Internship Mentor Requirements
Internship Year Requirements
- Completion of EDUC 000 Education Gateway Course with a satisfactory grade.
- Completion of the basic level education course, EDUC 340 Brain Based Learning Motivation and Achievement.
- Basic Skills Competency Exam. Each teacher education candidate must pass the Basic Skills Competency Exam (Praxis I) in reading, writing, and mathematics prior to admission to the Teacher Education Program. The student’s score must be equivalent to or surpass the determined passing score. Information on test dates, test fees, and location is available on the ETS web site at http://www.ets.org. Students should take this exam upon completion of their general education course work. Students will need to have their Praxis I results sent to Western State College of Colorado, Agency Code: A4946.
- Fingerprints. Students must submit the completed fingerprint form or provide documentation verifying that fingerprints are on file with the Colorado Department of Education and have completed the FBI clearance. Students submitting the fingerprint form will be required to pay a processing fee.
- Completion of Pre-Program Survey. Students must complete a pre-program survey of their knowledge of, and proficiency in, implementing the state standards for teachers.
- Completion of All Course Work within the Academic Major. Students must complete all course work required within the academic major prior to beginning the education courses and their internship or have content and education advisor permission.
- A grade of C- or better in:
- all courses required in the academic major. NOTE: for Interdisciplinary Studies/Liberal Arts majors, this includes all courses in the major;
- all education courses.
- GPA. Students must have an overall GPA of 2.75 or above.
- State Licensure Exam. Students must pass the appropriate State Licensure Exam(s) for their content area prior to beginning the one year of education course work and internship. Information about the State Licensure Exam can be obtained through the Teacher Education Program or the Colorado Department of Education.
- Submission of an Application for the Year-Long Internship, which includes attendance at all planning meetings and seminars.
Elementary Licensure
A student seeking licensure as an elementary teacher (grades K-6) must complete the Interdisciplinary Studies/Liberal Arts academic major, all other college requirements, and the Elementary Licensure requirements. Students pursuing the Elementary Licensure option must meet all of the requirements for admission to the Teacher Education Program.
Students must complete all course work required within the academic major prior to beginning the year of education course work and complementary internship or have documented content and education advisor permission.
The internship experience will begin each fall, and students may be placed in more than one K-6 classroom for one full year. Students have in-state or out-of-state placement options. The year-long internship experience begins each August with EDUC 404 Creating Positive Learning Environments, taught five days on the Western campus. After completing this course, students will follow the K-6 school year calendar for the school in which they have accepted placement, not the Western State College of Colorado calendar (i.e., begin the year on the day that new teachers report to work, take K-6 school holidays, participate in K-6 school professional opportunities, end the last day that teachers are required to report for work for the school year, etc). This schedule extends from approximately the first of August through the first part of June.
Master mentor teachers are selected carefully to ensure that Western interns have strong role models. The potential mentor teacher will self-assess his or her knowledge of the standards and standard elements. Students accepting internship placements are expected to successfully complete the year-long internship. Students who do not successfully complete the internship will be withdrawn from the Teacher Education Program and must appeal to the Selection and Retention Committee for readmittance.
The other education courses in the program are offered online throughout the year. The internship is in K-6 classrooms a minimum of 24 hours per week with experienced mentor teachers. During this year-long internship, the intern is applying and extending the pedagogical knowledge that he or she is learning in the Education courses.
To be recommended for elementary licensure, the student intern must perform at “3, Proficiency” level in all relevant standard/standard elements in the elementary (K-6) classroom and earn a score of “3, Proficiency” on each standard element in the licensure electronic work sample. Student interns must demonstrate the ability to apply the standard/standard element in an elementary classroom setting, assess K-6 student learning, and evaluate their own teaching performance. “3, Proficiency” is the level expected of well prepared, first-year teachers.
The Elementary Licensure Program requires 30 credits of education course work:
- EDUC 000 Education Gateway Course 0cr.
- EDUC 340Brain Based Learning Motivation and Achievement 3cr.
- EDUC 400Foundations for Literacy: Phonology and Linguistics 3 cr.
- EDUC 401Assessment for Prevention and Intervention 3 cr.
- EDUC 402Reading Comprehension, Oral and Written Language Development 3 cr.
- EDUC 404 Creating Positive Learning Environments, 3 cr
- EDUC 405 Data Driven Instructional Practices, 3 cr
- EDUC 408 Teaching with the Brain in Mind, 3 cr
- EDUC 413 Math and Writing, 3 cr
- EDUC 459 Elementary Student Teaching 1-6cr.
Resource Materials Needed for Each Course
Secondary and K-12 Licensure
A student seeking licensure as a secondary teacher (grades 7-12) or K-12 teacher must complete an appropriate academic major, all other college requirements, and the Secondary/K-12 Licensure requirements. The secondary academic major may be: Biology, Chemistry, Economics, English, Geology, Politics and Government, History, or Mathematics. The K-12 academic major may be: Art, Exercise and Sport Science, Music, or Spanish. Students pursuing the secondary or K-12 Licensure option must meet all of the requirements for admission to the Teacher Education Program.
Students must complete all course work required within the academic major prior to beginning the year of education course work and complementary internship or have documented content and education advisor permission. For students taking content courses during the year of education course work and complementary internship, the Teacher Education Internship Coordinator will be responsible for meeting with content area faculty members to ensure that all requirements and expectations are met during this year. The internship experience will begin each fall, and students are placed in more than one K-12 classroom for one full year. Students have in-state or out-of-state placement options. The year-long internship experience begins each August with EDUC 403 Instruction and Assessment in the Content Area, taught five days on the Western campus. After completing this course, students will follow the K-12 school year calendar for the school in which they have accepted placement, not the Western State College of Colorado calendar (i.e., begin the year on the day that new teachers report to work, take K-12 school holidays, participate in K-12 school professional opportunities, end the last day that teachers are required to report for work for the school year, etc). This schedule extends from approximately the first of August through the first part of June.
Master mentor teachers are selected carefully to ensure that Western interns have strong role models. The potential mentor teachers will self-assess their knowledge of the standards and standard elements. The principal of the host school completes a checklist documenting criteria for selection of mentor teachers before a student is placed at the host school. Upon receiving an internship placement and prior to accepting the placement, a student is expected to arrange for, and have an interview with, the mentor teachers and observe in their classrooms. Students accepting an internship placement will be expected to successfully complete the year-long internship. Students who do not successfully complete the internship will be withdrawn from the Teacher Education Program and must appeal to the Selection and Retention Committee for readmittance.
The other education courses in the program are offered online throughout the year. The internship is in K-12 classrooms a minimum of 24 hours per week with experienced mentor teachers in the same content area in which the intern is seeking licensure. During this year-long internship, the intern is applying and extending the pedagogical knowledge that he or she is learning in the Education courses.
To be recommended for secondary or K-12 licensure in a content area, the student/intern must perform at “3, Proficiency” level in all relevant standard/standard elements in the secondary or K-12 classroom and earn a score of “3, Proficiency” on each standard element in the licensure electronic work sample. The student-intern must demonstrate the ability to apply the standard/standard element in a secondary or K-12 classroom setting, assess secondary or K-12 student learning, and evaluate his/her own teaching performance. “3, Proficiency” is the level expected of well-prepared, first-year teachers.
The Secondary (with the exception of students seeking Secondary English Licensure) and K-12 Licensure Program requires 27 credits of education course work:
- EDUC 000 Education Gateway Course 0cr.
- EDUC 340 Brain Based Learning Motivation and Achievement 3cr.
- EDUC 403 Instruction and Assessment in the Content Area 3cr.
- EDUC 404 Creating Positive Learning Environments 3cr.
- EDUC 405 Data Driven Instructional Practices 3cr.
- EDUC 406 Content Area Literacy 3cr.
- EDUC 407 Technology Integration for Student Growth 3cr.
- EDUC 408 Teaching with the Brain in Mind 3cr.
- Appropriate Student Teaching Course:
- EDUC 409 Secondary Student Teaching 1-6cr.
- EDUC 410 K-12 Student Teaching 1-6cr.
Resource Materials Needed for Each Course
Secondary English Licensure Program requires 30 credits of education course work:
- EDUC 000 Education Gateway Course 0cr.
- EDUC 340 Brain Based Learning Motivation and Achievement 3cr.
- EDUC 400 Foundations for Literacy: Phonology and Linguistics 3 cr.
- EDUC 401 Assessment for Prevention and Intervention 3 cr.
- EDUC 402 Reading Comprehension, Oral and Written Language Development 3 cr.
- EDUC 404 Creating Positive Learning Environments 3cr.
- EDUC 405 Data Driven Instructional Practices 3cr.
- EDUC 407 Technology Integration for Student Growth 3cr.
- EDUC 408 Teaching with the Brain in Mind 3cr.
- Appropriate Student Teaching Course:
- EDUC 409 Secondary Student Teaching 1-6cr.
Resource Materials Needed for Each Course
A complete application for the internship consists of each of the following parts:
The Oath of Agreement and Preliminary Information Sheet are completed at the first mandatory meeting in preparation for the internship.
Items 1 through 4 below must be submitted in electronic
format.
- Application for Student Teaching Cover Sheet
- Resume (professional in format and appearance),
- Teaching Philosophy Statement (well written),
- Academic Data Sheet
- Transcripts (include transcripts from all institutions attended),
- Content Area PLACE or Praxis Exam score reported with "pass"
score noted. You have to PASS this exam BEFORE you can begin your internship year. PLEASE take the exam early enough to allow yourself time to retake the exam, if needed.
Students seeking licensure in the following areas have the choice to take the Praxis II or PLACE exams.
Praxis Website: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeprof/Licensure_PRAXIS_info.asp
Praxis Study Resources:
- Study guides are available from Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million as well as through ETS. ETS has developed guides, Tests at a Glance , which are available on the web at www.ets.org/praxis . Further resources are available at www.fetchbook.info/praxis.html
- Elementary Content Study Resources - What Every 5th Grader Needs to Know and Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know
- Study Tools for the Second Time Test Take
| LICENSURE | PRAXIS IITEST | TEST CODE | CUT OFF SCORES |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary Education | Elementary Education: Content | 0014 | 147 |
| English | English Language, Literature and Composition: Content | 0041 | 162 |
| Mathematics | Mathematics: Content | 0061 | 156 |
| Science | General Science: Content | 0435 | 152 |
| Social Studies | Social Studies: Content | 0081 | 150 |
Students seeking licensure in the following areas continue to take the PLACE exam. Students seeking licensure in Elementary, English, Mathematics, Science, or Social Studies also have the option to take the PLACE exam.
PLACE Website: http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeprof/Licensure_PLACE_info.htm
| LICENSURE | CUT OFF SCORES | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Art | 220 | ||
| Foreign Language: Spanish | 220 | ||
| Music | 220 | ||
| Physical Education | 220 | ||
| Special Education | 220 |
Updated 8/20/07