Academics

B. Pass the required Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC)

Students seeking elementary certification, including those in special education and early childhood education, must pass the Elementary Education MTTC (Test #83) as a condition for progression to the internship (TE 501).

For elementary certification students, passing the Elementary Education MTTC is a requirement for completion of the teacher certification program and a State of Michigan requirement for certification to teach in grades K-5. Students who also wish to teach in grades 6-8, must pass the MTTC corresponding to their teaching major. Students in Special Education and Early Childhood Education must pass tests in their respective areas (i.e., Learning Disabilities and Early Childhood Education) to become endorsed to teach in those areas. Passing these subject matter tests is not required for program completion and progression to the internship; however, it is required if the student is to be recommended for certification in those areas.

For those seeking secondary certification (including the K-12 majors of Art Education, Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Music Education and Physical Education), students must take and pass the MTTC corresponding to their major as a condition for progressing to the internship (TE 501, CSD 883, MUS 495). All secondary education students, except those in Music, Art, Social Studies and Physical Science (comprehensive group majors), are required to complete an approved teaching minor. For secondary education students, passing the MTTC corresponding to the minor is a requirement for becoming certified to teach the minor and a requirement for placement in the minor subject area during the internship. While it is in the best interest of secondary teacher candidates to be certified in both their major and minor areas, the Michigan Department of Education permits secondary candidates to earn provisional certification in the major without certification in the minor.

In addition to passing the MTTC corresponding to their teaching major, students who wish to be certified to teach world languages are required to meet oral proficiency standards established by the State of Michigan. Secondary education students with world language majors must meet the standard as a condition for progression to the internship. Secondary education students with world language minors and elementary students with world language majors or minors are not eligible for internship placements in world languages unless they have met the standard. All candidates must meet the standard before they can be recommended for certification to teach a world language.

C. Conviction Disclosure Form

It is important that prospective interns be appropriate candidates for the teaching profession. In Michigan, the State Board of Education may refuse to grant, or may impose conditions upon, a teaching certificate for an individual who is convicted as an adult of a felony involving moral turpitude or who is convicted of an act of immoral conduct contributing to the delinquency of a child. Conviction of these and other crimes may, therefore, preclude the teacher candidate from participating in the internship. To be eligible for the internship, the teacher candidate must complete, sign, and submit the Conviction Disclosure Form to the Student Affairs Office. Concealment or misrepresentation of information required to be disclosed in the Conviction Disclosure Form may result in denial of admission to the internship year or in denial of recommendation for teacher certification.

D. Professional Criteria

The internship involves the intern in extensive co-planning and co-teaching with an experienced collaborating teacher and requires the intern to gradually assume responsibility for all aspects of learning and teaching in the classroom. To be eligible for an internship, the teacher candidate must have demonstrated a readiness to work in accordance with the Professional Standards below and an appropriate disposition for the profession of teaching. Therefore, a teacher candidate who meets the Academic Requirements listed above may be denied the opportunity to do an internship if, in the judgment of the Teacher Education Department, the teacher candidate has failed to meet any of the following Professional Criteria. The Professional Criteria are related to the Professional Standards used to evaluate interns’ progress during the internship year.

(1) Reliability and Responsibility

Teacher candidates must generally have been present and on time for professional commitments, including classes and field experiences. Teacher candidates must have regularly communicated about necessary absences or lateness according to the guidelines in the Professional Conduct Policy. Teacher candidates must have a record of meeting deadlines for course assignments and program requirements. A pattern of repeated absences, lateness, and failure to meet deadlines in courses or fieldwork is not acceptable. Any form of dishonesty (lying, plagiarism, forged signatures, etc.) about these and other requirements is not acceptable.

(2) Communication Skills and Social Relationships

Teacher candidates must have demonstrated the ability to express their viewpoints and negotiate difficulties appropriately, without behaving unprofessionally with instructors, peers, or students. Teacher candidates must have shown that they are ready to accept constructive feedback in a professional manner. Teacher candidates must have demonstrated an awareness of appropriate social boundaries between students and teachers and have shown that they are ready and able to observe those boundaries. Extreme forms of behavior (such as outbursts in class, sexual or other harassment, threats of suicide or of harm to others) are not acceptable.

(3) Comfort with and Concern for the Learning of all Children

Teacher candidates must be able to engage in informal conversations with children and keep their attention in such conversations. Teacher candidates must interact courteously, fairly, and professionally with people from diverse racial, cultural, and social backgrounds and of different genders or sexual orientations. Racial and other slurs are not acceptable, nor is conduct that violates the University’s Anti-Discrimination Policy or would violate the Anti-Discrimination Policy if it were directed at a member of the University community.

Procedures for Decisions and Notification

A. Academic Requirements and Criminal Disclosure Form

The Student Affairs Office has primary responsibility for confirming that a teacher candidate has met all Academic Requirements and submitted the Criminal Disclosure Form. Students are responsible for insuring that they meet all criteria for progression to the internship, including fulfilling grade requirements. Students should meet with advisors to verify grade point averages if necessary.

If a teacher candidate’s records are not complete or if a student has failed to meet one or more Academic Requirements or to submit the Criminal Disclosure Form, the Student Affairs Office will endeavor to notify the teacher candidate and the Teacher Education Department (usually the teacher candidate’s team) before May 30 prior to the beginning of the teacher candidate’ internship. If the deficiencies are not remedied before the end of the summer term, the Student Affairs Office will so notify the Teacher Education Department (the teacher candidate’s team), and the teacher candidate’s internship will be delayed until the beginning of the next internship year assuming the deficiencies have been remedied.

B. Professional Criteria

The Department of Teacher Education and its representatives, including course instructors and collaborating teachers, have primary responsibility for evaluating whether teacher candidates have met the required Professional Criteria. The following procedures will be used to assure that teacher candidates are systematically evaluated according to the Professional Criteria and that potential problems are investigated:

• All collaborating teachers working with students taking TE 403/404//407 and TE 405/406/408 will be asked to complete a questionnaire concerning the students’ performance in the field, including their performance with respect to the Professional Criteria. Any classroom teacher indicating concerns about a student’s performance or professionalism will be contacted by the course instructor or another team representative, and the team will investigate the concerns.
• The teams will request that course instructors teaching TE 301/302, TE 403/404/407, and TE 405/406/408 identify students who may not be meeting the Professional Criteria and provide information about their possible failure to comply with the Professional Criteria. The teams will investigate any such concerns expressed by other course instructors.
• Teams will investigate concerns expressed by other course instructors, including instructors in other departments, which might involve a student’s failure to meet any of the Professional Criteria.

Generally, the Team Coordinator and/or Team Leader will review situations which may involve a teacher candidate’s failure to meet any of the Professional Criteria. If the likelihood of failure to comply with the Professional Criteria is serious enough to jeopardize the teacher candidate’s progress to the internship, the Team Leadership will review the case.

If the Team Leadership concludes that the situation involves a failure to comply with one or more of the Professional Criteria that is serious enough to warrant a recommendation that the teacher candidate not be allowed to progress to the internship, the Team Leader will inform the teacher candidate and the Assistant Chair/Coordinator of the Teacher Preparation Program of the recommendation and of the basis for it. The Assistant Chair/Coordinator will be responsible for reviewing the recommendation and determining that the teacher candidate may, upon meeting certain conditions, proceed to the internship, or that the teacher candidate will not be allowed to proceed to the internship. The Assistant Chair/Coordinator will contact, and preferably meet with the teacher candidate prior to making this determination.

If the Team Leadership concludes that the teacher candidate has failed to comply with one or more of the Professional Criteria, but that the failure is not, by itself, serious enough to prevent the teacher candidate from progressing to the internship, the teacher candidate will be notified of the failure and of the teacher candidate’s need to comply with the Professional Criteria in the future. If the teacher candidate again fails to comply with any of the Professional Criteria, the Team Leadership will again review the case. If, because of the teacher candidate’s repeated failure to comply with one or more of the Professional Criteria, the Team Leadership recommends that the teacher candidate will not be allowed to progress to the internship, the Team Leader will inform the teacher candidate and the Assistant Chair/Coordinator of the recommendation and the basis for it. The Assistant Chair/Coordinator will be responsible for reviewing the recommendation and determining that the teacher candidate may proceed to the internship upon meeting certain conditions or that the teacher candidate will not be allowed to proceed to the internship. The Assistant Chair/Coordinator will contact and preferably meet with the teacher candidate prior to making this determination.

The teacher candidate may appeal the decision to the Assistant/Associate Dean of the College of Education.

Professional Standards for the Internship

The Teacher Education Program has adopted the following Professional Standards which are used to evaluate interns' performance and make decisions about recommendations for certification.

• Employ a liberal education
• Teach a subject matter
• Work with students as individuals
• Organize a class
• Use an equipped school room
• Join a faculty and school
• Engage guardians and community
• Teacher as professional and reflective learner

For more detailed information, please click here to get a full version of Professional Standards for the Internship (PDF).

NOTE:

1. This requirement applies to teacher candidates who applied to Teacher Education during and after the 1994-95 academic year and who sought admission for Fall, 1995 or later terms.

2. Pre-internship Professional education courses required for teacher certification including the following:

• TE 150, CEP 240/TE 250, TE 301/TE 302, TE 403/404/405/406 and /TE 407/408
• TE 842 and TE 843 (for Music Education and CSD majors)
• STA 481 and STA 482 (for Art Education majors)
• CSD 483 (for Communicative Science and Disorders majors).

3. This requirement applies to teacher candidates accepted into Teacher Education after
January 1, 1999.

4.  This requirement applies to teacher candidates who were admitted to the teacher preparation program in Fall 2012 or later.