Elementary Education, M.A.T.

Graduate Faculty:

Jacquelyn Benchik-Osborne, Nancy Grim, Michael Wannah, Chyrese Wolf

Degree Qualification(s) Earned:

The Elementary Education Master’s of Arts in Teaching program qualifies students to be entitled with an Illinois Professional Educator Licensure (PEL) in Elementary Education (Grades K-6). Students have the option of taking courses leading to an English as Second Language endorsement or a Reading Teacher endorsement.

Program Vision and Focus:

The Elementary Education licensure program meets the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) standards in Elementary Education, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) standards in Elementary Education, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Illinois Professional Educator Standards (IPES) and the Illinois Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standards (IL CRTLS). The program is also aligned with standards of the International Literacy Association (ILA) and the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA). This licensure degree program requires the successful completion of the Illinois Licensure Testing System (ILTS) Content Area Test in Elementary Education and the Pearson edTPA Professional Portfolio.

General Admission and Entry Point Requirements:

• Students are responsible for meeting the program and College requirements in effect at the time they officially register in a teacher education program leading to licensure at Chicago State University, regardless of when they were admitted to the university.
• Provide two transcript(s) as evidence of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, and that the final 60 credit hours of undergraduate and/or graduate courses demonstrate a minimum GPA of 2.75.
• Credit towards required courses in the program will only be awarded for grades of C or higher.
• Submit proof that undergraduate coursework meets a minimum grade of C threshold in the following general education requirements:
• Three credit hours in each of composition II, speech, college-level mathematics, Art Appreciation, Music Appreciation, Political Science, U.S. History, Geography, biological science, physical science, earth/space science (at least one science course must include a laboratory). General Education course requirements for licensure are subject to change by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
• One course which incorporates multicultural or global perspectives.
• There are six “Entry Points” integrated into the curriculum plan of study designed to ensure that students meet and/or exceed program competencies and requirements necessary to move forward.

Program Completion Requirements:

• Program Completion requirements include a minimum of 33 credit hours of the student’s coursework completed at the 5000-level; including courses identified to meet content area designation requirements, as approved by the program and the Office of Teacher Licensure in consultation with the department for the specified content area designation.
• All student teachers will demonstrate they have met the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards, including mastery of the content knowledge as evidenced by a passing score on the Illinois Licensure Testing System content area test in Elementary Education. Candidates for licensure must also successfully complete a Candidate Work Sample / Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA) professional portfolio by the National Board for Professional Teachers.
• All course and program requirements must be completed within six years.
• Candidates must abide by all College policies stated in this catalog, unless exceptions or adherence to higher expectations are noted in program documentation.
• General program completion and graduation requirements include completing an application to complete the program with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 in all required and elective courses in professional education and the designated content area, as well as completion of the following additional licensure requirements:
  • Pre-clinical and clinical fieldwork forms documenting 100 clock hours are submitted to the Office of Field Placement.
  • Student Teaching Clinical Experiences successfully completed.
  • All College of Education and Program Assessments submitted in the Tevera courseware domain, including the Candidate Work Sample (edTPA) Capstone Project and Professional Portfolio.
• Illinois State Board of Education licensure examination/assessments, including the Content Area Test in the discipline. Proof of passing must be submitted to the academic program by announced due dates PRIOR to permission given to register for the final Student Teaching clinical experience course.
  • Spring Semester Student Teaching - October 15th in the prior Fall Semester as part of the Application for Student Teaching Process.
  • Fall Semester Student Teaching - March 15th* in the prior Spring Semester as part of the Application for Student Teaching Process.
  • Extensions to June 30th can be granted with program approval.
  • All requirements are met for state licensure as mandated by the Illinois State Board of Education, in consultation with the Office of Teacher Licensure. After a transcript analysis is completed by the Office of Teacher Licensure, the candidate may be required to provide proof of completion of undergraduate-level coursework [i.e. 32 credit hours in the content area designation plus child psychology, educational psychology, and/or other state-mandated professional education requirements] to meet licensure requirements.