Master of Arts (MAT)

MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING (MAT)

MISSION
The mission of the Master of Arts in Teaching program is to provide essential pedagogical training for candidates who hold a baccalaureate degree in an academic discipline without teacher licensure. This degree program provides such individuals with an avenue to enter the teaching profession as expeditiously as possible.

PURPOSE
The M.A.T. program, through its course structure and sequence, addresses the critical knowledge and skills for the methodology or techniques of teaching as well as focuses on the art of teaching. The program is designed to allow for constant guidance and feedback on day-to-day activities or behaviors and to investigate effective strategies for change or resolution. The M.A.T. is a non-traditional teacher licensure program. The program is designed to prepare highly qualified individuals to serve as public school teachers in Arkansas and to provide an avenue for persons holding a degree without teacher licensure to enter the teaching profession.

GOALS
The goal of the M.A.T. program is for individuals at the end of a two-year time period to achieve both their initial teacher licensure and a Master of Arts in Teaching degree. To meet this goal, the M.A.T. degree program is field based and focuses on the competencies exhibited in the four domains and the 19 criteria found in the Pathwise Classroom Observation System. The M.A.T. consists of accelerated professional development courses coupled with knowledge and experience gained from teaching in the public schools.

The M.A.T. involves a curriculum focusing on the following areas of instruction:

Basic principles of teaching
Developmental growth and learning stages for middle school and secondary age students
Methods and procedures necessary for effective teaching
Unique needs of children with exceptionalities
Basic principles of research
Curriculum and use of technology in the classroom
Methods of teaching children with disabilities
Understanding of school law
Understanding of assessment procedures and practices
Directed field experiences within their own classroom

ADMISSION GUIDELINES
The HSU Graduate School will serve as the initial admission center for all prospective candidates. A student must have a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science Degree from an accredited college or university verified with an official transcript. If the student does not have an undergraduate major in a licensure field, he/she may need to take additional course work in that field. Along with the application to the Graduate School, a candidate should submit the following:

Three letters of reference — one from the immediate past supervisor, a letter of hire from the superintendent of the school district in which the applicant is an employee, and one that is a testament to character of the applicant
All official transcripts
A current resume

Full admission is based upon the following requirements:

2.7 GPA cumulative OR
3.0 average or above on the last 60 hours of undergraduate credit.

Conditional admission is based upon the following requirements:

2.5 GPA cumulative AND
a score of 380 on the Miller's Analogies Test (MAT), or a combined score of 800 on the verbal/quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) AND
the student must maintain a "B" average.

The Graduate School will forward complete application packets to the M.A.T. Degree Coordinator who will facilitate the final admission process. The M.A.T. Degree Admissions Committee, chaired by the M.A.T. Coordinator and composed of HSU faculty, public school administrators and faculty, will interview all prospective candidates.

If accepted into the Masters of Arts in Teaching program, candidates must apply for a non-traditional provisional license from the Arkansas Department of Education, complete a criminal background check, have a teaching position in a public school, and reapply for the provisional license annually.
Students must submit and meet the established cut score on Praxis I tests as well as their particular Praxis II Specialty Area exam(s) by the end of the first semester of enrollment in M.A.T. degree program. They will not receive a non-traditional provisional license (admitted into the HSU non-traditional licensure program) until they meet this requirement.

DISMISSAL GUIDELINES
Dismissal from Program — Candidates will be dismissed from the program for:

Not meeting GPA requirements
Termination of employment
Failure to score at required levels on Praxis exams

Candidates who are dismissed may file a written appeal with the M.A.T. Admissions Committee who will consider appeals on a case-by-case basis.

EXIT GUIDELINES
Candidates must meet all exit requirements for Masters level programs as stated in the current HSU Graduate Catalog.

Praxis II PLT must be passed prior to exit from the program and prior to the issuance of the initial teaching license.

A portfolio, composed of required artifacts from each course, is part of the exit interview. This portfolio documents completion of course competencies as well as mastery of Pathwise domains and is presented and defended by the student. A committee composed of HSU faculty and a superintendent or principal from the partnership schools will review the portfolio with each participant.

PROGRAM OF STUDY
The M.A.T. program consists of four semesters and two summer sessions emphasizing methodology, pedagogy, classroom management, human growth and development, and needs of exceptional children as well as other critical areas. Course design and curriculum development, reviewed by superintendents and principals from partnership schools, reflect current research on effective teaching and student learning. The Pathwise Observation System serves as the evaluation process for the program. A Pathwise trained, public school mentor, will be assigned to each candidate.

Module I — Summer/Fall 1

EDU	6383	Introduction to Teaching
EDU	6483	Advanced Instructional Methods and Procedures

Module II — Spring 1

EDU	6653	Assessment and Educational Measurement
SPE	5013	Psychology of Exceptional Child

Module III — Summer

EDU	6813	Educational Law for Teachers
SPE	6106	Advanced Methods of Instructing Students with Mild/Moderate Disabilities

Module IV — Fall 2

EDU

6963

Technology and Curriculum

EDU

6413

Introduction to Research

Module V — Spring 2

EDU 6663 Advanced Child Development OR

CED 5713 Advanced Human Development or

EDU 6166 Directed Field Experiences

The M.A.T. degree candidate will work jointly with the M.A.T. degree advisor and the Chair or designee to consult with the M.A.T. advisor and the academic department Chair, or designee regarding the field experience course.

ADDITIONAL COMPONENTS
In addition to having a public school mentor, candidates will be assigned to a faculty advisor who will monitor their progress throughout the program.

Candidates will use technologies such as listserv, powerpoint, e-mail, internet/homepage, and distance learning equipment in fulfilling degree requirements. Pathwise principles are embedded throughout the curriculum culminating in the field experience course.

Module I- Fall I
EDU 6383 Introduction to Teaching. Includes three days of intense training prior to the beginning of the school year in August with periodic classes throughout the semester. An introduction to portfolio construction and proactive/reactive discipline procedures is also included as well as an introduction to Pathwise and preparation for the Praxis II exam. Only M.A.T. candidates may enroll.

EDU 6483 Advanced Instructional Methods and Procedures. The purpose of this course is to help graduate students become effective and efficient classroom teachers by presenting to them and modeling for them methods and techniques used in various classroom settings. Students will apply the basic principles of Pathwise in public school classrooms. Only M.A.T. candidates may enroll.

Module II- Spring I
EDU 6653    Assessment and Educational Measurement. The purpose of the course is to provide students with a basic understanding of the formal and informal assessment process in the classroom, including the identification of various assessment methods and instruments, the analysis of assessment results, and the use of assessment data to direct learning in the classroom. Pathwise assessment principles are incorporated throughout the course. Only M.A.T. candidates may enroll.

SPE 5013    Psychology of Exceptional Child. A course designed to introduce the student to a study of those children who deviate from the normal pattern of development. The course includes a review of the causes of individual differences and a survey of materials and methods used in the field of special education.

Module III — Summer I
SPE 6106    Advanced Methods of Instructing Students with Mild/Moderate Disabilities. This course provides a series of field experiences in which the student designs, implements, and evaluates appropriate individualized instructional programs for individuals with mild to moderate disabilities.

EDU 6813    Educational Law for Teachers. Legal processes as they affect American education and Arkansas Public Schools with emphasis on student rights, tort liability, and contractual relationships of teachers, teacher rights and responsibilities, and other legal knowledge necessary for effective teacher rights.

Module IV — Fall 2
EDU 6963 Technology and Curriculum. An overview of the curriculum development process including opportunities to work with both traditional and technology based tools of curriculum development.

EDU 6413 Introduction to Research. A study of the many types of research methods applicable to the several academic disciplines, including techniques for the interpretation, the reporting, and the presentation of research.

Module V — Spring 2
EDU 6166 Directed Field Experiences. Includes implementing previous course content, portfolio evaluation, and a school/community service project dealing with such topics as multiculturalism, English as a Second Language, parenting, infusing technology, teaming, etc. The field experience will be based upon the Pathwise Classroom Observation System. In addition, academic course content methods will be included. Only M.A.T. candidates may enroll.

EDU 6663 Advanced Child Development. An intensive study of the developmental traits of early childhood and elementary school-age children.

CED 5713 Advanced Human Development. The study of human growth from infancy through adulthood, including theories of development in such areas as physical, mental, personality and social maturation, abnormalities and variations in development due to sex, culture, and environmental factors. Open to non-counseling majors.