Core I
Core I contains three courses designed to provide an overview of classroom instruction, prepare candidates to meet the developmental needs of elementary students, and introduce candidates to concepts and practices for differentiating instruction for diverse learners. Courses must be taken within this core.
Core II
Core II contains five courses focused on current research and methods for designing instruction and assessing student learning in reading and core content disciplines. Courses must be taken within this core.
Core III
Core III contains two courses designed to explore sociocultural foundations of education and rethinking equity for English Language Learners. In conjunction with these courses candidates complete a minimum 75-hour/one-day-per-week field experience that constitutes the pre-practicum. Courses must be taken within this core.
Core IV
Core IV, the capstone core, involves an additional methods course aligned with a supervised practicum.
Pre-practicum and Practicum Requirements
A 75-hour/one-day-per-week pre-practicum is required during the semester in which the candidate takes the
course. Students must contact the program placement director for a field site when they enroll in this course.
A full practicum is 14 weeks (one full semester) of supervised student teaching. All candidates for initial licensure are required to take the full 6-credit practicum.
Students wishing to enroll in the practicum course must apply for approval and placement in the semester prior to that in which the practicum is to take place. For a spring semester practicum, applications are due the previous October 1; for a fall practicum they are due the previous March 1.
Field of Knowledge Requirement
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requires that candidates for licensure at the elementary level must demonstrate competence and expertise with the material to be taught. To meet this requirement, candidates must:
- Achieve passing scores on the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL) in: Communication and Literacy Skills (Reading and Writing); General Curriculum for Elementary (both Multi-subject and Math subtests); and Foundations of Reading. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education gives these tests several times a year.
- Present certification of completion of a health workshop. This full-day workshop is offered several Saturdays throughout the academic year; students are required to attend one.
Residency Programs in Elementary and Middle/Secondary Education with Initial Licensure
Teach Next Year
As an option within the MEd Track with Initial Licensure: Elementary or Middle/Secondary Education, the Teach Next Year (TNY) course of study offers a limited number of individuals the opportunity to focus on urban education and earn the MEd in a calendar year. Teach Next Year is an intensive and highly selective full-time program. It features a full-school-year internship, with most graduate course work completed onsite in the Boston and Randolph Public Schools. Most participants receive financial incentives provided, in part, by grants. Please contact the Department of Curriculum and Instruction for additional information.
Boston Teacher Residency Program
Aligned with TNY, the Boston Teacher Residency Program (BTR) recruits talented college graduates, career changers, and community members of all ages and gives them the tools to make an immediate impact in the classrooms of the Boston Public Schools. (BPS). Combining a yearlong classroom apprenticeship with targeted master’s-level coursework, the program provides every Teacher Resident with the practical learning, hands-on experience, and ongoing support essential to any successful career in teaching. For additional information, please contact the Boston Teacher Residency Program.
Admission Requirements
Please see the general statement of admission requirements for all graduate studies programs in the “Admissions ” section of this publication and the “Special Instructions for Applicants to Individual Programs” section of the application for admission to graduate study.
Please see also the description of admission requirements listed under “Professional Preparation Programs for Educators ” in the “Academic & Administrative Policies ” section of this publication.
The MEd Program will recommend admission for those applicants who present evidence of their ability to do graduate work with distinction. Such evidence will normally include:
A distinguished undergraduate transcript, with a minimum overall GPA of 3.00;
Evidence of satisfactory grades in the major discipline (for middle/secondary education applicants, at least 3.00 in the discipline[s] to be taught);
Three positive and informed letters of recommendation submitted by persons who are knowledgeable about the candidate’s potential success both as a graduate student and as a teacher. One such letter must be from someone who has been the applicant’s instructor in a college course; another should be from a person who serves, or has served, in a supervisory capacity to the candidate;
Submission of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores or Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL) or Miller Analogy Test (MAT). An applicant who already holds an advanced degree is exempt from this requirement.
For all licensure tracks, submission of MTEL scores, as detailed in the “Academic & Administrative Policies ” section of this publication.
The completion of a written statement demonstrating writing proficiency and including the following information:
- the applicant’s specific professional goals;
- a statement showing the fit between the applicant and the College of Education and Human Development’s basic goal of preparing thoughtful and responsive educators committed to change for social justice. Describe experiences or values that have prepared you to become such an educator.
- the applicant’s philosophy of education and thoughts about contemporary schools and current movements in education.
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