General Info

Stephanie Johnson | 1.800-325-0900, ext. 4136 or 865-531-4136 | s.jeffers-johnson@lmunet.edu

The Master of Education in Initial Teacher Licensure (MEdITL) Program offers an opportunity to adults who have already earned a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university. Our accelerated rigorous program is ideal for individuals looking for a career change or who have obtained a degree in the desired field but have not yet received a teaching license. In MEdITL, candidates may pursue the following endorsement areas:

The MEdITL program has a unique structure that is ideal for busy adults. Courses are delivered in hybrid, online, and face-to-face formats.

Students Seeking Elementary (grades K-5) Licensure:

For the first two semesters, candidates will attend class approximately ten Saturdays per semester. These classes are set far in advance and attendance is required. In addition, candidates will have one or two-weekday afternoon/evening (4:00-6:30 PM and 7:00-9:30 PM) classes per week. The weeknight classes are methods of teaching courses and focus on how to teach different subject areas (mathematics, social studies, literacy, etc.). During the summer, elementary candidates will still have the weekly methods courses, but no Saturday classes. As long as candidates have met the requirements, they will be ready to student teach the following semester.

Students Seeking Secondary (grades K-12 or 6-12) Licensure:

For the first two Fall and Spring semesters, candidates will attend class approximately ten Saturdays per semester. These classes are set far in advance and attendance is required. In addition, candidates will have one-weekday afternoon/evening (4:00-6:30 PM and 7:00-9:30 PM) class per week. These class meeting dates are set far in advance and attendance is required. There is no required summer coursework for secondary candidates, but we do have MEd electives that many candidates opt to take. As long as candidates have met the requirements, they will be ready to student teach the following semester.

Student teaching is such an exciting time for our MEdITL candidates! It gives our candidates the opportunity to showcase the skills and knowledge that they have been acquiring over the previous year of coursework. Student teaching consists of being in the classroom full-time for one semester (approximately 16 weeks). Candidates have two placements during this semester-one in a lower grade of your endorsement, and one in a higher grade.

edTPA is a national teacher performance assessment. The candidate is required to complete and satisfactorily pass edTPA while enrolled in EDUC 591 or EDUC 593 courses. The candidate will submit an edTPA portfolio to Pearson for national scoring (www.edtpa.com), and must successfully complete and pass edTPA in their licensure areas as defined by the state of Tennessee. The candidate must meet or exceed the state-required cut score to be licensed to teach in Tennessee, effective January 1, 2019. A Tennessee state-required passing edTPA score in the licensure area must be achieved in order to pass Transition III (EDUC 591 and EDUC 593).

LMU will provide guidance and support, but it is the candidate's responsibility to successfully complete the edTPA portfolio in order to achieve licensure. LMU will provide support for the video components, portfolio submission, and preparing the candidate to complete and understand the rubrics associated with the candidate's licensure area.

PRAXIS® exams are proficiency exams required for licensure in Tennessee. Passing exams pertinent to the area of certification is required as a pre-requisite for student teaching. PRAXIS® exams required for licensure by subject area can be obtained by contacting the MEdITL Office. The PRAXIS® exams are administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS). Additional information about each test can be reviewed on the ETS website: https://www.ets.org/praxis/register/dates_centers/?WT.ac=praxis_overwrite_39162_register_centersdate_180206.

Licensure programs are offered in:

• Elementary Education (K-5)
• Education (K-12) - Physical Education, Visual Arts
• Secondary Education (6-12) - Business, Biology, Chemistry, English, History, Mathematics, Physics
• Special Education Interventionist (K-8, 6-12) and Comprehensive (K-12)

Course Requirements

Job Embedded Program Requirements

LMU is state approved to provide licensure through the job-embedded experiences in all our licensure offerings. Candidates in good standing in the LMU MEd with Teacher License program may apply for admission in the Job Embedded Program during their enrollment in EDUC 570/571. Acceptance into the Job Embedded Program is not an automatic approval. The applicant MUST complete and comply with the following to be considered for admission:

• Hold a minimum of bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college/university, with a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher on a 4-point scale, or have a minimum 3.0 in the last 60 credit hours of a completed baccalaureate degree.
• Submit passing scores on PRAXIS Content Knowledge Exam for the licensure the candidate is applying to teach if the candidate does not hold a bachelor’s degree in that area.*
• Submit official Letter of Intent to Hire from a collaborative partnering Tennessee school systems stating position, subject area, and grade level for which the candidate is being hired.
• Meet all employment eligibility requirements for employment at the partnership school district.
• Interview and receive approval by the Job Embedded Candidate Review Committee.

 *The Director of Licensure and Testing, Tywanna “Sue” England handles all licensure requests for job-embedded candidates. LMU is subject to TN DOE and TN SBOE rulings and policies which can change program requirements

Special Education Licensure Opportunity for Teachers!

The Carter & Moyers School of Education has a new licensure opportunity for currently licensed teachers. We recently reduced our number of required hours to add an endorsement in Special Education, which is a high-needs endorsement. This allows our candidates to complete the licensure requirements in a shorter amount of time while reducing the cost for teachers to add the endorsement.

Special Education Interventionist K-8 or 6-12 and Comprehensive K-12 Add-On Endorsements

This program is designed for teachers holding a Tennessee teaching license who have a baccalaureate degree and wish to earn an add-on endorsement in Interventionist K-8/6-12 or Comprehensive K-12 Special Education. The following courses are required for Interventionist K-8 or 6-12 Add-On Endorsement:

• SPED 530- Special Education and Law, Policies & Ethics (3 hours)
• SPED 545- Methods of Literacy, Language & Communication (3 hours)
• SPED 550- Managing Academic & Social Behavior (3 hours)
• SPED 560- Screening, Assessment & Identification (3 hours)
• SPED 577- Responsive Teaching for Math & Literacy Instruction for Learners with High Incidence Disabilities (3 hours)

Special Education Interventionist K-8

• SPED 573 ABA & Autism (3 hours)

OR

Special Education Interventionist 6-12

• SPED 565 Transition & Employment for Students with Disabilities (3 hours)

Total required hours to be recommended for Interventionist K-8 or 6-12 Add-On Endorsement: 18 hours

For those teachers who wish to earn the Master of Education in Special Education degree plus a recommendation for add-on licensure, the following additional courses are required:

Special Education Interventionist K-8

• EDUC 504 American Education: History, Law, and Foundations (3 hours)
• EDUC 511 Research and Statistics (3 hours)
• SPED 547 Systematic Instructional Procedures for Learners with MSD (3 hours)
• SPED 565 Transition & Employment for Students with Disabilities (3 hours)

Total required hours for MEd degree in Special Education: 30

Special Education Interventionist 6-12

• EDUC 504 American Education: History, Law, and Foundations (3 hours)
• EDUC 511 Research and Statistics (3 hours)
• SPED 547 Systematic Instructional Procedures for Learners with MSD (3 hours)
• SPED 573 ABA & Autism (3 hours)

Total required hours for MEd degree in Special Education: 30

The following courses are required for Comprehensive 6-12 Add-On Endorsement:

• SPED 530 Special Education and Law, Policies & Ethics (3 hours)
• SPED 545 Methods of Literacy, Language & Communication (3 hours)
• SPED 547 Systematic Instructional Procedures for Learners with MSD (3 hours)
• SPED 550 Managing Academic & Social Behavior (3 hours)
• SPED 560 Screening, Assessment & Identification (3 hours)
• SPED 573 ABA in Autism & MSD (3 hours)

Total required hours to be recommended for Interventionist K-8 or 6-12 Add-On Endorsement: 18 hours

For those teachers who wish to earn the Master of Education in Special Education degree, the following additional courses are required:

• EDUC 504 American Education: History, Law, and Foundations (3 hours)
• EDUC 511 Research and Statistics (3 hours)
• SPED 565 Transition & Employment for Students with Disabilities (3 hours)
• EDUC 575 Phonemic Awareness and Phonics (3 hours)

Total required hours for MEd degree in Initial Teacher Licensure: 30

Masters in Special Education Admission requirements include, but may not be limited to:

• Submission of an application complete with the application fee and three recommendation forms. Program application
• Submission of one official transcript from each regionally accredited college/university attended, documenting a cumulative minimum undergraduate GPA of at least 2.75, as reported on the baccalaureate degree transcript.
• One copy of pre-admission test scores, taken within the past seven years and passed with minimum scores required for admission. These may be ACT (21), SAT (1020), MAT (375), GRE (284), or the PRAXIS® Core (Reading 156, Writing 162, and Mathematics 150).
• Candidates must pass a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation background check.

Please contact Stephanie Johnson at 865-531-4136 for more information.