General Information
Selection of a Major
Students pursuing a license in middle or secondary school subjects, visual
art or music typically major in that subject area. For example, students
pursuing a license in middle school mathematics would major in mathematics;
students pursuing a license in secondary school history would major in
history. In addition, the Massachusetts Department of Education requires
knowledge of specific subject matter within each major.
Students who wish to work towards an early childhood or elementary license
have a choice of majors. Students can major in Psychology & Educational
Studies or any liberal arts major which the College offers. For example,
students can major in art, history, psychology, environmental studies,
women studies, etc. In addition, the Massachusetts Department of Education
requires knowledge of specific subject matter within the early childhood
or elementary levels.
Required Courses
Candidates for all Mount Holyoke’s teacher education programs must
complete a sequence of courses in the Psychology & Education Department
prior to the spring semester of their senior year. The spring semester
of the senior year is devoted almost entirely to the practicum which is
a full-time student teaching assignment in an area school. This sequence
of psychology and education courses can also fulfill requirements for
an education minor. See the Psychology and Education course requirements
necessary for licensure in the following programs:
How to Proceed
Students who are thinking about pursuing teacher licensure while at Mount
Holyoke should contact Ms. Sarah Frenette, the Five-College Coordinator
for Teacher Licensure for an appointment at sfrenett@mtholyoke.edu (preferably
by the middle of the sophomore year). During this initial meeting Ms.
Frenette will outline program requirements, the state of Massachusetts licensure
regulations, and application procedures for acceptance into the licensure
programs. Ms. Frenette will also answer your questions and put you in contact
with the director of a licensure program corresponding to your area of
interest..
Applying to the Practicum Semester
Application materials are available on line at any time or in the Education
Division Office, Room 303 Reese Psychology and Education Building. Completed
applications are due February 15th of the junior year. Candidates must
complete an application form and submit the following: a resume, transcript
of good academic standing, a recent copy of your degree audit, two faculty
references, and a written response to a statement provided in the application.
Once all application
materials are submitted, candidates will be contacted for an interview
with one of the program directors. As part of the application process,
candidates must also complete the Literacy and Communication test of the
Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) in the spring of their
junior year if you have not done so already. A Practicum Selection Committee
examines these documents as well as evaluations and pre-practicum self
evaluation forms from your pre-practicum experiences.
Students are notified prior to spring advising week of their junior year
whether they have been provisionally accepted into the practicum. Full
acceptance necessitates a passing score on the subject area tests of the
MTEL. This test can be taken as early as the junior year, but no later
than November of the senior year. Please check the MTEL Registration Bulletin
or the NES web site for the current
test administration dates. NOTE: early childhood and elementary candidates
must also take and pass the Foundations of Reading Test, usually administered
in February of your senior year before starting the practicum semester.
Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL)
All candidates for licensure must pass tests of competency designed and
administered by the Massachusetts Department of Education (fees apply).
Check the Registration Bulletin or the MTEL web site for the current cost
of the tests, test date and nearest test location. The Education Division
office has the Registration Bulletin for these tests.
Mount Holyoke College Pass Rates of MTEL
Federal regulations require that results of state-mandated teacher tests be reported annually in college catalogues and in other published information pertaining to the teacher education programs. The results for Mount Holyoke College for 2005-2006 are as follows:
One hundred percent of the sixteen 2005-2006 program completers passed the reading and writing sections of the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure. One hundred percent of the thirteen program completers who took the Foundations of Reading section of the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure passed. Pass rates are not reported for academic areas where there were less than ten students who took the test. Therefore, there are no individual reports for results for Early Childhood (5), General Curriculum (8), Mathematics 8-12 (1), French 5-12 (1) and Russian 5-12 (1). The aggregate score for the 16 students who took a total of sixteen subject areas was 100%. The summary total and aggregate score for the sixteen students who took both the basic skills and specific subject area tests was 100%.
9/07/07 |
