Framingham State University
Education Programs
Supplemental Guide for Advising Sessions
Early Childhood and Elementary Licensure Programs
Key Information to Provide and/or Review with Students
Key Questions to Ask Students
EDUCATION COURSES AND FIELD STUDY
All undergraduate early childhood and elementary students must complete course work for an academic
major, along with a coordinate major in education. Students typically take their first education courses
during their sophomore year. These include Education in American Society with Field Study I and
Psychology of Development. Thereafter, students take in the following order Field II which focuses on
literacy methods, Field III which includes math, science, social studies methods and special education, and
then student teaching. These courses are organized sequentially.
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Do you have questions about the sequence of
education courses?
Do you have questions about the field study
requirements?
When do you plan to enroll in your next
education course?
Post Baccalaureate students begin with PBTL 910 Education Foundations, PBTL 992 Learning and Human
Development, and PBTL 001 Field Study I. Students must be formally accepted to the PBTL program in
order to proceed to Field Study II. See Field Placement Handbook.
During Field Study I, students are placed three hours a week in a public school setting for a minimum of
thirty-six hours. During Field Study II, early childhood students spend three hours a week in the Child
Development Lab on campus. Elementary education students are placed three hours a week in a public
school setting during morning hours for a minimum of thirty-six hours during Field Study II. During Field
Study III, early childhood and elementary education students spend one full day a week in a public school
setting throughout the semester for a minimum of seventy-two hours. During Field Study II and Field
Study III, students start to gain experience teaching lessons. The education program sequence is
completed with the student teaching practicum.
APPLYING FOR FIELD PLACEMENTS AND COMPLETING A CORI
Field placement applications are due on October 1st for a spring placement. They are due on February 15th
for a fall placement. Completed applications must be delivered by hand by the student to the Field
Placement Office in Dwight Hall 302. Field placement applications must be carefully reviewed prior to
turning them. They will be read by school principals and teachers as though they were job applications.
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Have you submitted a placement application if
you plan to take an Education course with
field study during the next semester?
If so, when will you complete your CORI
application?
A Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) form must be completed at the host school prior to each
field placement.
GPA
Field Study I is open to all undergraduate students who have achieved sophomore status and to all PBTL
program applicants. Beginning with Field Study II, all students who enroll in FSU Education programs
must have reached and maintained a GPA of 2.8 for all courses taken at FSU and an Education GPA of 2.8
for all education courses including PSYC 200 and PBTL courses.
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Is your current GPA a 2.8 or above?
If not, what plans are in place to raise the GPA
to the required level?
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What MTELs have you completed to date?
What are your plans with regard to MTEL
testing?
Post Baccalaureate candidates must maintain the minimum GPA in all subject courses taken at FSU as
well.
MTEL
All students must pass MTEL 001 Communication and Literacy Skills prior to entering Field II.
Prior to entering student teaching, all students must pass all subject-area required tests for the sought
Framingham State University
Education Programs
Supplemental Guide for Advising Sessions
Early Childhood and Elementary Licensure Programs
license. Both Early Childhood and Elementary Education candidates must pass MTEL 090 Foundations of
Reading, best done following EDUC 320 and EDUC 322. In addition, Early Childhood candidates must
pass MTEL 002 Early Childhood, after EDUC 320. Elementary Education candidates must pass MTEL 003
General Curriculum which includes multi-subject and mathematics subtests. MTEL 003 may be taken
following appropriate general education courses.
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If seeking the Elementary license, have you
completed MATH 110 or, for PBTL students,
the equivalent? If so, have you taken MTEL
003 General Curriculum Math?
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Are you aware of the MTEL support services
on campus?
Have you taken advantage of these support
services?
It is strongly recommended that students take only one MTEL during each exam session and allow two or
more opportunities to take each test, if necessary. In order to qualify for fall placements, necessary tests
must be passed no later than the July test session. In order to qualify for spring placements, necessary
tests must be passed no later than the November test session.
MTEL SUPPORT SERVICES
CASA provides free preparation workshops for the Communication and Literacy MTEL. Please visit
CASA for a list of the scheduled workshops. The Education Department also provides free workshops for
the mathematics subtest of the General Curriculum test. Free test materials also may be found on the
MTEL website at http://www.mtel.nesinc.com/. DGCE offers a workshop, each semester, for MTEL 090
Foundations of Reading.
VARIETY OF FIELD EXPERIENCES
All education candidates must undertake field experiences in a variety of grades and districts throughout
their teacher preparation programs. This is a requirement of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary
and Secondary Education.
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Are you aware that students need a variety of
grade level placements and district placements
prior to student teaching?
Framingham State University
Education Programs
Supplemental Guide for Advising Sessions
Early Childhood and Elementary Licensure Programs
Name of Student:
Banner Student ID:
Major Field of Study:
License sought:
Date:
The following information was reviewed:
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Subject area requirements
Education courses and field study requirements
Field placement applications and completing a CORI
GPA
MTEL examinations
MTEL support services
Variety of field placements
For undergraduate students, course progress for academic major and coordinate education major or minor will
be tracked using the Banner system.
Questions asked by student:
Future plans of student:
Other: