University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Curriculum Proposal Form #4A
Change in an Existing Course
Type of Action (check all that apply)
Course Revision (include course description & former and new syllabus)
Grade Basis
Contact Hour Change and or Credit Change
Repeatability Change
Diversity Option
Other: course number and
title change
General Education Option
area: Select one: *
* Note: For the Gen Ed option, the proposal should address how this course relates to specific core courses, meets the goals of General
Education in providing breadth, and incorporates scholarship in the appropriate field relating to women and gender.
Effective Term: 2157 (Fall 2015)
Current Course Number (subject area and 3-digit course number): FROM: SPECED 580; TO: SPECED 783
Current Course Title:
FROM: Phase 3 Portfolio; TO: Graduate Fieldwork and Portfolio
Development
Sponsor(s):
Kathryn Casey
Department(s):
Special Education
College(s):
Education
List all programs that are affected by this change:
NA
If programs are listed above, will this change affect the Catalog and Advising Reports for those
programs? If so, have Form 2's been submitted for each of those programs?
(Form 2 is necessary to provide updates to the Catalog and Advising Reports)
NA
Yes
Proposal Information:
I.
They will be submitted in the future
(Procedures for form #4A)
Detailed explanation of changes (use FROM/TO format)
Changes in course focus and description FROM:
Currently, this course serves as our “Phase 3,” or gateway into the Directed Teaching
block. Teacher candidates collect and reflect on artifacts from courses taken in the
COE and Department of Special Education. The course is 2 credits. See current
course description below:
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This course assists teacher candidates to develop their phase 3 portfolio which
includes a philosophical statement which addresses DPI's core values; three narratives
in the areas of assessment, instruction, and communication and collabration; and three
to nine student-selected artifacts selected from course projects or related artifacts
across the college and Department of Special Education, prior to their entrance into
the Directed Teaching Block that provide evidence of the attainment of knowledge
and skills related to WTS and CEC/NCATE standards.
Changes in course focus and description TO:
This course will remain a “Phase 3” course, in that it will continue to serve as a
gateway into the directed teaching block. In addition, a field component will be added
to provide an applied teaching experience prior to enrollment in the directed teaching
block. Due to the increase in time required by adding the field component, the course
will become 3 credits. See proposed course description below:
This course assists graduate teacher candidates to develop their gateway portfolio.
This portfolio includes artifacts from Characteristics, Methods, and Assessment, and
a performance component. The artifacts selected should demonstrate competencies on
the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and Wisconsin Teaching Standards
(WTS). The performance component will be comprised of completing 25 hours in an
assigned field placement, and a written project. Teacher candidates must earn a
passing grade on this portfolio, and passing scores on all clinical evaluations and field
projects, for entrance into the Directed Teaching Block.
II.
Justification for action
Recent changes in teacher licensure require candidates to demonstrate applied competencies
in planning, teaching, and assessment during their directed teaching semester (i.e., complete the
Teacher Performance Assessment, edTPA). Candidates who do not demonstrate these
competencies will not be eligible for licensure. Due to the consequential nature of this change, it
is important for candidates to get opportunities to practice these skills in the field prior to
directed teaching. Currently, our Cross-Categorical Graduate teacher candidates do not have to
complete a field experience prior to directed teaching. Therefore, the Special Education
department would like to add a field component to our current Phase 3 course, which would
require Cross-Categorical Graduate teacher candidates to complete one field experience prior to
their directed teaching.
This change would enhance our current assessment system. This course already includes a
portfolio componenet, comprised of artifacts created from course projects across the college and
Department of Special Education. While valuable, these artificats do not directly assess the
applied competencies required for the Teacher Performance Assessment (e.g., video taped lesson
demonstration, focus on academic language, formative assessment). The field component would
include one observation and an artifact, both of which would provide a snapshot of each
candidates competencies related to the performance assessment prior to directed teaching.
Therefore, if the teacher candidate does not demonstrate the necessary competencies in field,
there would be time for remediation.
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III.
Syllabus/outline (if course revision, include former syllabus and new syllabus)
See attached
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