CREDIT FOR PRIOR LEARNING PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES FOR TEACHER EDUCATION STUDENTS


As you may be aware, Missouri Baptist University offers a program which allows nontraditional students who have substantial prior learning experiences and/or valid work experiences to seek credit for up to thirty semester hours via portfolio assessment. While each individual’s background is unique and should be considered on a case-by-case basis, it is important that certain guidelines be followed in order to maintain a rigorous level of academic integrity within the program:

1. Students may petition for credit for coursework within the Education Division based on specific areas of strength and experience. It can be more difficult to demonstrate competency in courses of a more general nature due to the greater number of skills which must be addressed in the portfolio.

2. When seeking credit for field experiences, students should be aware that EDCL 411 Teaching Field Experience II is not available for credit through portfolio assessment. The justification for this exclusion is based on the premise that Missouri Baptist University faculty need to be able to observe, evaluate, and interact with individuals in at least one formal field experience prior to student teaching. It should be noted that successful completion of EDCL 411 is expected of individuals seeking for partial or full credit for student teaching via portfolio assessment.

3. Students may petition for credit for student teaching via portfolio assessment, but only if they have significant, valid work experiences in the appropriate grade level(s) and subject area(s). These work experiences must consist of instructional assignments which demonstrate breadth and depth over an extended period of time. Individuals seeking state teacher certification must be able to demonstrate successful teaching experience in multiple grade levels which span the certification area(s). For example, Early Childhood candidates must have significant teaching experience with children ranging from birth through grade three; Elementary Education candidates, grades 1-6; Middle School candidates, grades 5-9; Secondary Education candidates, grades 9-12. Moreover, those individuals seeking certification in multiple subject areas (i.e., language arts/social studies, math/science, health/physical education, etc.) must be able to demonstrate successful teaching experience in each of those particular subject areas.

It should be noted that non-instructional assignments such as bus duty, lunchroom duty, recess duty, before and after school duty, in school suspension or detention duty, etc., cannot be counted toward any time whatsoever in the portfolio assessment process.

As noted in the 2000-2003 Missouri Baptist University Catalog, the length of the student teaching experience for those candidates entering the program Fall 1998 or after is a full semester (sixteen weeks). Individuals may petition for only partial credit for student teaching, which is the equivalent of up to six credit hours or eight weeks. It should be noted that all individuals, regardless of their experiential background or length of service, will be required to complete a minimum of eight weeks of successful student teaching in the appropriate grade level(s) and subject area(s).

Prior to pursuing the credit for prior learning portfolio process, all individuals interested in seeking credit should schedule an interview with the Director of Teacher Education. At that interview, the candidate should provide a letter which presents an overview of the individual’s teaching experience, length of service, exact duties and responsibilities, as well as grade level(s) and subject area(s). In addition, the individual should articulate in the letter his or her perceived strengths as a teacher, and why these strengths, when combined with valid work experiences, should qualify the individual for consideration under the portfolio assessment process. Finally, the letter should indicate the individual’s status regarding formal admission to the Teacher Education program. It should be noted that candidates must be formally admitted into the Missouri Baptist University Teacher Education program before final approval to participate in the portfolio assessment process will be granted. In rare instances, if all a degree-seeking undergraduate candidate lacks for formal admittance into the Teacher Education program is a passing C-BASE score, that individual may be considered, but if approved, would not be granted course credit through the Adult Learning Program until a passing C-BASE score had been achieved and the student had been formally admitted into the Teacher Education program.

The Director of Teacher Education will consider the contents of the letter in conjunction with information gained during the interview in determining whether or not to approve the individual for eligibility under the portfolio assessment process. Upon approval by the Director of Teacher Education, the individual may formally petition for the specific course credit identified.

The following are additional procedures and requirements for teacher education students, both graduate and undergraduate, seeking credit for professional education courses through credit for prior learning portfolios (CPL):

1. Education students must have worked in a school as a classroom aide, permanent substitute, or teacher assistant for three consecutive years within the past five years to be eligible to seek credit through CPL.

2. Graduate teacher education students may earn up to nine (9) credit hours in professional education at the graduate level from those courses listed below through CPL.

3. Teacher education students may earn up to 30 credit hours through CPL. Only sixteen (16) credit hours from the professional education courses listed below may be earned within the total of 30 credit hours. Students may earn an additional fourteen (14) hours through CPL for general education or content area courses other than professional education.

4. Only fifteen hours total (nine graduate) from the following professional education courses may be taken through CPL: