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Field Experience: Riley College of Education and Human Sciences: Master of Arts in Teaching in Special Education

Master of Arts in Teaching

Special Education (K - Age 21)

The Master of Arts in Teaching program with a specialization in Special Education incorporates standards of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (InTASC).  The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is the largest international professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities, gifts and talents.

Field Experiences

Field experiences are an integral part of the teacher preparation program at Walden. These experiences provide candidates with opportunities to apply course concepts in real environments that allow for increasing levels of responsibility. The field experiences relate to candidates’ professional goals, provide them with the opportunity to connect theory and practice, and prepare them for daily classroom responsibilities. Candidates are informed, monitored, and evaluated throughout all field experiences.

The Office of Field Experiences secures all field experience placements for teacher candidates. Field experience requirements are outlined in the Field Experience and Demonstration Teaching handbook for each specialization.

Field Experience Forms and Deadlines

The Field Experience Forms are located in the candidate's ePortfolio. For more information about each of the below forms, please review the Teacher Candidate Guidebook and/or Field Experience and Demonstration Teaching Handbook.

1. Preferred Placement Form:  The Preferred Placement Form must be completed prior to starting field experiences. The form allows candidates to note the districts and schools within their geographic region, and is due two weeks after the first course begins.

2. Professional Liability Insurance Verification Form:  The Professional Liability Insurance Verification Form must be completed prior to starting field experiences. The form is due two weeks after the first course begins. The candidate may need to renew the professional liability insurance during the program to ensure coverage throughout all field experiences.

3. Field Experience Timesheets:  The Field Experience Timesheets serve as documentation of completed field experience hours. A signed timesheet is due at the end of each 5-week course.

4. Host Teacher Evaluations:  The Host Teacher Evaluations are completed by the candidate's host teacher after each field experience placement. A signed evaluation is due at the end of each placement.

5. Application for Intensive Field Experiences and Demonstration Teaching:  The Application for Intensive Field Experiences and Demonstration Teaching is due several months in advance of the Intensive Field Experiences semester.  The application is due January 31 for candidates who plan to complete intensive field experiences during the next fall semester, and due May 31 for candidates who plan to complete intensive field experiences during the next spring semester.

Demonstration Teaching Forms

Information on the Demonstration Teaching Forms is included in the Field Experience and Demonstration Teaching Handbook.

Program Guidebook and Handbook

Candidates are required to read the Teacher Candidate Guidebook and Field Experience and Demonstration Teaching Handbook for the program. The documents are located in the ePortfolio and below. 

Minnesota Teacher Licensure Exams

There are two reasons to seek a license in Minnesota: (1) if the candidate resides in Minnesota, or (2) if the candidate first needs a Minnesota license to transfer to his or her home state (license in hand). The Minnesota licensure exams for the Special Education program include:

  1. MTLE Pedagogy: Elementary (Subtests 1 and 2) or Secondary (Subtests 1 and 2)
  2. MTLE Content Area Test: Special Education Core Skills (Subtests 1 and 2)

For more information on the Minnesota Teacher Licensure Exams, please visit: https://www.mtle.nesinc.com/

Candidates who are not seeking a license in Minnesota must consult the department of education website in their home state, as it remains the individual’s responsibility to understand and comply with the out-of-state licensure requirements for the state in which he or she seeks to be licensed.