Mar 29, 2024  
2020-2021 Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Education (BA)


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Admission to the Bachelor of Arts (BA): Education

As an open-admissions institution, CMC welcomes all teacher candidates to register for the BA: Education major upon admission to the College. Students progress through three stages in the program as they develop the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions of a great teacher.

CMC’s bachelor’s degree in Education provides a pathway for dual endorsement in both Elementary Education and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education and includes field assignments beginning in the first year of study. Students may declare this major upon admission to the college and will build their capability as teachers throughout an integrated four-year program.

Students may also transfer in up to 60 specifically designated credits as part of Colorado’s statewide transfer agreement. Because this program requires 126 specific credits, it will be necessary to work closely with a CMC counselor to utilize transfer credits.

In addition to very specific course requirements, the BA: Education requires a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (“B” average), a background check to enable participation in field assignments in elementary classrooms, and satisfactory progress in these assignments in our partnering elementary schools. Students need to be able to arrange transportation to complete field assignments in partner schools. 

Please see information contained in the Transfer  section for information about combining transfer credit with CMC credit towards earning a Bachelor’s degree at CMC.

See the section on scholarships  for opportunities related to earning bachelor’s degrees. While the Bachelor of Arts in Education is offered at the following campus locations: Colorado Mountain College in Glenwood Springs, Breckenridge, Dillon, Leadville, Salida, Steamboat Springs, and Vail Valley at Edwards. Students may also take their general education classes for this program at many CMC locations including the Spring Valley residential campus. Check the campus schedule of classes to find appropriate course offerings. Not every course is offered on every campus, some campuses may require travel between sites or technology enhanced modalities to complete the degree.

Residential students living at the Spring Valley at Glenwood Springs campus are fully supported to take Education courses in Glenwood Springs, with free transportation provided by CMC shuttle service for this 15-minute ride. Field experiences for Education classes are arranged in local elementary schools, which are accessible by local bus service.

Stage One

For your beginning classes at the 100- and 200-level courses, you need to demonstrate college-level reading, writing, and/or math proficiency. CMC offers developmental studies classes as pre-requisites for those who enter CMC and still need to build these skills.

During your first year of study at CMC, you will build your proficiency in the core content areas that you will be responsible for teaching. You will also take your first classes in the Education program and undertake your first field assignments in our partner schools. Fingerprints and a background check will be required for your field assignments at this stage.

Stage Two

As you complete your first year of study, you will need to demonstrate completion of the following requirements to progress to Stage Two in your Teacher Education Program:

• Reflection essay

• Successful completion of EDU 221 (or equivalent) with a grade of B or higher

• Recommendation from mentor teachers supervising fieldwork for 200-level EDU courses (or equivalent), including program dispositions charted in those courses

• Recommendations from CMC faculty (or equivalent)

• Successful completion of at least 24 credits (including English Composition I and II and Public Speaking with a grade of B or higher) and with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher

• Interview with program director

• Fingerprints and background check unless previously on record

You must meet Stage Two requirements to register for Education courses at the 300-level and above (unless you are currently a practicing teacher recommended by your principal to register for that course). These courses build your knowledge, understanding, skills, and professional dispositions as a teacher. You will also continue to build your core content knowledge of the subjects that you will teach.

Stage Three

Before your full-year internship during your final year of study, you will need to submit the following additional documents to demonstrate that you are ready to undertake this critical component of your program:

• Proof of Registration for Praxis 5001 assessment, with proof of passing scores to register for EDU 440

• Sample lesson plans, subject area work, and reflective essays; description of your work with children; video of lessons you have taught

• Recommendations from both CMC program faculty and mentor teachers who supervise fieldwork at the 300-level

• Successful completion of all 300-level EDU courses with a cumulative 3.0 GPA or higher

• Interview with Internship Committee (program director, program faculty, and mentor teachers)

Your internship year provides the culminating learning experiences that you will need to launch your career as a teacher. This year requires 3 full days in the classroom during the fall and 5 full days (or 4 longer full days if your partner school uses a 4-day week) in the classroom in the spring, for the entire school year. Because we are passionate about the quality of our graduates, you will need to demonstrate proficiency on all performance measures to be able to graduate from the program.

Suggested course plan for full-time new students:

Year One - Fall


(14 credits, 20 field hours)

Year Two - Summer


(3 credits)

Year Three - Summer


(3 credits)

Year Four - Spring


(15 credits, 610 field hours)

Total Credits Earned


State Guaranteed General Education Requirements (39 credits)
COM 115 or COM 125 (3 credits)
Wellness Requirement (1 credit minimum)
Program Requirements (83 credits)

Total credits toward Bachelor of Arts in Education (126 credits minimum)

Optional Endorsements


Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Education Endorsement


The Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Education endorsement area provides knowledge and skills for teachers who are already licensed to teach in the state of Colorado or at Stage Two in CMC’s Teacher Education Program. This 24-credit (8 course) program prepares you to work with students with widely diverse family and cultural assets. You’ll learn to support the academic and social-emotional development of emergent bilinguals with research-based professional practices and family-friendly approaches to educational excellence. Each course includes assigned practicum hours in a partner school district.

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Bilingual Education Specialist


You can add the Bilingual Education Specialist to your Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Education endorsement (pending CDE approval) to your teacher license by demonstrating a high level of proficiency in the CLD standards, demonstrating proficiency in the Spanish language, and by completing the following additional courses. Each course includes assigned biliteracy practicum hours in a partner school district.

Special Education - Generalist Endorsement


This special education endorsement area is designed for teachers who are already licensed to teach in the state of Colorado. This 24-credit (8 course) program (pending CDE approval) prepares you to work students with exceptional learning needs or who may have a wide range of learning, emotional, and physical disabilities. You’ll learn to collaborate with others to support special-needs students’ cognitive, academic, behavioral, and social-emotional outcomes. The program prepares you with research-based professional practices, inclusive pedagogy, and family-friendly approaches to intervention that respect students’ diversities. Each course includes assigned practicum hours in a partner school district.

Secondary Science with Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Education Endorsement


This endorsement area is designed to address Colorado’s teacher shortage in rural mountain school districts. The curriculum is focused on general science in order to meet the needs of rural schools often limited to hiring one teacher for all science courses. The Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) endorsement is embedded to help teachers successfully teach the rapidly diversifying students in CMC’s partner school districts.

Note:


State Guaranteed Transfer Course

Applies to CMC AA/AS/AGS Degrees

Not all programs/courses are available at every campus and may require travel to another campus or access via technology-enabled learning (Webex, hybrid, or online).

 

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