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M.A. in Education

M.A. in Education

Optional Added Endorsements

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Supplement your teaching license or your master’s degree in education with additional endorsements to enhance your resume and your professional experience.

The field of education is just as competitive as other business sectors. Take advantage of these optional added endorsements to get ahead in your professional career as an educator. All endorsements require that you complete your initial licensure first and return for post-licensure coursework. Depending on your starting point and your degree path, some endorsements require only 3 additional credits, while others require up to 24 credits.

The Reading Specialist endorsement will allow you to work as a literacy specialist and instructional coach in your school or district. This endorsement is offered to currently licensed teachers who have three or more years of full-time teaching experience. Additional requirements for the Reading Specialist endorsement are available on the Colorado Department of Education’s website.

To prepare for this endorsement, students can pursue initial licensure at Western in Elementary Education, Secondary English, or Special Education, and choose the Reading Leadership emphasis for the MA in Education. In addition to 27 credits of Teacher Licensure course work, students must complete a 3-credit Reading Specialist Internship (EDUC 689).

If you received your initial teacher preparation at an institution other than Western Colorado University, you would complete the 24-credit endorsement plan through the Master’s in Education with emphasis in Educator Effectiveness (MAEE) program.

A CLD Endorsement equips educators with relevant skills to meet the needs of Colorado’s increasingly diverse student population. Educators leave this program knowledgeable about assets pedagogies, evidence-based bilingual education program models, and second language acquisition concepts, theories, and research. With opportunities for practical and applied learning, those pursuing the CLD endorsement will develop proficiency in differentiating classroom instruction according to current, best practices, and becoming effective advocates for CLD students.

To prepare for this endorsement, students can pursue initial licensure at Western in Elementary Education, Secondary, or K-12 content areas. In addition to 27 credits of Teacher Licensure course work, students must complete 12 more credits, including the following courses:

EDUC 614: Inclusivity with Collaboration 3
EDUC 616: Language Acquisition for Linguistically Diverse Students 3
EDUC 617: Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency in the Content Area 3
EDUC 618: Linguistically Diverse Student Teaching 3

If you received your initial teacher preparation at an institution other than Western Colorado University, you would complete the 15-credit endorsement plan through the Master’s in Education with emphasis in Educator Effectiveness (MAEE) program.

The Special Education endorsement will help you to work more effectively with students who have Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs). This endorsement is available to currently licensed teachers who would like to teach special education students.

Students who pursue initial licensure at Western in Special Education are not required to take any additional courses for this endorsement.

If you received your initial teacher preparation in a content area other than Special Education or at an institution other than Western Colorado University, you would complete the 24-credit endorsement plan through the Master’s in Special Education program, including the following courses:

EDUC 611: Strategies for Teaching Students with Exceptionalities 3
EDUC 612: Assessment and Programming 3
EDUC 614: Inclusivity with Collaboration 3
EDUC 615: Student Teaching for Students with Exceptionalities
*Initial Licensure students must take this in both fall and spring terms.
3
EDUC 630: Inclusivity in the Content Areas 3
EDUC 631: Inclusive Methods and Strategies for Literacy 3
EDUC 632: Overview of Special Services 3
EDUC 633: Differential Literacy Assessment 3

A Mentor Teacher endorsement gives you the tools to mentor, evaluate and support upcoming teachers as they complete their residency requirements. As a Mentor Teacher you will help develop instructional leadership in a new generation of teaching professionals.

In addition to completing two 6-credit courses, a Mentor candidate must also have completed at least one full school year of successful experience serving as a Mentor Teacher for a teacher candidate who is participating in clinical practice. Courses include:

EDUC 640: Acclimation of Beginning Teachers 3
EDUC 641: Professional Growth for the Beginning Teacher 3

Apply for this endorsement through the Master’s in Education with emphasis in Educator Effectiveness (MAEE) program.

Apply to the M.A. in Education

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