Student Handbook
Teacher Education Policies and Guidelines
Teacher Education Conceptual Framework
Vision
The Delta State University College of Education and Human Sciences promotes a vibrant educational community, which serves as a catalyst for lifelong learning in the Mississippi Delta and beyond its borders. The undergraduate programs prepare confident and competent teachers for a range of grade levels and settings. Graduate programs prepare candidates for a variety of professional and leadership roles in diverse educational environments. These roles include teaching, counseling, administration, and supervision. Outreach efforts focus on renewing quality teaching within the Mississippi Delta by keeping professionals in the field connected to a broader educational community as well as providing the College of Education and Human Sciences with continuous feedback on current needs in education and research. These efforts embody the belief that a professional educator is a life-long learner who engages in reflective practice through interactions within an educational community
Guiding Principles
- Education is a lifelong endeavor, requiring an ever-expanding content knowledge base, a repertoire of skills, and a broad experience base. (GP1)
- Education is interactive and reflective, a process that is accomplished through assessment and reflection of a collaborative nature. (GP2)
- Education is culturally contextualized, requiring both an understanding and appreciation of the diversity of all individuals within the learning community. (GP3)
- Education is dynamic, with change being driven by assessment data and the needs of all segments of the educational community. (GP4)
- Education is enhanced by technology, infused throughout programs and services. (GP5)
The Teacher Education Program
The objective of the Teacher Education Program at Delta State University is to prepare excellent teachers. The administrative control of the Teacher Education Program is centered in the Teacher Education Council. The Dean of the College of Education is the Director of Teacher Education, and the Chair of Teacher Education is the administrative officer for the Teacher Education Council. Students who complete the appropriate curriculum in the prescribed sequence are recommended for educator licensure.
Admission To The Teacher Education Program
Students may indicate an interest in teacher education upon application for admissions to Delta State University, and they are advised and counseled accordingly. Actual admission to the program is not attained until the junior year. In the junior year students seeking admission to the program must take CUR 300 or CUR 302 or CEL 301. All students completing CUR 300 or CUR 302 or CEL 301 will be admitted by the Office of Field Experiences to the program if all requirements are met at that time. Students failing to meet the requirements will be denied admission until such time that all requirements are met. Each student and his/her advisor are notified of the student’s admission status, initially, when the student completes CUR 300 or CUR 302 or CEL 301. Students initially denied admission to the program are resubmitted for admission at a later date when all requirements for admission are met. Upper-level students may file application for admission to the program at any time and must follow the same admission process.
The necessary “Application for Admission to Teacher Education” form and additional information about the Teacher Education Program may be secured from the Office of Field Experiences. The application should be properly executed and filed with the Office of Field Experiences, Post Office Box 3121, Delta State University, Cleveland, MS 38733.
Requirements for Admission to the Program for Secondary Education Majors (including music)
- Complete CUR 300, Survey of Education with Field Experiences (30 hours of observation in public schools, 15 of which are completed in the Cleveland Public Schools and 15 in a school(s) outside of Cleveland, arranged by the candidate)
- Make application for admission to the Teacher Education Program
- Have at least a 2.5 GPA on all General Education coursework through December 2013. After that date, a 2.75 – 3.0 GPA will be required by Delta State Teacher Education Unit to comply with a new state law.
- Submit a 21 ACT equivalent, or passing scores on CASE exams, unless all PPST exams were passed prior to Dec. 31, 2013. As the state will not accept a combination of PPST and CASE scores, all of the PPST exams must have been passed prior to 2014, or passing scores on all parts of the CASE will be required: Reading 156, Writing 162, Mathematics 150. (updated June 2014)
- Have a positive recommendation by the department/division faculty; the number of endorsements required will be determined by the department/division based on the number of faculty.
- Have documentation of candidate enrollment and participation in TaskStream (http://www.taskstream.com)
Music Faculty Recommendation into TEP
In considering the recommendation of a student to be a candidate in the Teacher Education Program, the music faculty discusses the qualifications and readiness of each student, based on such things as whether the candidate:
- Attends class on a regular basis and is punctual – is dependable.
- Has a positive work ethic – is trying to reach potential.
- Can accept new strategies and ideas presented by the professors in class.
- Has good relationships with peers and faculty – getting along with others in the world of work is crucial for success.
- Has leadership qualities and can inspire others to learn.
- Shows evidence of possessing the musical skills and abilities necessary to teach.
- A more comprehensive range of Dispositions must be demonstrated at a proficient level by candidates before graduation.
- Completion of MUS 305 Music Education with a grade of C or higher is also a requirement for admission to TEP for the BME and a prerequisite to MUS 388 Music Methods for the Elementary School.
Requirements For Completion Of The Program
In order to complete the Teacher Education Program and to qualify for a Mississippi teaching license, an applicant must complete all requirements for the appropriate degree, meet each minimum course requirement, pass the appropriate Praxis Series and submit an application for licensure to the Mississippi Department of Education. The applicant is responsible for having his or her Praxis scores sent to the Mississippi Department of Education and Delta State University. Candidates who are exempt from the CASE based on ACT or SAT scores must pass either ENG 300 (Writing Proficiency Examination), CAAP exam, GRE writing exam, the CASE Writing test, or pass ENG 301.
Directed Teaching Internship
Students preparing to teach in elementary or high school are expected to set aside the last full semester of their senior year for a Directed Teaching Internship, traditionally known as “the directed teaching internship.” 16 weeks of internship are required by the state to graduate and to receive a state license to teach. To prepare for this school-based experience, candidates enroll in three specific professional education courses as a group, called the “block,” in the semester prior to the teaching internship. The three courses are EPY 341 Educational Psychology, CUR 393 Classroom Management, and CUR 489 or 490, which is the secondary music education methods course for your license track, K-12 vocal or K-12 instrumental. The internship occurs in schools approved by the University. Teacher interns are at all times under the close supervision of a public school mentor and a university supervisor. Interns who teach outside the city of Cleveland may live in the community in which they teach and pay their own expenses. They do not pay living expenses at the University during this period. Those who teach in the Cleveland schools may stay on the campus but must furnish their own transportation to and from the school. If a teacher intern is allowed to teach outside of the approved Delta Consortium of schools, which covers a wide region in West and Central Mississippi, he/she must pay for the supervisor’s travel expenses outside of the boundaries. The Office of Field Experience will set up a process by which to make payment. During this time interns observe a cooperating teacher, work with students, plan lessons, and are evaluated on planning, teaching and assessment. The Teacher Intern Assessment Instrument is used to evaluate the candidate (TIAI).
In addition, a narrative portfolio called the Teacher Work Sample is completed to indicate specific factors required in the unit plans and how a teacher intern will ensure that all students will be able to learn successfully. The TWS is explored and modeled in the CUR methods course during the block semester.
Written applications for the Directed Teaching Internship must be filed with the Director of Field Experiences. Secondary and special subject majors make application for the internship during the methods course in their majors. Candidates are responsible for filing applications to comply with deadlines established by the Teacher Education Council a semester in advance: The fall internship application deadline is the week of February 15, and the spring internship application deadline is the week of September 15. All requirements for the Directed Teaching Internship must be met before a candidate is approved for internship.
Prerequisites for ALL Teacher Interns
- Senior standing (87 and over semester hours)
- Nine hours in residence in the teaching field
- Grade point average of 2.75-3.0 on all course work taken
- Completion of prerequisite courses as shown in catalog
- Submission of application for admission to the Directed Teacher Internship Program by
- The deadline dates shown above.
- A positive recommendation by the department/division faculty; the number of endorsements required will be determined by the department/division based on the number of faculty.
- Passing scores on the appropriate Praxis Specialty Area Test and the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) Test
- Also, DSU Diversity Proficiencies are to be developed and demonstrated by graduation.
Praxis Testing Information
PRAXIS exams are available several times each semester and in the summer at DSU and other testing locations/universities. These exams are taken at the candidate’s expense. PRAXIS tests may be taken as many times as needed to achieve passing scores. As of August 2018, the passing scores set by the Mississippi Department of Education are as follows:
Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators (CORE)
Test Code Subject Passing Score
5713 Reading 156
5723 Writing 162
5733 Mathematics 130
Candidates who have an ACT composite score of 21 (or SAT of 1060 and above) are exempt from the PRAXIS Core Reading and Mathematics tests.
ALL teacher candidates must take the CORE Writing examination.
Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT)
Test Code Subject Passing Score
5624 PLT:Grades 7-12 157
Praxis Music Content Knowledge (History & Literature, Theory, Performance, Pedagogy etc.)
Test Code Subject Passing Score
5113 Music: Content Knowledge 161
Study materials for each of these tests are available either on the Educational Testing Service website (ets.org), or via secondary sources (books, flashcards, etc.)
Candidates must have passing scores for all exams on file with the Office of Field Experiences by the first day of class in the semester they plan to complete their teaching internship.
Department Of Music Requirements For Admission To Directed Teaching Internship
- To pass all sections of the Piano Proficiency exam.
- To complete the last five hours of credit in applied performance (AMU) at the upper division (300 level), to include the senior recital.
- Present a senior recital prior to the semester of the directed teaching internship, earning a grade of C or higher from the faculty jury and applied instructor.
- Meet standards set for several phases of Field Experiences in area schools in MUS 388 Music Methods and Materials for the Elementary School and CUR 489/490 Vocal Music Methods/Instrumental Music Methods.
- Earn the grade of C in all music courses. Courses may be repeated to meet this requirement.
Nondiscrimination
Delta State University is committed to a policy of equal employment and educational opportunity. Delta State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or veteran status. This policy extends to all programs and activities supported by the University.
