Cert Masters: Secondary Education (9-12)

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Biology with Secondary Teacher Certification

Improve Science Knowledge for Our Future

Engaging the natural curiosity of students about living things makes for an exciting career as a teacher of life sciences. The UMSL Biology Teacher Certification and optional Master’s Degree in Secondary Education provide a strong knowledge and skills base in biology as well as a solid foundation in teaching approaches. The UMSL Biology Education Certification and optional Master’s Degree in Secondary Education program provide the research-based approaches for teaching effectively. Area schools and organizations such as the Saint Louis Science Center offer excellent opportunities for working with students while learning to teach.

Enrolling in the College of Education teacher preparation program actively and uniquely engages you throughout your studies in working with secondary students as they learn and develop in informal and formal learning settings. The College of Education recognizes that we prepare educators for a variety of roles and a variety of contexts (i.e. P-12 schools, youth serving organizations, museums, zoos, gardens, nature centers, after school programs, tutoring/mentoring programs, businesses, legislative offices, etc.) all of which impact student learning. We want to prepare community educators as well as P-12 classroom teachers who can provide relevance, application, and meaning to student learning in developmentally, socially, and culturally responsive ways. As a teacher candidate, you will work with students in youth serving agencies to support them in non-traditional settings. You will also gain valuable practical knowledge by applying university course content to interactions with young learners in academically focused content-based community agencies such the St. Louis Chess Club, Powder Valley, and many United Way agencies.

Our teacher programs offer unique capstone experiences, two practica in “Studio Schools.” These are schools and districts where design happens, using a “differentiated staffing” plan. Specifically, teacher candidates will work in the school site as a faculty member, planning and teaching to provide in-depth support, flexibility, and intervention for secondary students where it’s needed. The focus of this model is on K–12 student learning. Teacher candidates, supported by the supervisor and school site mentor, will impact secondary students in multiple, varied and wide ranging grade level, achievement and subject specific contexts. These can include small group settings, whole class lessons, enrichment and support lessons all focused learning experiences.

Unique Resources and Innovations:

• Launch session to build community, provide early guidance, and share essential information
• Grand Seminars and Collaborative Exchanges throughout the practicum experiences.

Missouri Educator Gateway Assessments (MEGA):

• Missouri Content Assessment (MoCA)
• Missouri Educator Evaluation System (MEES)

Clinical Experience:

• 20 clock hours working in a community agency
• 2 site-based practicum courses immersed in a Studio School
• Practicum One: 2 days per week working as a Triton Teacher
• Practicum Two: 4 days per week working as a Triton Teacher

Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP)

To review this program’s national accreditation, please follow this link to review our AAQEP accreditation report.

National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC SARA)

To determine if this program meets the reciprocity requirements for like state educational certification programs outside the state of Missouri, follow this link for further contact information and resources.