Degree requirements vary by program. The major components of teacher education programs typically include liberal studies course work; major course work; minor or elective course work; and professional education course work, including Conflict Resolution, Multicultural Education and Human Relations requirement, and field experiences. Certification also requires passing a content examination in the subject area(s) in which certification is sought, the development of a professional portfolio, and demonstrated proficiency in each of UW-Madison's Teacher Education Standards.
Program Standards
Licensing Levels
General Education Requirements (GER)
Teacher Certification Liberal Studies Requirements
Major Area of Study
Minor Course Work
Elective Course Work
Professional Education Course Work
Multicultural Education and Human Relations Requirement
Conflict Resolution Requirement
Field Experiences for Teacher Certification
Portfolio
Content Examinations
Graduation and Certification Requirements
Teacher License Information
UW-Madison teacher education students must meet all state licensing requirements for initial teaching certification in Wisconsin. These requirements, sometimes referred to as administrative rules "PI 34," mandate that individuals demonstrate proficiency on state-approved teaching standards. Each teacher education institution in Wisconsin has adopted a set of teacher education standards that must be met by all students completing a licensing program.
Future teachers at UW-Madison demonstrate that they have certain knowledge and can perform successfully as beginning teachers through a performance-based assessment system. In January, 1998, the School of Education adopted the following Teacher Education Standards as the benchmark for the assessment process. Students in each licensing program will have multiple opportunities to learn and to demonstrate knowledge of issues, information, and content related to the standards. These standards are integrated into the professional education courses in all teacher education programs and are further defined in each of the program areas.
Standard #1: Teachers design learning environments and pedagogical practices for students that are grounded in concepts and interpretive frameworks provided by disciplines that study human development and learning.
Standard #2: Teachers understand how local, state, national, and global social and political contexts differentially affect schooling and its outcomes for students.
Standard #3: Teachers understand the central concepts, assumptions, tools of inquiry, ways of reasoning, uncertainties, and controversies of the disciplines that they teach to students.
Standard #4: Teachers are knowledgeable about the problems, challenges, and opportunities that commonly arise as students develop understanding or competence in particular domains.*
Standard #5: Teachers can articulate and defend their curricular and instructional choices with sound ethical and pedagogical justifications.
Standard #6: Teachers use the knowledge and abilities necessary for collaboration with individuals, groups and agencies within the school and community. They base instruction of students on an understanding of curricular goals, subject matter and the community, and help the students make connections between community-based knowledge and school knowledge.
Standard #7: Teachers understand and adapt to students' multiple forms of expressing and receiving experiences, ideas and feelings.
Standard #8: Teachers understand and thoughtfully use formal and informal evaluation strategies to assess students' achievements, strengths, challenges and learning styles for continuous development.
Standard #9: Teachers establish and maintain an environment that engages students in learning while providing for their physical and socio-emotional well-being.
Standard #10: Teachers understand and use a variety of instructional strategies to enhance students' learning.
Standard #11: Teachers appropriately incorporate new and proven technologies into instructional practice. They understand the major social, cultural, and economic issues surrounding their implementation.
Standard #12: Teachers design educational environments and use instructional practices that accommodate students' achievements, strengths, challenges, interests and learning styles.
Standard #13: Teachers are reflective practitioners who evaluate the effects of their assumptions, choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community) and who actively seek out opportunities to grow professionally. They examine assumptions enmeshed in ways of thinking and in familial, institutional, and cultural lore and practices.
Standard #14: Teachers relate to students, families and community members in a fair, respectful and sensitive manner. They show an appreciation for the cultural** diversity of our society.
Standard #15: Teachers understand the legal rights and responsibilities of professional educators and the law as it applies to their specific domains of teaching.
*The term domain was chosen because teachers are called upon to teach school subjects, not necessarily academic disciplines. Those school subjects include content and skills that fall within particular disciplines but often cut across those disciplines.
**Culture is broadly meant here to include the social patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions and all other products of human work and thought characteristic of a community or population. Cultural patterns are related to language, sex/gender, race, national origin/ethnicity, social class, creed/religion, disability, and sexual orientation.
Additional information about the teaching education standards may be found at www.education.wisc.edu/pi34.
The following licensing options are offered at UW-Madison.
Effective summer 1996, new freshmen must complete a group of campuswide basic course requirements known as the General Education Requirements. This initiative is designed to provide all students with a comprehensive, well-rounded program of studies on the Madison campus. All undergraduate schools or colleges on the UW-Madison campus have these general education requirements, but how schools or colleges implement them varies slightly.
These requirements will be met at different times in a student's academic experience and include both introductory and more advanced level course work. The general education requirements include credits in Humanities/Literature/Arts, Social Studies, and Natural Science; these will be met through the completion of the liberal studies requirements above. Additional Communication, Quantitative Reasoning, and Ethnic Studies requirements below are also required.
Approved courses that fulfill the Communi-cation and Quantitative Reasoning requirements below are listed at the Web site www.ls.wisc.edu/gened/courselists/default.htm.
2-3 credits of course work focusing on reading, listening, and speaking, with an emphasis on writing. Met by one of the following: English 100, 118; Com Arts 100; EPD 155; Fam Com 100/L Sc Com 100 (formerly Ag Journ); exemption by exam. Courses are designated with an "a" in the Timetable.
2-3 credits of more advanced course work for students who have completed or been exempted from Part A. Courses are designated with a "b" in the Timetable. Other program requirements may be used to meet this requirement. For example, Curric 305, 313, 368, and 369 are on the list of courses that can meet Comm B of the General Education requirements. At least one of these courses is required in each of the teacher certification programs. Therefore, additional course work should not be required to meet the Comm B requirement. Note: Both Curric 368 and 369 must be completed to meet Comm B.
3 credits of mathematics or formal logic. Met by one of the following: Math 112, 114, 130, 141, 171, Philos 210, completion of a Math course numbered above 114 (excluding 120-129, 131, and 132), exemption through placement scores. Courses are designated with a "q" in the Timetable.
3 additional credits in quantitative reasoning. Courses that satisfy this requirement will be available in a variety of fields of study including mathematics, formal logic, statistics, computer science, the sciences and social science. Courses are designated with an "r" in the Timetable. Other program requirements may be used to meet this requirement. For example, Kinesiology students are required to complete Kinesiology 315, also a Quant B course. Elementary Education and Special Education students are required to complete Math 130, 131 and 132. Math 130 will meet Quant A of the General Education requirements. Math 131 and 132 together will meet the Quant B requirement.
Effective fall 1989, students beginning a degree program at UW-Madison (freshmen, transfers, and second degree candidates) must take one course of at least 3 credits which is designated as an Ethnic Studies course. The ethnic studies requirement is intended to increase understanding of the culture and contributions of persistently marginalized racial or ethnic groups in the United States, and to equip students to respond constructively to issues connected with our pluralistic society and global community. Designated with an "e" in the Timetable, ethnic studies course work may also be applied toward other degree requirements. Effective, summer 2007, this requirement became part of the liberal studies requirement, below. Prior to this time, teacher preparation students satisfied the campus Ethnic Studies requirement by completing the Multicultural Education and Human Relations requirement in its entirety.
These liberal studies requirements only apply to students completing teacher education programs. Students in other professional programs in the School of Education, e.g., Art, Exercise and Movement Science, Rehabilitation Psychology, should consult the requirements appropriate for these program areas.
The liberal studies requirements include course work in humanities, social studies, and science. Effective summer 2007, three new liberal studies requirements—ethnic studies, global perspectives, and U.S. or European history—will be required of all students in the School of Education. Elective course work will also be needed to reach the minimum of 40 credits. The liberal studies requirements combine academic strengths and interests with an opportunity to explore a wide selection of courses offered across campus. Similarly, liberal studies courses can also be used to define, confirm, and explore major options while counting towards graduation credit. Current or prospective students with a previous degree should consult EAS staff before enrolling in liberal studies course work. Completion of the liberal studies requirements is NOT a prerequisite to professional program application or admission.
A list of guidelines regarding liberal studies course selection is provided at the end of this section.
The breadth (B) column in the Timetable identifies most course work with the following codes:
B —Biological Science
H —Humanities
L —Literature
N —Natural Science
P —Physical Science
S —Social Science
W —Social Science or Natural Science
X —Humanities or Natural Science
Y —Biological Science or Social Science
Z —Humanities or Social Science
Complete a minimum of 9 credits to include 1, 2, and 3:
Courses designated with an L in the Timetable.
Approved courses include:
Afro American Studies 156, 241, 242, 243, 308, 309, 310, 311, 315, 316, 320, 400, 403, 413, 540, 603, 643
Art—any course
Art Hist—any course
Com Arts 350
Dance—any course
English 203, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 506, 508
History 001, 315 (are no longer offered)
Music—any course
Music Perf—any course
Theatre—any course
Women St 410, 411, 412
Courses to reach the minimum of 9 credits. May include courses designated H, L, X, or Z, elementary and intermediate level foreign language courses, or approved Fine Arts courses. May also count Com Arts 105, 181, and any English department intermediate or advanced level creative writing or composition course toward this requirement (English 100-118 and other elementary level composition courses are excluded).
Complete a minimum of 9 credits to include 1 and 2.
Select one:
Poli Sci 104 Introduction to American Politics and Government, 4 (open to freshmen and sophomores only)
Poli Sci 205 Introduction to State Government, 4
Poli Sci 404 American Politics and Government, 4 (open to juniors and seniors)
Select from courses designated S, W, Y, or Z.
Complete a minimum of 9 credits to include 1 and 2. Must include one laboratory science course.
Select from courses designated B or Y in the Timetable
Select from courses designated P in the Timetable
Other biological, physical, or natural science (designated B, P, N, W, X, or Y in the Timetable) to reach the 9-credit minimum. Most lab sciences are identified as such in the Timetable. In addition, the following courses include some lab experience and will meet the lab requirements for students in the School of Education: Astronomy 100, Atm Ocn 101, Botany 100, Botany/Plant Path 123, Geology 100, Physics 109. Suggested courses outside L&S which meet the lab science requirement include Agronomy 100, Food Science 235-236, Horticulture 120, Mechanical Engineering 160 and 210. An AP Biology score of 4 or 5 will also fulfill the lab science requirement.
Select from courses designated with an "e" in the Timetable.
Select from the list of approved courses, available in Education Academic Services and on the EAS Web site, www.education.wisc.edu/eas.
Select from the following courses (additional courses may be added as they are approved):
U.S.: 101, 102, 140, 150, 160, 161, 219, 221, 222, 247, 258, 290, 301, 302, 322, 330, 331, 343, 344, 353, 354, 355, 390, 391, 393, 394, 395, 396, 397, 398, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 411, 412, 416, 433, 434, 451, 460, 461, 462, 465, 466, 490, 504, 560, 569, 607, 625, 626, 628, 635, 636, 644, 672
Europe: 002, 110, 115, 119, 120, 121, 123, 124, 208, 215, 223, 224, 251, 253, 254, 303, 306, 307, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 316, 317, 318, 320, 321, 323, 325, 326, 333, 334, 339, 340, 348, 349, 351, 352, 356, 357, 358, 359, 360, 361, 362, 363, 364, 365, 366, 367, 368, 369, 370, 372, 373, 374, 409, 410, 415, 417, 418, 419, 420, 421, 423, 424, 425, 426, 429, 430, 431, 432, 437, 447, 467, 469, 473, 474, 475, 477, 478, 479, 507, 508, 511, 512, 513, 514, 515, 517, 518, 529, 531, 532, 539, 540, 541, 554, 561, 568, 570, 577, 578
As necessary to reach 40 total liberal studies credits.
Students may fulfill the requirements of a single major as described in the department descriptions below, or they may select more than one major. Students with multiple majors must meet the requirements of each major. Employment opportunities and job mobility may be enhanced for students in teacher certification programs by earning multiple certifications. Students seeking multiple certifications should check the program requirements for each certification specialty. Generally, students fulfill the requirements of a single major.
An academic minor or area of concentration is required for some programs. For example, a minor is required for students in Elementary Education, while Special Education and Kinesiology (Teacher Education) programs both require an area of concentration. Students in Secondary Education may wish to be certified to teach in more than one area and may elect to complete a minor for this reason. See the specific information for each program. By completing the area requirements for a minor and the professional education requirements, students may be certified to teach in the minor area. Since this is not possible for all combinations, interested students should confer with Education Academic Services or a program advisor.
General elective credits may be selected from any UW-Madison department or unit and constitute an important component of any undergraduate program. The intent of elective credits is to allow students to pursue areas of interest that are usually, but not necessarily, related to their major area of study. Some students may wish to expand or branch out from one of the major areas of study required within a given program. For others, elective credits may be used to expand their general base of knowledge through minimal course work in areas not specifically related to the major field.
Professional education course work differs in content and sequence among teacher certification programs. See the program or major of interest for specific professional education course work.
This requirement consists of courses, workshops and experiences that broaden understanding of diversity as it relates to the practice of teaching and the field of education. Students meet this requirement in a variety of ways depending on the particular program. Please consult the program advisor(s) and the Multicultural Education and Human Relations Web site—http://www.education.wisc.edu/eas/Multiculturaleducation.asp—for more information.
The required Multicultural Education and Human Relations content areas include:
All students pursuing teacher certification must have formal training in conflict resolution. As with the teacher education standards, students must demonstrate through performance-based assessment that they have successfully met the Conflict Resolution requirement. Students must demonstrate competency in:
Some teacher certification programs include conflict resolution training in required course work. Other programs such as Music Education, Japanese, and Chinese require students to attend a separate workshop, training or lecture on conflict resolution.
School-based field experiences are a critical part of students' professional preparation for teaching. In fact, student teaching is frequently cited as the single component of a teacher education program with the highest impact on future teaching behaviors of teacher candidates. For these reasons, teacher certification students are required to complete at least one pre-student teaching practicum and at least one full semester of student teaching.
The length of the student teaching assignment and vacation schedule are governed by local school district calendars rather than the university calendar. Thus, fall semester assignments start in late August and end in mid—January; spring teaching assignments typically begin the latter part of January and conclude the early part of June. Students should consider these extended calendar dates as they might affect housing, budget, employment, etc., during student teaching. These experiences are considered to be full-time semester assignments that usually preclude carrying additional course work or other employment.
The student teaching field experience may be accomplished through regular student teaching, internship, or in combination with international student teaching.
The regular student teaching experience is a full-time, local school-district semester of student teaching.
The internship is a school-semester teaching assignment available in some subject areas on a limited basis. The teacher intern is licensed by the Department of Public Instruction and is paid while working under the guidance of an experienced cooperating teacher. The teacher intern assumes a partial teaching assignment. The assignment can be no more than 50% of the workload of a full-time teacher in the district. The intern participates as a member of an instructional team in planning, teaching, evaluating, observing, and conferring to create effective instructional experiences. Requesting and selecting interns are functions shared by local school systems, university faculty members, Education Academic Services, and the Wisconsin Improvement Program. Availability of internships is limited by the number of interns requested by local schools and by the number of applicants. See Education Academic Services staff for more information.
Students may enrich their educational experience by participating in the International Student Teaching Program (ISTP). The ISTP operates as an individualized student teaching assignment. Participants generally complete the first half of the spring semester of student teaching in a Wisconsin school before beginning their assignments abroad. The time abroad is spent living and teaching in a community where students have the opportunity to learn about the educational practices, structures, and philosophies of another culture and country. At most locations the student teachers attend seminars and are supervised by the faculty of the receiving university. Some of the exciting places students have had the pleasure of working include: London, England; Cuenca, Ecuador; Newcastle, Sydney, and Townsville, Australia; Windhoek, Namibia; Toulouse, France; and, Freiburg, Germany.
To be eligible to participate, students must have approval from their area program coordinator and from the associate dean responsible for the International Student Teaching Program. Not all teacher education programs choose to participate. Students must have successfully completed all prior field experience; for most students this will include ten weeks of student teaching in a Madison-area school.
Additional information can be found at www.education.wisc.edu/eas.
Students in the following programs must submit a student teaching application: Agriculture, Art, Communicative Disorders (graduate program only), Chinese, Health, Hebrew and Semitic Studies, Family and Consumer Education, Japanese, Kinesiology, Music Education, and Special Education. Applications must be submitted by November 15 of the year preceding the academic year in which the applicant wishes to student teach. Special Education students must obtain applications from and submit them to the department office at 432 N. Murray Street. All other students obtain applications from the Education Academic Services Web site at www.education.wisc.edu/eas/current/fieldwork/-STAPL.pdf. Completed applications should be sent to Education Academic Services, B117 Education Building.
Wisconsin state regulations require that student teachers demonstrate that they are free of tuberculosis before being allowed to work in a school. Students must submit the negative result of a recent TB skin test signed by a health professional no later than one semester prior to the student teaching experience. Test results are valid for two years from the ending date of the student teaching semester. Tests may be obtained through University Health Services. See Education Academic Services for additional information.
Minimum eligibility requirements apply to all students, whether for a student teaching or intern assignment. Since several subject areas require a specific grade point average unique to a particular program or additional course work as a prerequisite to student teaching, students are urged to check with their Education Academic Services and faculty advisor to be certain that all eligibility requirements have been met. Students should check these items well in advance to preclude last-minute schedule conflicts in preparation for the student teaching semester. Minimum requirements are:
Extraordinary circumstances or special needs may occasionally require students to be placed outside UW-Madison service area. These placements usually entail additional fees for the student. Routine requests for placement near a student's permanent home will almost always be refused. See staff at Education Academic Services for information on special placements.
Students who drop either student teaching or required practica courses must obtain permission from the faculty advisor and from the associate dean in Education Academic Services to repeat the course. If such a course is dropped a second time, the student may be graduated without being professionally certified or may elect to transfer from the current program to complete another degree program on campus. In programs where more than one practicum or student teaching experience is required, withdrawal from one field experience will require special permission to enroll in these experiences in the future.
If a grade of F, N (no credit), or U (unsatisfactory) is received in student teaching or in courses within required practica, the course may be repeated only if the faculty advisor, the supervisor of the practicum or student teaching, and the associate dean in Education Academic Services, give approval by academic action. A third attempt to enroll in a course under these conditions is not allowed.
Students in certification programs are required to develop and maintain a teaching portfolio. At UW-Madison, this teaching portfolio will be electronic (an "e-portfolio") for students in most programs. The teaching portfolio has several purposes. First, as a tool for teacher learning, growth, and development, a teaching portfolio is intended to support students' efforts to become thoughtful and effective teachers. Second, the portfolio documents that students have satisfactorily met the UW-Madison Teacher Education Standards required for initial teacher certification in Wisconsin. It helps to demonstrate students' achievement of these knowledge and performance standards. Third, the portfolio may be used in the job search process upon completion of the program. Finally, the methods and concepts that students learn in authoring their e-portfolios enhances their technical literacy.
Portfolios are made up of a variety of "artifacts" which students have chosen from their educational experiences to best represent their growth and development as teachers. Such artifacts include lesson plans, classroom observations, student work, photographs, and video and audio footage. These documents provide evidence for students' work in the schools, community involvement, completion of course work, and fulfillment of UW-Madison Teacher Education Standards.
Additional information about the teaching portfolios used in UW-Madison teacher education programs may be found online at portfolios.education.wisc.edu/program.htm.
All individuals seeking an initial Wisconsin State teacher's license after August 31, 2004, will be required to take an approved content examination. These tests, the Praxis II: Subject Assessments/Specialty Area Tests, are offered through the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Teacher education students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison must pass the required content examination in their area(s) of certification before they enter their final semester of student teaching. Passing the content examination is required for program completion. Individual teacher education programs may require students to take the examination at a specific point within this time period. Students who have already taken the content examination prior to being admitted to one of UW-Madison's teacher education programs must request the Educational Testing Service to send an official score report to Education Academic Services.
Elementary Education students will be tested on their content knowledge in Language and Literature Studies, History/Social Studies, Mathematics, and Science. Students completing the Early Childhood through Middle Childhood program option in Elementary Education will take a different test than those students completing the Middle Childhood through Early Adolescence program option; test questions reflect the intended licensing level. Students in the Elementary Education program are not required to take a specific test in their minor subject area.
Students completing any of the licensing program options in Special Education will be tested on their content knowledge in Language and Literature Studies, History/Social Studies, Mathematics, and Science. Students in Special Education will take the same test required of students in the Middle Childhood through Early Adolescence option in Elementary Education.
Secondary Education students must pass the content knowledge test in their certification subject area. This is also true for students completing programs that license in Early Childhood through Adolescence, such as Art or Music. Students seeking certification in more than one subject area must pass the content knowledge exam in each area. However, students completing any of the Science licensing programs must pass a single, comprehensive Science examination in five categories with the approximate percentage of the examination distributed as follows: Scientific Methodology, Techniques, and History, 10%; The Physical Sciences, 40%; The Life Sciences, 20%; The Earth Sciences, 20%; Science, Technology, and Society, 10%.
Similarly, Secondary Education students completing any of the Social Studies licensing programs must pass a single test divided in this manner: United States History, 22%; World History, 22%; Government/Civics/Political Science, 16%; Geography, 15%; Economics, 15%; Behavioral Sciences (Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology), 10%.
Students completing the undergraduate program in Communicative Disorders are exempt from this requirement; students obtaining a master's degree in Communicative Disorders will take an exam also required by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Students completing a licensing program in the less frequently taught foreign languages (e.g., Japanese or Chinese) are also exempt from the testing requirement at this time.
Find more specific information (including registration information) by choosing the content examinations link at the EAS Web page, www.education.wisc.edu/eas.
Minimum grade point averages. The following minimum grade point averages are required for program completion at UW-Madison (calculated only from course work taken on the UW-Madison campus):
These grade point averages may be modified by the Last 60 Credits Rule. The School of Education monitors additional requirements for graduation and/or certification—e.g., cumulative GPA and upper-level major course work. Some programs may require higher minimum grade point averages than those mandated by the Department of Public Instruction. Consult the requirements for the individual program area(s). Students whose GPA is below that required in major, minor, and/or professional courses may appeal to continue and/or graduate with a recommendation for certification. Appeals may not be successful because of program restrictions or state law. Consult Education Academic Services, B117 Education Building.
Students intending to complete an undergraduate degree in teacher certification programs should monitor program requirements carefully. The State Department of Public Instruction periodically implements regulations that affect all certification programs; teacher certification candidates are responsible for having up-to-date information about certification requirements.
Wisconsin Teaching License. The state of Wisconsin issues an initial teaching license to certified teachers. The current fee is $100. License applications are available at DPI's Web site at www.dpi.wi.gov/tepdl/applications.html. A Criminal Background Investigation (CBI) will also be conducted by DPI; fingerprint cards are available through the Department of Public Instruction.
The teacher's license application requires an "institutional endorsement" by the certifying officer of the institution where teacher preparation was completed. For UW-Madison teacher certification students, the only endorsement accepted by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is obtained from the School of Education, B117 Education Building. Submit all initial license applications to Education Academic Services. UW-Madison students need not submit transcripts.
License processing at Education Academic Services will not be completed until (1) all certification requirements are met; (2) student teaching (on the school district calendar) is completed; (3) final grades are posted and reviewed; (4) the degree is "posted" by the registrar's office (4 to 5 weeks after graduation); and (5) a recommendation for certification is received from the program faculty. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction may require an additional 6 to 12 weeks for license processing. See Education Academic Services for additional information and assistance. The EAS Web site, www.education.wisc.edu/eas, also contains valuable information about the licensing process.
Teaching in states other than Wisconsin. Teacher candidates who expect to teach in states other than Wisconsin should complete the appropriate professional program in its entirety. Applications for a license to teach in another state are usually available from the employing school district or from that state's Department of Education. When applying for a license in another state, the application form may require the signature of the certifying officer, the signature of the registrar, or both. Obtain the certifying officer's signature through Education Academic Services; for a registrar's signature, send applications to Registrar, 21 North Park Street, Suite 7223, Madison, WI 53715-1218.