I. OVERVIEW OF THE MIT ADMISSION PROCESS 2015-2016
Phase One: Screening
Applicants submit a completed MIT Application by November 14, 2014
1. Applicants submit to the College of Education Office of Graduate Studies an official transcript(s) of all coursework completed after 12th grade with a self-evaluation worksheet in the desired endorsement (download at: http://education.wsu.edu/studentservices/endorsements/list/). Documentation of Proficiency in Knowledge and Skills: The Certification Coordinator analyzes the transcripts (unofficial copies can be used for this purpose only) for documentation of proficiency in prerequisite knowledge and skills. The applicant is informed in writing of his/her status regarding any program prerequisite deficiencies in knowledge and skills.
2. The certification coordinator will review applicant’s transcripts and self-evaluation worksheet. The applicant will be notified by email of the courses needed prior to beginning the program.
3. Applicants submit official documentation of passing scores on an approved Basic Skills test. Washington applicants are required to take the WEST-B and obtain a minimum score of 240 on each subtest in reading, writing, and mathematics. See this site for complete information: http://www.west.nesinc.com. Out-of-state applicants only, in lieu of the WEST-B, may provide official documentation of scores on the Praxis I (177 for the reading subtest, 176 for the mathematics subtest, and 174 for the writing subtest); or the Praxis I CBT (325 for the reading subtest, 321 for the mathematics subtest, and 321 for the writing subtest); or passing scores from California or Oregon on the CBEST. The last date to take and pass the WEST-B is December 2014.
4. Interviews will take place during the first two weeks of January 2015.
Phase Two: Application Review
Completed applications are reviewed by the MIT Admission Committee for the following requirements: documentation of prerequisite knowledge and skills, statement of personal commitment and relevant experience, summary of letters of recommendation, three letters of recommendation, documentation of professional/volunteer experiences, resume, official transcripts, passing scores on an approved Basic Skills examination, and fulfillment of Washington State University Graduate School requirements. Official Basic Skills test passing scores must be received by December 2014.
Phase Three: Admissions Review
Only applicants meeting all admission requirements are evaluated in Phase Three. The selection process is highly competitive. All materials submitted by the applicant are carefully reviewed by the MIT Admission Committee in late December 2014. The most outstanding applicants are selected for admission to the MIT Program. Applicants should be aware that if there are not enough internship/student teaching placements available in their endorsement area in the Pullman regional area, they may be required to complete that portion of the program in Spokane. You will be notified if this pertains to you and your endorsement area.
Additional Requirement: WEST E
Applicants submit official documentation of a passing score on the WEST-E prior to student teaching, which starts in January 2016. See this site for complete WEST-E information: www.west.nesinc.com.
II. TIMELINE OF THE MIT ADMISSIONS PROCESS FOR 2015-2016
1. Phase One screening may occur at any time throughout the academic year.
2. November 14, 2014: Phase Two Application Review.
Completed MIT Application due to: WSU College of Education, Office of Graduate Studies, P. O. Box 642114, Pullman, WA 99164-2114
Completed WSU Graduate School Application due to: WSU Graduate School, P. O. Box 641030, Pullman, WA 99164-1030 or submitted on-line (http://www.gradsch.wsu.edu/future-students/admission/apply.html .
3. December 2014: last opportunity to take the WEST-B Basic Skills Test.
4. December/January 2015: Phase Three Admission Review. MIT Admission Committee reviews applicant materials and makes final admission decisions
5. February 2015: Applicants notified of their admission status and must notify WSU if they intend to enroll in the program. Date to be announced in applicant notification letter.
7. April 2015: Orientation for new MIT students occurs.
College of Education Scholarship Opportunities
The College of Education offers a variety of scholarship opportunities to graduate students in Education. For the 2014-2015 academic year, the College awarded 132 scholarships in the amount of $273,250 to Education students. If you wish to be considered for a scholarship, please visit the College of Education’s scholarship web page at http://education.wsu.edu/scholarships/ for application information.
III. MIT APPLICATION PROCESS
Applicants complete an application for the WSU Graduate School and, simultaneously, an application for admission to the graduate program in the Department of Teaching and Learning. In order to begin the MIT program, an applicant must be admitted by both the Graduate School and the Department of Teaching and Learning.
Submit the following items to: The Graduate School
Washington State University
P.O. Box 641030
Pullman, Washington 99164-1030
1. A copy of the “Application for Admission to Graduate School” and the “Race/Ethnicity and Disability Survey” (optional) OR submit an on-line application at http://www.gradsch.wsu.edu/howtoapply.htm.
2. A $50.00 check or money order payable to WSU. On-line applicants use VISA or MasterCard.
3. Official transcripts sent directly to the Graduate School at the address above by the Registrar of each institution from which you have completed coursework after grade 12.
4. Names and email addresses of three people from whom you will be requesting letters of recommendation. The letter writers will be sent an email prompting them to submit a letter on your behalf. They will submit their letters on-line.
Submit the following items to: Office of Graduate Studies
Washington State University
College of Education
P.O. Box 642114
Pullman, Washington 99164-2114
1. “Application for Admission to Graduate School” and the “Race/Ethnicity and Disability Survey.” On-line applicants need not submit these two items.
2. Documentation of Proficiency of Knowledge and Skills. Complete the form on page 6 in this packet and attach copies of all transcripts (unofficial copies are acceptable for this purpose). The Academic Coordinator will notify you of any deficiencies regarding program prerequisites.
3. Statement of Personal Commitment and Relevant Experiences. See the instructions on page 4 in this packet regarding this narrative.
4. Summary of Letters of Recommendation. Complete the form on page 7 in this packet.
5. Documentation of Professional/Volunteer Experiences. Complete the form included in this packet on pages 8-9.
6. Official transcript(s) sent directly to the Graduate School by the Registrar of each institution from which you have completed coursework after grade 12.
7. Current Resume.
IV. MIT APPLICATION INFORMATION
Documentation of Proficiency in Elementary Education Knowledge and Skills
Applicants must meet State of Washington Elementary Education Endorsement Knowledge and Skills requirements in the following nine areas before beginning entering the MIT program: reading, writing, mathematics, life and physical sciences, U.S. history, U.S. government/civics, economics, and geography. If the applicant wishes to appeal a course as fulfilling a program prerequisite, the applicant should attach a catalog description or syllabus of the course(s) cited to document the nine knowledge and skills areas listed above. If the applicant is found to be lacking in prerequisite knowledge and skills, coursework at a college or university will be necessary. (See "Documentation of Proficiency in Elementary Education Knowledge and Skills" in this packet, pages 5-6, for a complete description of how to meet program prerequisites.)
Test Requirements: WEST-B and WEST-E
Washington applicants must successfully complete the WEST-B in the areas of reading, writing, and mathematics and achieve a minimum qualifying score of 240 for each subtest by December 2014. When registering, applicants should select code 240 to ensure that the official WEST-B score report is sent to the WSU College of Education. Out-of-state applicants only, in lieu of the WEST-B, must successfully complete the Praxis I, the Praxis I CBT, or the CBEST (California or Oregon).
The WEST-E must be passed prior to student teaching.
Statement of Personal Commitment and Relevant Experiences
See information in Section V. below.
Summary of Letters of Recommendation (Three letters are required)
Three letters, submitted on-line to the WSU Graduate School. Please inform each of your three reference writers to discuss the following items in support of your application: (1) your experience working with children, (2) your facility with written, oral and interpersonal communication, (3) your academic ability to do graduate-level work, and (4) your interpersonal skills. It is preferred that letters of recommendation directly support the applicant’s experiences listed in the “Documentation of Professional and/or Volunteer Experiences.”
Documentation of Professional and/or Volunteer Experiences
Applicants should discuss relevant professional or volunteer experiences working with children or special populations.
V. STATEMENT OF PERSONAL COMMITMENT AND RELEVANT EXPERIENCES
The Statement of Personal Commitment and Relevant Experiences should be written in essay format and should not exceed 5 typed pages (double-spaced). Please number each response and put your name on each page of the document.
While the narrative is a required portion of the MIT Application, not all applicants may be able to respond to every item. If you choose not to respond to a particular item, please explain why an item was not addressed.
Contents of Statement:
1. Personal commitment to teaching.
Describe your personal commitment to youth and the teaching profession. Include in your response details about your experiences with children and youth and your personal qualities that demonstrate your ability to make a significant contribution to the teaching profession.
2. Experiences with social service agencies, community agencies, and educational systems.
Describe your experiences, demonstrated commitment, and leadership roles when working with social service agencies, community agencies and/or educational systems.
3. Experiences working with children/adults with special needs or diverse backgrounds.
Describe any experiences working with children and/or adults with special needs or diverse backgrounds in a school system, with family or friends, or in your community. Discuss the impact of these experiences on you, personally and/or professionally.
4. Experiences demonstrating leadership, communication skills and initiative.
Describe experiences that have influenced or enhanced your communication skills, leadership skills, and initiative. Reflect on these skills and how they will influence your ability to be an exceptional teacher. While these experiences may have taken place in a structured environment such as the work place, it is also appropriate to discuss more “everyday” and personal experiences.
5. Experiences with other languages and cultures.
Describe your experiences living and/or working with people from other cultures or socioeconomic groups.
VI. PROFICIENCY OF KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS
The applicant must be able to document proficiency of knowledge and skills in the designated areas listed below: reading, writing, mathematics, life and physical sciences, U.S. history, geography, U.S. government/civics, and economics (see items 3-8).
The applicant is required to receive satisfactory scores of 240 on each WEST-B subtest in reading, writing, and mathematics or an approved Basic Skills test (see items 1-3).
Proficiency can be documented in the following ways:
1. Reading - Passing score obtained on either WEST-B or Praxis I or Praxis I CBT or CBEST.
2. Writing - Passing score obtained on either WEST-B or Praxis I or Praxis I CBT or CBEST.
3. Mathematics - Passing score obtained on either WEST-B or Praxis I or Praxis I CBT or CBEST. One college-level mathematics course with a grade of C or better (defined as a 2.0 on a 4 point scale) is required.
4. Sciences - Complete college/university life and physical science courses (7-8 semester credits), with grades of C or better. One course must include a lab.
5. U.S. History - Complete a college/university U.S. History course with a grade of C or better.
6. Geography - Complete a college/university geography course with a grade of C or better (for example: Survey of World Regions, or Cultural Geography, etc.)
7. Civics - Complete a college/university course in U.S. government/civics (course prefixes may be listed as Political Science, U.S. Government, etc.) with a grade of C or better.
8. Economics - Complete a college/university economics course with a grade of C or better.
If a single course is used to fulfill more than one of the social science requirements (items 5-8 above), evidence of significant study in each content area should be provided for evaluation. Under special circumstances, an applicant's life/work experience may be used to demonstrate proficiency in Elementary Education Knowledge and Skills. If an applicant believes he/she has met any of these skills via work experience, a description of that work should be attached.
ELEMENTARY EDUCATION
Documentation of Proficiency of Knowledge and Skills
2015-2016 Master in Teaching
Name: Application Date: Entrance GPA:
Prior Degree: ______Major: ______School: Date received: ______
Subject Areas Method of meeting requirement Test Date Score
1. WEST-B Reading Basic Skills Test
2. Writing Basic Skills Test
3. Math Basic Skills Test
Indicate: Course Grade Credit
4. Mathematics College course/Work exp.
5. Science
Life College course/Work exp.
Physical College course/Work exp.
Science lab College course/Work exp.
6. US History College course/Work exp.
7. Civics/Am. Gov. College course/Work exp.
8. Economics College course/Work exp.
9. Geography College course/Work exp.
(Gened 110 & 111 meets geography requirement)
FOR OFFICE USE ONLY
Reviewed by: ______Date Reviewed:
Recommendations:
1/31/08
SUMMARY OF LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Applicant's Name: Phone:
Please complete the information listed below for each reference writer.
Name:
Address (home or work)
Phone (home or work)
Place of business (if appropriate)
Relationship with reference writer
(friend, employer, professor, etc.)
Name:
Address (home or work)
Phone (home or work)
Place of business (if appropriate)
Relationship with reference writer
(friend, employer, professor, etc.)
Name:
Address (home or work)
Phone (home or work)
Place of business (if appropriate)
Relationship with reference writer
(friend, employer, professor, etc.)
DOCUMENTATION OF PROFESSIONAL
and/or VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCES
Applicant's Name: Phone:
List your professional or volunteer experiences related to teaching or the education of children, youth, and/or adults.
Experience #1
Place Worked:
Dates of Work Experience:
Supervisor’s Name/Phone:
Description of Duties (include grade level, age of students, nature of experience):