Teacher Education Program

Applying for the Teacher Education Program

THE FIRST STAGE

Apply for admission to the Teacher Education Program after 60 hours of study. This will normally be at the beginning of the Junior year. Application packets are available in Room 166 of Taylor Education Building or on-line as listed below.

In order to apply you must:

• have 60 hours of credit,
• a GPA of 2.5 or greater and
• have completed either MUS 262 or MUS 263 and EDC 202 with a C or better.
• An ACT composite score of 21 or a SAT score of 990 or a combined GRE score of 1200.

(If scores are more than 8 years old, you must take the Praxis I test with minimum results of: Reading = 173 on paper, 320 computer; Math = 173 paper, 318 computer; Writing = 172 paper, 318 computer.)

Follow the deadlines provided in the most current TEP site of the College of Education Web pages. Deadlines are normally within the first two weeks of each semester.

If you wish to see the College of Education web site regarding TEP admission requirements go to:
http://www.coe.uky.edu/AcadServ/TEPAdmit.htm

For downloading TEP admission packet:
http://www.coe.uky.edu/AcadServ/Applics.htm

THE SECOND STAGE

(The Teacher Education Admission Portfolio and the Admission Interview)

All candidates who have applied for the TEP program by the stated deadline will be notified with further instructions for time and place for submitting the TEP Entrance Portfolio and for the Admission Interview. Place your Portfolio materials in a 3-ring binder labeled with name and TEP Portfolio.

The Admission Portfolio consists of the following:

• A current Resume
• Three recommendations from people who know your academic work, your commitment to teaching or your experience with children.
• An official current transcript of all your college credit.
• Three essays:
  1. Your philosophy of teaching in music education
  2. A paper that describes the experiences you have had working with youth and the impact of those experiences on you.
  3. A paper that discusses an educational issue that is currently newsworthy. Express and defend your opinion in relation to this issue.

THE THIRD STAGE

Apply for Student Teaching a year prior to the semester you intend to student teach. Applications are available on-line or in Room 104 of the Taylor Education Building.

Interview with the School of Music’s Supervisor of student teaching at least a full semester before student teaching begins. (If you plan to student teach in the fall, interview late in the previous fall semester or very early in the spring semester.) This interview will relate to potential placements and to what experiences you would like to have in your student teaching.

In order to apply for student teaching, you must have:

• completed all education and music education courses with a minimal grade of C;
• maintained a 2.5 GPA;
• passed the piano proficiency at least two semesters before beginning student teaching.

(If you intend to student teach in the fall semester, you must pass the piano proficiency by the previous fall semester. If you intend to student teach in the spring semester, you must pass the piano proficiency by the spring semester of the previous year.)

• Read and agree to follow the Code of Ethics as stated in the Teacher Education Program documents.

Note: Student teaching is a 12 credit course. It is not recommended that you take additional work or plan your senior recital during this time. However, it is possible to take up to 15 hours in the student teaching semester if it is necessary.

THE FOURTH STAGE

Student Teaching is the culmination of your years of training in music, music education, and professional education. The course for music student teachers is EDC 377. The syllabus states:

“The primary objective of the student teaching experience is to provide opportunities for practical application of the music education/teacher training curriculum and to provide the student teacher a most important transition from student to a practicing music teaching professional. The people (teachers, students, principals and supervisors), the environment (a real school, real classes, and professional attitudes), and the assignment (prepare/plan, teach, and assess yourself and your students) provide this bridge to your future as a teacher.”

A formal exit portfolio is a document required by the Student Teaching Syllabus and will be explained as part of the student teaching requirement. The experience also culminates in the completion by the student teacher and the Cooperating Teacher of the document Student Teaching Performance Assessment – K-12 Music Certification based on the nine New Teacher Standards of the Kentucky Teacher Intern Program.

THE FIFTH STAGE

After completing the student teaching and all other requirements for a music education degree, the prospective teacher must seek certification. Certification to teach in Kentucky requires all prospects to take the series of Praxis Exams:

• Music Concepts and Processes (0111)
• Music content and Knowledge (0113)
• Principles of Learning and Teaching (Grade level selective)

Study guides for preparing for these tests are available on-line (www.ets.org, then go to Praxis II) and in the Education Library.

The final step after successfully completing the Praxis tests is to apply for Teaching Certification in music, K-12, through the College of Education.