Packet and Information
TEACHER ED ADMISSIONS PACKET DIRECTIONS
TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM RELEASE-WAIVER FORM
APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION TO THE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAM
Recommendation Letter Template
Student Teacher Placement Practices
All candidates for Missouri State Teacher Certification must be formally admitted into the Teacher Education program at Missouri Baptist University. This process should begin with a completed admission packet prior to the completion of EDUC 213 Foundational Perspectives of Education, or prior to the completion of EDUC 303 Methods of Teaching for those students who have transferred a course equivalent to EDUC 213 or who take EDUC 213 online. No student will be allowed to student teach unless he or she has been formally admitted into the Teacher Education program.
The Teacher Education Admission Packet includes the Teacher Education Program Release/Waiver Form, Application for Admission to the Teacher Education Program, Self-Assessment of Diversity Proficiencies (Admission), and Acknowledgment Form, along with submission of a current resume*, educational philosophy*, autobiographical sketch*, three letters of recommendation (one of which must be from a Missouri Baptist University faculty member), ACT or SAT scores, and general education assessment scores. The required general education assessment will be changing September 1, 2013, from College Basic Academic Subjects Examination (C-BASE) to the new General Education Skills Assessment. Students who have not successfully passed all subtests of C-BASE as of December 31, 2013, will be required to take the new General Education Skills Assessment for admission to the Teacher Education Program. It must be noted that no undergraduate degree-seeking candidate will be admitted into the Teacher Education program and/or be allowed to student teach without passing all sections of the required general education assessment.
** Post-baccalaureate students seeking initial certification, whether at the graduate- or undergraduate-level, are exempt from the general education assessment requirement.
Undergraduate students may take the following 17 credit hours prior to completing the process for admission to the Teacher Education Program:
Graduate students may take the following 19 credit hours prior to completing the process for admission to the Teacher Education Program:
*These documents will be reviewed for mechanical errors (grammar, punctuation, spelling, formatting, etc.) as well as content. The file will not be considered complete until final recommended revisions have been made and accepted.<
**Undergraduate degree-seeking students who have not passed all sections of the required general education assessment but who have submitted all materials required for admission listed above, and who have passed at least two sections of the required general education assessment, may be permitted to continue taking education courses at the 400-level provided they have registered for the next available exam date and have submitted a written request for permission to continue to the Dean of the Education Division. Students who fail to pass all remaining sections of the required general education assessment the second time must register for tutoring and for the next available exam date, again requesting permission to continue in writing to the Dean of the Education Division. Students who fail any section(s) a third time cannot enroll for any additional education coursework until all sections of have been passed.
Currently, a cumulative GPA of 2.5 is required for admission with no grades below a “C” in professional education and subject area requirements.However, GPA requirements are changing. Students entering MBU beginning with the FA-13 semester must have an overall cumulative GPA of 2.75 as well as a content area GPA of 3.00 and a professional education GPA of 3.00 (with no grades below a “C” in professional education or content area requirements) for admission. Students admitted under the current 2.5 GPA requirement who do not complete certification requirements prior to SP-17 will be held to the new, higher GPA standard.
Once the Teacher Education Admission Packet has been submitted, students must complete an interview with a team of two faculty interviewers as part of the admission process. One of the interviewers will ask questions while the other reviews the students’ professional teaching portfolio. The focus of the admission interview will be on the students’ philosophy of education and one reflection with its supporting artifacts as well as general organization of the documents in the first section of the portfolio.
A schedule of monthly interview dates is published prior to the start of the academic year. All interviews are conducted on the MBU Main campus. Handouts including Interview Tips for Students, Portfolio Checklist, and Interview Questions are available to help students prepare for the admission interview.
Once the Teacher Education Admission Packet is complete and the admission interview has been passed, students are presented to the Education Faculty for approval. Students will receive an acceptance letter from the Dean of the Education Division notifying them when they have been formally admitted to the Teacher Education Program by vote of the Education Faculty.