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| | | | Orientation to the Program
The MAT program was designed to prepare ideal teacher candidates. Here you will find the necessary requirements to complete this program. The requirements are as follows: - Begin a course sequence (Fall, Winter, Spring)
- Create a portfolio
- Complete observation hours
- Participate in student teaching
- Become certified
This section will provide you with information about each of these categories.
For more comprehensive information, see your Secondary Education Handbook. <- This is your guide to everything you'll need!
| Cluster Coursework
The certification portion of the secondary education program is offered only in the cluster format.
- All courses required for certification are offered in a prearranged sequence.
- *Students MUST BE ADMITTED to be considered for registration. All courses required for the MAT in Secondary Education are registered for at one time and the tuition rate is locked in.
- *The same 18-25 students remain together throughout the certification portion of the program.
- *Location and evening classes remain the same throughout the cluster portion of the program.
- Courses for certification may not be taken out of the cluster or transferred into the program.
- Students need to stay with the cluster chosen at registration for the entire program. Changes are not permitted.
*Exceptions: The content area methods course may change locations and day of the week for some clusters and students from other clusters will be combined. Locations and starting times may be dependent on labs needed. Since our instructors are practicing secondary teachers, time restrictions and/or commitments to their school districts and travel times are also considered when choosing a location.
Courses in the Secondary Education sequence are held in two formats: cluster and non-cluster. Cluster courses for Secondary Education include all necessary classes to gain certification. Once a student has gained admission to a cluster, no further registration is necessary for cluster coursework. Those course locations and times may be accessed through your NLU Portal, or, on the NLU website.
Non-cluster coursework leads to the M.A.T. degree. To register for a course outside of a cluster, please fill out the blue sheet in the Quarterly or download the following document: Registration for Non-Cluster Courses. Then fax it to (847)947-5027, the Cluster Office in Wheeling.
Non-cluster coursework may be taken at any time during the program.
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| Non-cluster Coursework After completion of the certification portion of the secondary education program, students wishing to pursue the MAT must complete the following courses: If you entered a cluster before the Summer of 2006, you need to register for five courses:
- ESR 506: Graduate Research: Interpretive/Critical
| - ESR 507: Graduate Research: Empirical/Quantitative (online courses available)
| - EPS 541: Cognition and Instruction (online course available)
| - Two elective courses in one area, described in the table below:
| Reading* | ESL | Middle Level**
| Special Education***
| RLR 502 or
| CIL 500
| MLE 500 | SPE 501
| RLR 503 and
| CIL 505
| MLE 502
| SPE 506
| RLL 522* or
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| RLL 528*
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For a full list of course descriptions, click here: Course Descriptions. Only ESR 506, ESR 507, and EPS 541 are offered online!
*Students taking the 5 semester hours of Reading electives will need one extra semester hour. More Information...
**These courses are necessary for Middle School endorsement. More Information...
***Students can be eligible for a Special Education endorsement. More Information...
Students have six years from the date of their first course to finish the MAT Program.
If you entered a cluster in the Summer of 2006 or since, you need to register for four courses:
- ESR 514: Research in Action
| - SEC 525: American Urban Education
| - Two elective courses in one area, described in the table below:
| Reading* | ESL | Middle Level**
| Special Education***
| RLR 502 or
| CIL 500
| MLE 500 | SPE 501
| RLR 503 and
| CIL 505
| MLE 502
| SPE 506
| RLL 522* or
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| RLL 528*
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Students have six years from the date of their first course to finish the MAT Program.
| Course Sequence
Students may begin the certification course sequence with a cluster for winter, spring, or fall. Students can join a cluster at any of these times. The proposed course sequences beginning in the fall, winter, and spring can be accessed in the following links:
| Observation Hours
The Secondary Education MAT Program requires that a minimum of 100 clock hours of observation be completed prior to student teaching. Classroom observations are designed to provide students with opportunities to develop and refine teaching skills. Three courses required for certification in Secondary Education incorporate observation hours into the requirements of the classes. Most observations will be connected to topics of study and may result in a required paper(s) to the class. The following four courses* include observation hours:
- SEC 502 - Methods and Materials for Teaching at the Secondary Level: 25 Observation Hours Required
- SPE 500 - Introduction to Exceptional Children and Adolescents: 15 Observation Hours Required
- SEC 510-524 -Teaching Biology, or English, or Modern World Language, or Mathematics, or Physical Science, or Social Studies in Secondary Schools: 45 Observation Hours Required. Students may complete 15 of these required hours before the start of the course.
- EPS 511 - Human Learning & Development in Instructional Contexts: 15 Observation hours required, which will be completed in middle and high school classrooms.
*Middle level elective observation hours are to be completed in addition to the 100 hour program requirement and cannot be substituted for any of the above hours.
Details concerning these observation hours will be discussed in class. You can also find more information about Observation Hours in the following documents:
| Student Portfolio
A Student Portfolio is required of all Secondary Education students. It will document your growth as you proceed through the professional preservice program. Instructors in your SEC502 Methods and Materials for Teaching at the Secondary Level, SEC510-524 Teaching "Content Area" in the Secondary School, and SEC590A-F Student Teaching Seminar will assist you in creating and organizing the contents of your portfolio. Throughout the program you will have time to edit, share, and discuss your portfolio pieces. A portfolio checklist is included in the "Forms" section of the Student Handbook. All students will be required to do an electronic copy of their portfolio. The portfolio:
- is a window into your thinking, a means of understanding your journey in becoming a teacher,
- conveys your beliefs, attitudes, and values as a teacher,
- provides a complex and comprehensive view of your performance in a professional context, and
- is a purposeful, reflective collection of your work that exhibits efforts, progress, and achievements in your professional program.
The layout requirement for your portfolio can be found in the Student Handbook along with the Student Portfolio Checklist.
The electronic version of the portfolio must be made using the web-based tool called Livetext. Livetext is an electronic web-based tool used for developing, assessing, and measuring student learning. To register an account with Livetext or to learn more about the web-based tool, visit their website.
If you are having difficulties logging in or using Livetext, please visit the Livetext Help Center.
For further information about LiveText and your student portfolio, please visit the Secondary Education LiveText Portfolios webpage.
| Student Teaching
Student Teaching is the culminating experience prior to certification. Student Teaching is a minimum of a ten-week, full-day teaching experience in a selected classroom. The dates of Student Teaching depend on the school placement. Students may start and end their experience before and/or after the official beginning and ending dates of courses on the National-Louis University calendar. In addition, a required seminar will meet for a minimum of 5 evening sessions during the quarter. One of these sessions may be a Saturday workshop and another may be an individual or group portfolio conference.
Student Teaching Prerequisites
The following prerequisite coursework at NLU must precede enrollment in SEC590A-F Student Teaching:
- EPS 511 - Human Learning and Development in Instructional Contexts
- FND 504 - History and Philosophy of Education
- SEC 502 - Methods and Materials for Teaching at the Secondary Level
- SPE 500 - Introduction to Exceptional Children & Adolescents
- SEC510-524 - Teaching Biology or English or Modern World Language, or Mathematics or Physical Science or Social Studies in Secondary Schools
Any students who receives a grade below a "B" and demonstrates a lack of readiness in methods courses (SEC502 and/or SEC510-524) shall automatically be delayed from a SEC590A-F Student Teaching assignment. More Information...
Additional prerequisites follow:
- Interviews with school personnel responsible for the SEC590A-F Student Teaching placement may be required before final placements are assigned.
- 100 hours of completed original observation logs including the Observation Hour Summary Sheet and Checklist Cover Sheet
- Criminal Background Check
- Tuberculosis Test
- Students who do not complete all prerequisites prior to the beginning of Student Teaching may be removed from their placements and Student Teaching will be delayed.
For more information about Student Teaching, visit the following webpage: Student Teaching Webpage
| Certification
During Student Teaching seminar, students will be advised on the application procedure for certification. To apply for state certification, the student must complete all program courses required for certification as indicated on the graduate study plan (FND504, SEC502, SPE500, SEC510-524, EPS511, SEC590A-F). For a full list of course descriptions, click here: Course Descriptions.
Official Transcripts
The student will need a transcript from the undergraduate institution(s), from colleges where content area requirements were completed, and from NLU. (A transcript from NLU will be provided with the approved application.) An OFFICIAL transcript bears the signature of a college or university official and is embossed with the college/university seal. Copies will not be accepted. It is suggested that students gather necessary transcripts well in advance of student teaching.
Students need to provide OFFICIAL transcripts to NLU to document completion of content area requirements, to the Illinois State Board of Education when the application for certification is submitted and to the hiring district when a teaching position is obtained. Three sets of transcripts should be ordered. Transcripts submitted at the time of admission to the University cannot be released to the student.
State of Illinois Certification Examinations
The State of Illinois requires all teachers seeking certification to pass the Basic Skills test, the appropriate subject-matter test, and the Assessment of Professional Teaching (APT). Applicants in science, English, social science, and mathematics must take the grades 6-12 APT test, while foreign language applicants must take the K-12 APT test. The Basic Skills test is one of the tests required for admission to NLU. The subject-matter test is indicated on your transcript evaluation letter for the area in which you will be certified. A list of content-area tests can be found at: http://www.icts.nesinc.com/IL12_testselection.asp. It is the student's responsibility to register for this test. Registration bulletins that provide general information and contain registration forms are available from NLU, a Regional Office of Education (ROE), the Illinois State Board of Education at (217)782-2905, and the National Evaluation Systems at (413)256-2870.
Current test dates for the 2007-2008 year follow:
| Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Have a question about registration, observation hours, student teaching, and more? Visit our FAQs page!
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Last modified on: 2008-10-07 13:11:00 by: Gina Sammarco
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