Undergraduate

The mission of the College of Education at Western New Mexico University is to:

“Ignite and nurture a spirit of learning for both educator and student.”

“Encender y alimentar un espíritu de aprendizaje entre alumnos y maestros” (Spanish)

“Ba’ olta’ i doo olta’ i jiliigo o’ hoo’ aah bii’iistiin ji dil tli’ go naasgoo halled bee baa ‘ahwijiilyaa dooleel.” (Navajo)

“Tsit nah wah she oh nah…yah nit kay ah Tsit nah yah nit kay no nah…Tsit nah washe ah” (Zuni)

Prospective educators, counselors and health professionals at Western New Mexico University are provided an opportunity to fulfill this purpose by experiencing a specific knowledge base. All College of Education programs maximize opportunities for student thinking and achievement and facilitate active, participatory decision making.

To the extent that this is a new way of thinking about the purpose of the work in the College of Education, it has implications for possible changes in the curriculum for all programs in the College of Education. Therefore, this catalog may not accurately reflect the College of Education program changes that are occurring as we strive for continuous improvement. The College of Education seeks feedback for program effectiveness from several sources: clinical faculty, university faculty, current students, employers of graduates, and, most importantly, graduates of the program.

Therefore, in the College of Education, the curriculum must be viewed as a dynamic set of experiences that is subject to change based on the continuous inflow of data, including State and federal agency requirements. The College of Education will, when the data so indicate, request approval for curriculum changes during the catalog year. When curriculum changes are approved through the University structure, they will be assimilated into current degree plans.

Classes are offered at the main campus in Silver City, Mimbres Valley Learning Center in Deming, Gallup Learning Center, San Juan College Campus, and through a combination of online and video conference.

The following undergraduate degrees and certificate are offered by the College of Education:

Certificate in Early Childhood Education and Family Support
Associate of Arts in Education (Early Childhood Education and Family Support, Elementary/Special Education, and Secondary Education)
Bachelor of Applied Science in Career and Technical Education, Rehabilitation Services
Bachelor of Arts in Education (Early Childhood Care & Education, Physical Education, Secondary)
Bachelor of Arts/Science Instructional Technology and Design and Teaching and Learning
Bachelor of Science in Education (Early Childhood Care & Education, Elementary, Physical Education, Secondary, Special Education)

Teacher Education Endorsements

The Teacher Education Endorsements are university-wide with teaching fields in:

Art
Bilingual Education
Business Marketing (Secondary)
Health Science Education
Language Arts
Mathematics
Psychology
Reading
Science (Earth & Space, General, Life, and Physical Science)
Social Studies
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Minors

Majors and Licensure

Licensure is recommended, by the College of Education, for students based upon student performance on the Teaching Event. In addition to the Teaching Event, the passing of a PRAXIS Exam is required for Elementary and Special Education Majors. All students should check with their advisors for their appropriate test(s).

Six undergraduate teacher education and clinical program majors are offered:

Career & Technical Education
Early Childhood Care & Education (non-licensure)
Early Childhood Education
Elementary Education
Instructional Technology & Design 
Physical Education
Rehabilitation (non-licensure)
Secondary Education
Special Education
Teaching and Learning (non-licensure)

All coursework used toward a teaching field/endorsement must be completed with a grade of C or better. No minor is required.

Professional Development Credit

Professional Development Credit (PDC) will be offered by Western New Mexico University (WNMU) for the purpose of professional development, and enrichment. PDC will be accepted only in special cases, for a maximum of six hours of WNMU degree credit toward program electives, with prior approval from the Professional Education Committee (PEC), the Dean of the College of Education, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. PDC courses are not part of WNMU’s approved programs nor are they appropriate substitutes. Professional Development Credits are not recommended for licensure and endorsement purposes. Transcript credit will identify PDC by the numbers 444 (undergraduate credit) or 544/545 (graduate credit) and a listing of the course title as Professional Development: “Title of Course.”

Admission Requirements

The College of Education has established admission standards for entrance into many of its Programs. These higher expectations are set to assure that all prospective professionals graduating from WNMU are prepared.

To be admitted into the College of Education all students must meet the following requirements:

1. The first semester of enrollment in the Teacher Education Program is open to all interested candidates who have completed 31 hours of general education from an accredited institution.
2. During the first semester of attendance in the Teacher Education Program, the student is required to register for and complete Structured Observations of Teaching with a grade of C or better.
3. By the end of the first semester in Teacher Education, each candidate must meet the following requirements:
   1. Earned a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.75;
   2. Completed ENGL 1110, ENGL 1120, PSYC 1110, COMM 1130 and a general education Math course with a grade of C or better;
   3. Complete an application in Student Learning and Licensure that includes the following:
      
      Complete a degree plan approved and signed by an advisor in the College of Education;
      
      Three letters of recommendation: two academic and one other, preferably an employer;
      
      A brief Educational Philosophy statement.
      
      Pass a FBI Fingerprint background clearance;
      
      For Secondary and K-12 Pedagogy majors: endorsement by appropriate academic department faculty;
4. A student who has not been admitted to the College of Education may not continue in advanced professional courses in education. Student Learning and Licensure is the College of Education’s repository for student admission, monitoring and exit requirements. All students are required to purchase an account during the Admission process.

At the end of the open enrollment period, after completing the application, faculty and the Associate Dean of the College of Education will determine the COE admission status of each student. Each student may be admitted or denied admission into the Teacher Education Program. Students must maintain a 2.75 and must have a 2.75 cumulative G.P.A. prior to enrolling in the Capstone block of courses, with no grade lower than C.

Dismissal from Program

A student’s status in the College of Education may be withdrawn based upon their inability to demonstrate appropriate professional behaviors and dispositions. The Dean has the authority to withdraw a candidate’s program status. An ad hoc committee appointed by the Dean will make a recommendation, provided the committee determines there is just cause after a hearing. Just cause may include, but is not limited to: 1) any disciplinary action by the College of Education, 2) conviction of a felony or misdemeanor or moral turpitude, 3) charges currently pending against a student alleging commission of a felony or misdemeanor or moral turpitude, 4) false reporting of any claims, or 5) conduct which adversely affects the student’s suitability as a member of the academic/professional education community as assessed through the Professional Behaviors and Deposition Assessment.

Curriculum

The curriculum of the Teacher Education Program is comprised of four areas: General Education, BA or BS requirements, Professional Education, and Teaching Field. Within professional education, there are four levels: Contextual Knowledge, Foundation, Application/Reinforcement and Capstone. A student who has not been admitted to the College of Education may not continue beyond the Foundation Level.

Other Requirements

Graduation requirements differ for the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Applied Science and the Bachelor of Science. See UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS in this catalog.

Students completing a Bachelors Degree and seeking Licensure as an Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary, or Special Education Teacher are required to have completed:

nine semester hours in communication

six semester hours in mathematics

eight semester hours in laboratory science

nine semester hours in social and behavioral science

nine semester hours in humanities and fine arts;

Many of these requirements are addressed through the general education requirements.

All teacher education candidates are required to take one or two reading courses depending on their program.

Special Education, Early Childhood Education, and Elementary Education majors will take MATH 2132 and MATH 2133 for the B.S. degree requirements which also satisfy the New Mexico Public Education Department requirements.

All teacher education candidates must complete and submit a Graduation Application/Degree Evaluation form nine months before their intended graduation date.

Practice Teaching and Capstone

Practice teaching is the culminating capstone field experience for all teacher education candidates. The general intent of this intense experience is to facilitate the transition from student to beginning teacher. It provides teacher education candidates the opportunity to assume the full-time responsibility of a classroom teacher under the supervision of a school based clinical faculty or cooperating teacher. Teacher education candidates will complete 17 weeks (680 hours) of supervised clinical work in a classroom which aligns with their program and an Exit teaching field and an Exit Teaching Event, and actively participate in the Affirmation Ceremony, showcasing their practice teaching experiences.  Passing of the Exit Teaching Event is required to pass practice teaching and capstone for licensure.

Candidates must have a minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 2.75 to apply for Practice Teaching/Capstone.

Teacher Education Exit Requirements

In order to exit the Teacher Education Program, receive a diploma and/or be eligible for teacher licensure in New Mexico, WNMU students must provide the following evidence by the end of the Practice Teaching semester. These requirements represent the summative value of mastering the outcomes of the Teacher Education Program.

1. Exit Teaching Event with a score of 24, and no scores of 1
2. Complete the Teacher Educational Exit Survey (EBI-TEES)
3. Complete the Professional Behaviors and Dispositions Assessment

Detailed information can be found in the Practice Teaching Handbook.

Teaching Endorsement Fields

A teaching license must have an approved teaching field. The first teaching field must meet specific requirements as outlined in the pages following the Degree Plan requirements for each major. Additional teaching fields require 12 to 24 hours, 12 hours of which must be upper division courses. All credit hours used toward an endorsement/teaching field must be completed with a grade of C or better. PRAXIS Content Assessments are required for each additional endorsement field.

Teaching field requirements, as well as program requirements, go into effect when the student has been admitted to the Teacher Education Program.

Art Education- secondary

Secondary Students may complete a double major in both Secondary Education and Art, or the option of earning a Bachelor of Arts or Science in Art or a Bachelor of Fine Arts, and then obtaining the MAT requirements for teaching.

Graduate

The College of Education offers the following programs:

The College of Education is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) at the national and state levels.

Concentrations include: