferable Elective 2-3
Semester 5
EDF 3115 Child Development for Inclusive Education 3
EEX 3070 Teachers and Learners in Inclusive Schools 3
SDS 3430 Family and Community Involvement in Education 3
LAE 3005 Children’s Literature in Childhood Education 3
MAE 3312 Content & Methods for Teaching Mathematics Processes 3
*Available summer semesters 17
Field Component: Practicum 1 Literacy Tutoring (2 afternoons a week for 1 hour each over 10 -12 weeks)
Semester 6
EEX 3257 Core Teaching Strategies 3
EEX 3616 Core Classroom Management Strategies 3
RED 3307 Teaching Reading in Primary Grades 3
SCE 4113L Foundations of Science 3
EDF 3514 or EDF3609* History of Education or Historical & Social Foundations of Education 3
ARE 4314* Art Education for Elementary Schools 2
*Available summer semesters 17
Field Component: Practicum 2 with UFLI (7.5 hours a week over 10-12 weeks (T,W,R mornings)
Semester 7
LAE 4314 Language Arts for Diverse Learners 33
MAE 4310 Teaching Mathematics in the Inclusive Elementary Classroom 3
TSL 3520 ESOL: Language & Culture 3
EME 4401 Integrating Technology Elementary Classroom 3
RED 4324 Reading Intermediate Grades 3
MUE 3210* Music for Elementary Schools 2
17
Field Component: Practicum 3 with ESOL Fieldwork (1 full day a week = to 7.5 hours a week for 10 - 12 weeks)
Semester 8
EDE 4942 Integrated Teaching in Elementary Education 3
EEX 4905 Integrated Teaching Seminar 3
SSE 4312 Social Studies for Diverse Learners 3
SCE 4310 Elementary Science Methods for the Inclusive Classroom 3
TSL 4100 ESOL Curriculum 3
15
Field Component: Practicum 4: Pre-internship (16 hours a week for 15-16 weeks)
Beginning the Program – Junior Year