Description of the Program:

SIUC's Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) program is intended for persons who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or Bachelor of Fine Arts) in the liberal arts or sciences at an NCATE-approved (or otherwise appropriately-accredited) college or university, and desire to pursue licensure for teaching at the secondary level. Those enrolled engage in a year-long internship in a public school setting while also completing university-based studies culminating in the Master's Degree and Illinois teacher certification for the appropriate grade level(s) and content preparation. The M.A.T. is designed as a high-quality, technology-enriched, accelerated certification program; time-to-degree is approximately fifteen (15) months, including one full academic year and two adjacent or contiguous summer sessions of coursework. Those holding undergraduate degrees in teacher education, and those interested in teaching students in grades K-8, are ineligible for this program.

Upon graduation from the program, candidates can become certified to teach in a school system in Illinois or in a state offering reciprocity. They will be broadly prepared in their content areas, and will possess leadership experience pertinent to the public school setting. Students progress through the program as members of an interdisciplinary cohort and are required to work collaboratively within that cohort to investigate and make recommendations about school-based problems and issues using action research approaches.

Program of Studies:

The M.A.T. program requires eleven (11) graduate courses; one 16 week, half-day, five-day-a-week apprenticeship (230 clock hours); and one 16-week, full-time internship in the public school setting. Candidates for the degree must apply for a substitute teaching license prior to the apprenticeship. To complete requirements for the degree within the specified 15 months, candidates enroll in the following blocks of courses and earn 45 graduate credits:

Intersession 1:

C&I 543: Fundamentals of Teaching and Learning (4 weeks); (5 total credits)

Summer 1:

SPED 408: Integrating Children and Youth with Disabilities in Normalized Environments (4 weeks; 3 credits); C&I 544: Action Research Methods (4 weeks; 3 credits); ED 550: Experimental Education-Introduction to "Adventure of the American Mind" Technologies (8 weeks; 3 credits); (9 total credits)

Fall:

Content Area Methods (3 credits), content area elective (3 credits), CI 594-K: 1/2 day apprenticeship (focusing on classroom management and discipline; 4 credits; 5 days a week; 16 weeks); (10 total credits)

Spring:

Content area elective (3 credits); ED 501-teaching internship (6 credits); (9 total credits)

Intersession 2:

Action research project presentation; portfolio completion; C&I 571: Secondary School Curriculum (4 weeks); (3 total credits)

Summer 2:

C&I 465: Advanced Teaching Methods (4 weeks; 3 credits); C&I 561: Reading & Learning Content and Technical Text-"Content Area Reading" (8 weeks; 3 credits); C&I 533: Instructional Leadership (4 weeks; 3 credits); (9 total credits).

Admission Requirements:

A. As part of the admissions process, candidates must:

1. submit a transcript from all institutions of higher education attended in pursuit of the Bachelor's degree or post-baccalaureate study;
2. submit a completed application form and résumé with payment of a $50 application fee;
3. submit two letters of reference from former college professors in the relevant content area;
4. attend a half-day admissions seminar during which an on-site essay and videotaped interview will be obtained from the candidate (some candidates may be exempt from this process);
5. submit scores from and pass the Illinois Certification System Test of Basic Skills (scores must be reported by the application deadline*); and
6. submit passing scores from the Illinois Certification System Test of Subject Matter Knowledge for the relevant content area (scores must be reported by the application deadline*).

* Basic Skills tests are given four to six times per year. In the SIUC area, tests are given at John A. Logan College in Carterville, a town approximately 14 miles east of campus. While it is possible to take both the Basic Skills Test and the content area test on the same day, it is exhausting to do so. In general, tests must be taken and passed before January of the year in which a candidate wishes to begin the MAT program.

B. In addition, candidates must meet all requirements for regular admission to the Graduate School, as outlined in the most recent SIUC Graduate Catalog. Candidates submitting application materials after February 1 cannot be guaranteed, but may be permitted, enrollment with that summer's M.A.T. cohort at the discretion of the M.A.T. Admissions Committee. Applications for the program are processed once a year beginning in February.

C. The following factors will be among those considered by the M.A.T. Admissions Committee in evaluating and admitting candidates for the Master of Arts in Teaching degree:

1. Overall undergraduate grade point average (a 2.750 minimum is required; previous graduate course work of 12 or more credits will be considered; exceptions are made at the discretion of the MAT Admissions Committee);
2. Grade point average in the content area for which certification is sought (a minimum 2.750 is required);
3. Likelihood for successful completion of the program, as reflected through information provided during the application process;
4. Scores from the on-site essay and videotaped interview (if required);
5. Scores from the Illinois Basic Skills and content area tests;
6. Availability of appropriate local public school placements for field experience and an internship in the candidate's specific content area;
7. Deficiencies in content area preparation that would require additional coursework not scheduled as part of the approved degree program; and
8. Balance of admissions decisions by content area.

Unique Program Requirements:

A.

SIUC's M.A.T. candidates learn how action research methodologies inform professional decision-making. After theory-based instruction, they work in interdisciplinary collaborative teams to identify and investigate secondary school-based questions, problems, or issues. These investigations take place over the academic year in which candidates are completing teaching internships in secondary schools. Each team meets throughout the year to engage in, complete, and report on a collaborative investigation. The process involves each team in identifying and defining a school-based question, problem, or issue to be investigated, doing background research, developing an investigation protocol, conducting an investigation, summarizing findings, making conclusions and recommendations, preparing multimedia presentation materials, and reporting results of their investigation in a public forum.

B.

SIUC's M.A.T. candidates matriculate through a thoughtfully constructed program of disciplinary, technology, pedagogical and leadership course work that grooms them to understand and demonstrate characteristics of teachers certified through the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS). That is, they are expected to demonstrate commitment to students and their learning, know their content and how to teach it to students, assume full responsibility for managing and monitoring student learning, think systematically about their practice to learn from experience, and participate actively as members of learning communities.(Source: National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. (2000). What every teacher should know (2000-2001 edition) [Brochure]. Southfield, MI: Author, p. 3.)

C.

SIUC's M.A.T. candidates take a specific course designed to acquaint them with digital technologies and archived digital resources available through the Library of Congress "American Memory" collection. In addition, they learn how to collect, digitize, and submit to the Library of Congress materials of unique historical relevance or importance that could or should be accessible world-wide via web-based programs.

D.

SIUC's M.A.T. candidates demonstrate mastery of these unique program expectations by meeting four specific graduation requirements. Candidates for the M.A.T. must:
1. Prepare and share publicly a professional exhibit to demonstrate professional growth over the 15-month degree program;
2. Publicly present results and recommendations from an action research collaborative project to a university and school faculty review committee;
3. Achieve the equivalent of a 3.000 on a 4.000 scale in ED 501-Secondary Teaching Internship; and
4. Successfully implement an instructional unit or lesson plan employing Library of Congress Adventure of the American Mind digital resources.

Program Accreditation:

All degree options that comprise the College of Education and Human Services Teacher Education Program are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). ISBE granted final approval for SIUC's Master of Arts in Teaching degree on August 12, 2003. Further, the College of Education and Human Services Department of Curriculum and Instruction is a member of the Holmes group.

Purpose of the Program:

A. Responding to Teacher Shortages Within Illinois

According to information retrieved April 15, 2003 from the Illinois State Board of Education website providing information presented at the January 3, 2003 Board Meeting, the state of Illinois currently needs more male teachers and more minority teachers (at least three times the current number). Further, there are currently 324 Illinois school districts in need of Spanish instructors, 315 in need of math teachers, 300 in need of chemistry teachers, and 295 in need of physics teachers. Other areas of projected need include instrumental and vocal music, physical education, and special education. This program is thus designed to reduce specific types of teacher shortages within the state and region served.

B. Responding to Accessibility Problems Within Illinois

According to information retrieved April 15, 2003 from the Illinois State Board of Education website, there currently are only four (4) institutions in the state offering a Master of Arts in Teaching degree. One is a public institution: Northeastern Illinois University. The other three, all private not-for-profit institutions, are Dominican University, Wheaton College, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Since there are so few institutions offering the Master of Arts in Teaching, no institutions in central or southern Illinois, and no research-intensive institutions offering the degree, the program meets a unique need among prospective teachers and other citizens in Illinois.

Requests for Information:

To request application materials or additional information, please contact the Program Coordinator at 618-453-4224. Be prepared to provide your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address. Application materials are available year-round; the application deadline is February 1st of each year. Also, please be aware that only 25 students are admitted to each cohort; application to the program is thus competitive. Those who have met all application requirements prior to the application deadline are more likely to be admitted.