Education Field Residency (EDFR)

Students are required to complete 45 hours of filed observations. The purpose of Field Observation is to provide meaningful learning experiences for pre-service educators in accordance with state mandated guidelines for teacher preparation. Through Field Observation, students should have an opportunity to observe best practices and techniques for effective classroom management, connect theory with practice, obtain assistance in career decisions, and to develop personal skills and values. The course must be successfully completed prior to clinical teaching or internship.

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeat Status: Course may be repeated 1 time(s).

Designed for teachers seeking certification under the graduate teacher certification program. Provides extensive supervised experiences in a setting aligned with student’s chosen program. Course is repeated consecutively for two three-credit hour courses to meet state alternative certification requirements of six hours of internship. A fee of $3,800 will be assessed (with payment options) as part of the internship year requirements.

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Repeat Status: Course may be repeated 1 time(s).

This course examines curriculum, instruction, and assessment in the context of standards based education. It explores theories, methods, and procedures underlying the development and design of curriculum and instruction, the interrelationships among curriculum, instruction, and assessment and presents best practices for developing curriculum and instruction which will meet the needs of an inclusive school. Researched based practices designed to improve student learning for all students and to develop 21st Century Skills will be presented. The history of curriculum development and evaluation; the importance of aligning learning theory and learner variables; removal of barriers to student achievement; and how to meet diverse student needs are discussed.

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

The purpose of this course is to provide pre-service teachers with group and individual behavior management and instructional procedures that can be used in a variety of educational environments. Course content will provide both theoretical understanding and practical application of strategies aimed at creating safe, encouraging, and effective learning environments. Emphasis will be placed on the use of evidence-based (a) instructional procedures rather than the content (i.e., curriculum) of instruction, (b) behavior and program evaluation, and (c) core management principles. Throughout the syllabus there ar indications of Evidence Based Practices (EBP). It is important for educators to use practices that have been shown, through sound research, to improve the achievement and performance of students. This course has been designed to expose students to and provide opportunities to use EBP.

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

The goal of the course is to facilitate each student reaching a level high of competence and professional-level understanding of instructional and assessment practices used in diverse educational settings. Grading, use of assessment data, planning, and collaboration are addressed. Students will learn how data driven decision-making can lead to improved student achievement including ELLs and special populations.

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

This course explores legal, ethical and politics issues governing PreK-12 education in America and the legal responsibilities and powers of state and local governing bodies and individuals that arise in elementary and secondary schools. Topics include confidentiality, testing, liability for student injury, due process, search and seizure, staff appraisal, employment discrimination, church/state conflicts, control over the curriculum, the expression of controversial views, issues related to the financing and adequacy of state school finance plans, and the schools’ authority to make rules governing student and teacher conduct. Issues surrounding in-school and in-district politics will also be discussed. Contracts, dismissals, tenure, retirement, liability of personnel and district, school district boundary changes, and bonding ar also explored. Emphasis is given to federal and state statutes and case law affecting due process, liability, equal protection, and the rights of teachers and students in order to better understand the risks in education management and possible strategies to reduce those risks.

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

The Texas Education Agency has approved two options for satisfying the practicum requirement for students in alternative teacher certification programs at the graduate level. The clinical teaching model is a one-semester, unpaid practicum under the supervision of a university supervisor and a campus-based mentor teacher. The clinical teaching model is similar to the undergraduate student teaching practicum. A fee of $500 will be assessed (with two payment option) as part of the clinical teacher semester requirement.

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.