The College of Education

Department website: http://www.msubillings.edu/coe/index.htm

Dr. Ann Beste-Guldborg, Dean
Dr. Tom Manthey, Interim Associate Dean
COE 291, (406) 657-2315

The College of Education provides an array of undergraduate and graduate programs for educator preparation. Degree programs and specific courses are designed to ensure the comprehensive development of practitioners able to serve children in a variety of settings.

Special Education and Reading majors are available to candidates completing an elementary broadfield major or a secondary educator licensure option.

Advising Information

All new, transfer, and re-admitted students are encouraged to visit the Advising Center in McMullen Hall on the first floor west, to meet with a center academic advisor. New students will receive information regarding General Education requirements and plan of study worksheets related to their major and minor programs. Transfer and readmitted students will work with a center advisor to complete a transcript evaluation and to develop a plan of study. Students majoring in bachelor degree programs in the College of Education will be advised through the Advising Center until they are ready for admission to the Educator Preparation Program. At that time, students will be assigned a faculty member for advising. Students majoring in a content area with the Educator Licensure Option will have two faculty advisors: one in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and one in the College of Education.

Academic Department

Department of Educational Theory and Practice

Accreditation

The educator preparation programs at Montana State University Billings are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the Montana Board of Public Education.

Mission Statement

The College of Education is dedicated to:

Preparing competent, caring and committed professionals for Montana’s schools;
Conducting socially significant research to improve the human condition;
Providing community service to improve the quality of life experienced by Montanans; and
Providing graduate education designed for the continuing development of professionals.

Educator Oath

I dedicate myself to the life of an educator, nurturing others to fulfill their potential, live meaningful lives, and participate fully in our society.

I dedicate myself to assuring excellent educational opportunities for all individuals.

I pledge to make the well-being of my students the fundamental value in my professional decisions and actions.

I recognize parents and community as integral to education and pledge to encourage their involvement.

I dedicate myself to teaching the virtues of honesty, respect, trust, and courage.

I commit myself to continuing my own personal growth and professional development, for I must bear witness in my life to the ideals being encouraged in others.

In cooperation with my colleagues, I pledge to advance education professions.

I pledge myself to serve both educational and larger community needs.

I pledge to fulfill these professional responsibilities with diligence, integrity, and dedication.

Montana State University Cooperative Programs

The Montana State University campuses at Billings and Bozeman have developed cooperative programs to better serve students who want to earn endorsements and degrees not offered through the authorized curricula on one or the other campus. For Bozeman, MSU Billings offers the special education endorsement program and the Master of Science in Special Education program. For Billings, MSU-Bozeman offers the school administration endorsement for elementary education and secondary education and the Master of Education in Educational Administration. Contact the Office of the Dean of Education at either campus for additional information.

The Educator Preparation Program

The faculty of Montana State University Billings recognizes that the preparation of educators is an entire-University responsibility. Therefore, the various preparation programs represent a cooperative effort by the colleges and departments involved.

All candidates from the University who wish to be recommended for the State of Montana Educator License must be formally admitted to the Educator Preparation Program and meet all of the program requirements.

The overall purpose of the Educator Preparation Program is to develop competent educators to meet the challenges of contemporary education. The faculty in the Educator Preparation Program accepts the fact that teaching competence at every level requires steadily changing patterns and greater depths of preparation in order to meet the rising standards of study. Therefore, the faculty assumes responsibility for the selection and admission of those who wish to prepare to teach, for the advisement and retention of those admitted, and for the development of curricula designed for the preparation of educators.

Certain requirements are of major importance:

a broad background in General Education;
in-depth content preparation in specific teaching fields;
mastery of professional education knowledge, skills, and dispositions; and
demonstration of the competencies of the Initial Conceptual Framework.

In order to accomplish these objectives, the prospective educator must acquire a scholarly mastery of the field to be taught and the ability to use methods of critical inquiry. This implies that prospective teachers acquire a superior fund of knowledge and enhanced scholarly ability in their respective academic disciplines. Moreover, prospective educators must have knowledge and understanding of human development and behavior; competence in the techniques of instruction; knowledge of school organization and administration; an understanding of education as a social institution in historical and philosophical perspectives; knowledge, understanding, and experience in culturally diverse settings; and an ability to work with a diverse group of learners.

Field-Based Experiences

The College of Education provides a number of supervised clinical and field-based experiences designed to prepare students to work effectively in the education professions. All field-based experiences are systematically designed and selected to provide students with opportunities to observe, plan, and practice in a variety of community settings including schools and social service agencies. The major aim of these experiences is to apply principles and theories from the professional knowledge base in supervised environments. Through a sequence of field-based experiences, students develop skills that allow them to assume full responsibility as a beginning professional. Site and University personnel supervise clinical and field-based experiences.

All practica, internships, and supervised field-based experiences require a valid criminal background report and notarized self-disclosure prior to beginning course work. Students cannot be placed in any field experience until the criminal background report is on file with MSU Billings. The background report on file must meet current policy requirements to participate in any field-based experience.

The criminal background report obtained from the Criminal Justice Information Services Bureau is a fingerprint-based report that provides both a state and federal report. Information on the criminal background process can be found in the Fingerprint Handout on the Educational Theory and Practice webpage: www.msubillings.edu/coe/FingerprintInfo.htm

All questions concerning the process can be directed to the Licensure Officer at 406-657-2293.

Students may be required to purchase an insurance policy during the field experience. In some cases the school or agency provides insurance.

Student Teaching

Student teaching is the culminating experience in the Educator Preparation Program. Student teaching provides a guided teaching experience in a school setting on a fulltime basis. Student teaching is required for all content teaching majors and teaching minors. During the student teaching term, students concurrently participate in capstone seminars. For further information and basic policies regarding the student teaching experience, students should meet with their faculty advisors and refer to the Student Teaching Handbook, Cooperating Teachers, and University Supervisors.

Internship

Field-based internships offer students the opportunity for enhanced experiences in school and community settings. Proposals for internships must be planned by students and their faculty advisor. An internship requires 45 field-based hours per credit hour.

Application Process

In order to provide the highest quality field experience placements for students majoring in elementary or secondary education, deadlines have been set for accepting field placement applications. Field experience placements are the product of a number of elements including student needs, school district requests, and recommendations from faculty. Coordination of these elements requires planning-time. Application deadlines are posted throughout the College each semester. Students who plan to enroll for student teaching must have completed their required coursework prior to the term they plan to student teach.

Teacher Licensure Requirements

Specific educator licensure requirements for the State of Montana have been established by the Office of Public Instruction and approved by the Montana Board of Public Education. All licenses are endorsed by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction for the appropriate level(s) and area(s) of professional competence based upon the recommendation by the Licensure Official of the College of Education. Curriculum programs at MSU Billings prepare students for standard and professional licensure in elementary and secondary teaching and school counseling. Education students who meet all endorsement requirements may be recommended to the state for the endorsement by the Licensure Official of the College of Education.

Processing Procedures for Licensure and Endorsement

Direct all applications for licensure to the College of Education Licensure Officer.
All applications for teaching licensure, teaching endorsements, and supervisory endorsements must be reviewed and receive final approval by the Licensure Officer prior to institutional recommendation and final consideration by the State Licensure Office in Helena, Montana.
The same regulation applies to applicants seeking licensure outside the state of Montana.

Drug and Alcohol Course Requirement

MCA 20-25-603 “All units of the Montana University System and all private colleges and universities in Montana that offer any degree in education shall require that any person who receives any degree in education from that unit, private college, or university must have successfully completed a course in health education to include drug and alcohol education and abuse prior to being awarded his or her degree.”

Indian Education for All (IEFA)

The State of Montana requires licensed personnel to have instruction pertaining to the history, traditions, customs, values, beliefs, ethics, and contemporary affairs of American Indians, particularly Indian tribal groups in Montana. While one two-credit course is an Educator Preparation Program requirement, IEFA is infused throughout the program.

Admission to the Educator Preparation Program

The Educator Preparation Program at MSU Billings may be completed by students enrolled in the College of Education, the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, or the College of Health Professions and Science.

All students desiring licensure to teach are required to file an Application for Admission to the Educator Preparation Program. The application is completed during the term following the completion of a minimum of 45 semester hours of credit, or in the case of a transfer student, during the first term of residence above the sophomore level or the first term of graduate studies enrollment. Approved admission is necessary prior to registration for education courses at the 300 and 400 level.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
1. Completion of a minimum of 45 semester credits with a minimum overall grade point average of 2.65 in all coursework completed.		45
2. All students must have completed the following General Education Requirements at MSU Billings, or from another regionally accredited institution of post-secondary education, earning a minimum grade point average of 2.65 with a minimum grade of “C” (2.0) in each course.
COMX 115	Intro to Interpersonal Comm ^*	3
or COMX 111	Intro to Public Speaking
WRIT 101	College Writing I ^*	3
HSTA 101	American History I ^*	3
or HSTA 102	American History II
A science course with the lab chosen from those approved for General Education		4
A math course chosen from those approved for General Education		3
NASX 105	Intro Native American Studies ^*	3
or NASX 205	Native Americans in Contmp Soc
3. All students must have completed the following Professional Education Core requirements. A minimum grade of “C” (2.0) and a combined GPA of 3.0 must be earned for the following courses .
Professional Education Core
EDSP 204	Intro to Tchng Exceptnl Lrnrs	3
EDU 105	Education and Democracy ^*	3
EDU 220 & 220L	Human Growth & Development and Human Growth & Development Lab	3
EDU 221	Educ Psyc & Measurement	3
HTH 201	Health Issues for Educators	1-3
or HTH 412	Drugs and Alcohol
4. Prior to registration and assignment/placement in any field experience, a student must obtain a fingerprint-based state and federal background check, including a notarized self-disclosure. Students cannot be placed in any field experience until the criminal background report is on file with MSU Billings, current policy requirements have been met, and the students have been cleared by a screening review and determination for program. The candidate must agree that information submitted may need to be shared with faculty and the school district/organization, on a “need to know” basis, to secure the candidate’s field experience placement(s). Field experience placements include sophomore practica, junior field experiences, clinics, student teaching, and internships.

*: May satisfy General Education requirements.

Educator Preparation Program Appeals

Candidates proposing a deviation from the program appeal to the College of Education Educator Preparation Program Appeals Committee. Candidates should contact their faculty advisor for assistance with this process. The Committee makes recommendations to the Dean of the College of Education, who has final decision-making authority.

Courses Restricted to Educator Preparation Program Admission

Curriculum and Instruction

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
ARTZ 402	Teaching Art I--K-12	3
EDU 353	Junior Field Experience	2
EDU 397A	Methods: K-8 Language Arts	3
EDU 397B	Methods: K-8 Social Studies	3
EDU 397C	Methods: K-8 Mathematics	3
EDU 397D	Methods: K-8 Science	3
EDU 397G	Methods: 5-12 Science	2
EDU 397I	Methods: K-12 Music	2
EDU 397M	Methods K-8:Intgrtng Arts/Curr	4
EDU 492	Independent Study	1-5
EDU 494	Seminar/Workshop	1-8
EDU 495A	Student Teaching: K-12	9
EDU 495B	Student Teaching: K-8	9,12
EDU 495C	Student Teaching: 5-12	9
EDU 497A	Methods: 5-12 Social Studies	2
EDU 497B	Methods: 5-12 Mathematics	3
EDU 497C	Methods: K-12 Modern Language	2
EDU 497D	Methods: 5-12 English	2

Educational Foundations

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
EDU 406	Phil, Legal & Ethical Issues	3

Health & Human Performance

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
HEE 309	Health Enhancement Strat K-8	3

Reading

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
EDU 330	Emergent Literacy	3
EDU 333	Rd & Wrtng Across Curriculum	3
EDU 432	Lit & Literacy for Young Adlts	3
EDU 438	Literacy Assessmnt, Diag, Inst	3

Special Education

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
EDSP 301	Tchng Stdnts w Lrning Disab	3
EDSP 302	Tchng Stdnts w Emot Beha Disor	3
EDSP 303	Tchng Stdnts w Intellect Disab	3
EDSP 402	Individualizing Curriculum	3
EDSP 404	Teaching Special Populations	2
EDSP 405	Assess of Students with Excep	3
EDSP 461	Positive Behavior Supports	3
EDSP 462	Spec Ed Law, Policy, Practice	3
EDSP 494	Seminar/Workshop	1-3
EDSP 495	Student Teaching in Special Ed	6-9

Initial Conceptual Framework

The Initial Conceptual Framework represents the shared vision of members of the faculty in collaboration with members of the professional education community in preparing undergraduate students to become educators in P-12 schools. It provides direction for programs, courses, teaching, candidate performance, scholarship, service, and unit accountability. The Initial Conceptual Framework provides expected performance outcomes of program completers.

Initial Conceptual Framework