Program Objectives:
The Curriculum and Instruction (C&I), Master of Arts, Teacher Certification Program is designed to prepare qualified professionals for Elementary and Middle School teaching as a second career. It is a collaborative program of 36 semester hours between Concordia University and a school district with the objective of encouraging high-quality candidates to become certified teachers for positions within the district. Students completing this program will be eligible to apply for an Initial Elementary (Type 03) teaching certificate

Admission Standards and Requirements
Candidates must have the following:

• Be in a participating district
• A 3.0 GPA for regular admission and hold a bachelor's degree.
• A minimum five years of professional experience in the area the candidate wishes to teach.
• Two letters of recommendation, including one from an administrator from the cooperating district and one other person.
• Official transcripts from EACH college/university attended.
• A completed Concordia University application for admission.
• An essay on an assigned topic of approximately 500 words written under supervision. The day the essay is written, the candidate will be interviewed by University and District representatives.
• Evidence that the applicant has passed the State of Illinois Basic Skills test prior to admission to the program.
• A resident teacher certificate plus a substitute teacher certificate and other requirements as outlined in the Illinois Teacher Corps state legislation. The school district will assist the student in obtaining the certificates.

Refer to the College of Education Handbook for information related to additional program requirements and checkpoints.

Degree Requirements:
Complete the 36 semester hour program including the Capstone Experience. (Each course is 3 semester hours unless otherwise indicated.)

Required:

EDU-6025 Teaching Science and Mathematics in the Elementary Classroom

EDU-6040 Classroom Teaching Skills

EDU-6060 Classroom Management and Assessment

EDL-6100 Research in Education

EDU-6201 The Teaching of Reading

EDU-6420 History of American Educational Experience

EDU-6500 Curriculum Construction

EDU-6911 Practice Teaching: Elementary and Middle School (6 hours)

PSY-4410 Psychological/Methods Teaching the Exceptional Learner

PSY-6505 Psychological Theories and the Education Process

* SOC-4610 Social Inequality: Minority Group Relations

* SOC-6620 Cross-Cultural Studies for Teaching Limited English Proficient Students

Capstone Experience: Portfolio plus oral defense

* Course can be substituted for students holding a Type 29 Transitional Certificate

Evidence of passage of the Elementary Subject Matter test, and the Assessment of Professional Teaching test must be submitted prior to graduation.

Middle School Endorsement
Middle School Endorsement in specific content areas may be awarded to students by entitlement if at the time of graduation the following criteria are met:

1. EDU-4500: Middle School Assumptions and Curriculum
2. PSY-4105: Developmental Psychology: Middle Childhood; or
PSY-4110: Developmental Psychology: Adolescence
3. 18 semester hours in an approved content area (methods courses may not count toward the required 18 semester hours)

For Bilingual/ESL Approval by the State of Illinois:
To obtain state bilingual approval, students must complete six courses (18 hours). Students are allowed to use one course (SOC 4610 or SOC 6620) for the sixth course. The following five bilingual courses (15 hours) need to be taken in addition to the 36-hour program. Students completing the following course work are eligible to apply directly to the State of Illinois for Bilingual/ESL approval.

1. FOL-4100 Teaching English as a Second Language
2. FOL-6100 Languages and Linguistics
3. FOL-6110 Methods/Materials for Teaching Limited English Proficient Students in Bi-Lingual Programs
4. FOL-6120 Theoretical Foundations of Bilingual Students
5. PSY-6027 Assessment of Bilingual Students