Teacher Education/Special Education Latest News
From the Academic Advisor
Hello TC’s!
Congrats on finishing your Fall 2009 semester, best of luck to those who have completed the licensure program, and welcome to those who are just beginning. May you enjoy a well-deserved winter holiday break… revel and relax in the company of family and good friends, read a great book that hasn’t been assigned, and take time to reenergize as you prepare for the Spring 2010 semester!
Teacher Ed and Special Ed Handbooks
You can now find the handbooks and all appendices on the SEHD website – under CURRENT STUDENTS – CURRENT STUDENT RESOURCES. Or click here!
IPTE 4026/5026
If you were waiting for IPTE 4026/5026, we have a section now available. If the course is closed, please put yourself on the waitlist.
IPTE5026001 CALL #: 11968
IPTE4026001 CALL #: 14122
Completion of Teaching License/Endorsement
To start your licensure application process, use this link to the CDE application wizard to download the applications-http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeprof/Licensure_main.asp. If you would rather pick up the checklist and CDE paperwork, we have copies available in our student services center office.
Remember-all grades must be complete and listed on transcript before you can start the application process. Grades will begin to be posted December 22, 2009. I will not be able to begin signing on licensure paperwork until January 4, 2010.
• If you need a confirmation letter for employment while waiting for your licensure paperwork to process, please email me your request with details and how you would like the letter delivered or held for pick up.
• Please note, if an incomplete has been taken in any licensure course (SAPS for example) the grade must be posted for the incomplete course. All prerequisite courses must be completed and you must have passed the PLACE or PRAXIS II tests. This is a requirement that should have been completed prior to entering your third internship.
• You can make a request for UCD transcripts to be mailed to your home once grades are posted via SMART or pick them up from the Bursar’s office for $20.00. Graduate students will also need to include a copy of undergraduate transcripts-we have an extra copy of your transcripts in your file if needed.
• CLAS Undergraduate Licensure Completers will submit their licensure paperwork for institutional recommendation to Stephanie Hamington. Graduate teacher education students submit their paperwork to Meredith Lopez.
• Master Options for Graduate Licensure Completers–All teacher education graduate licensure completers who are going on to complete a Masters option are required to complete an IPTE MA Option Selection Sheet indicating the MA Option that will be pursued and the term starting the MA Option. Please turn this form into the SSC office. For a complete list of IPTE MA Option course requirements, click here. We encourage you to contact the faculty advisor listed on the options sheet for more information and sequencing of courses.
Office Calendar/Schedule
Please note that our main SSC office is now on official fall schedule and is open 8-6pm M-Thursday and 8-5pm Fridays. Our office will be closed Thursday Dec. 25, 2009-Janaury 3, 2010 in observance of the Christmas/New Year Holiday. You can reach me for appointments or questions through Tuesday Dec. 22, 2009 by calling 303-315-4980 or emailing Meredith.lopez@ucdenver.edu
~Meredith Lopez, Academic Advisor, IPTE
ATTENTION SPED MA ONLY STUDENTS
Are you interested in learning more about working with English language learners with disabilities? Do you wonder about…how to distinguish the difference between typical language acquisition and those students who truly have a language or learning disability?
Then, we have the course for you.
Dr. Barbara Dray from the Special Education Program is teaching a special section of LLC5030 Language Acquisition I on Monday nights from 5:30-8:20pm. The call # is 14899.
This course will count toward your Master’s Degree in Special Education – speak with your advisor for details.
Register today!
2009-10 Praxis Bulletin
Remember! You must take the Place or Praxis Licensure Exam before your third internship. Check out this bulletin to see when you can take the next Praxis II exam (we also have hard copies in the Student Services Center, Lawrence Street Center, Room 701). Keep time on your side, take it early!
If you have any questions about which exam to take for your content area, please contact Meredith Lopez. Once you have received your passing scores, please send a copy of the full score report to Rachel Fraser in the Student Services Center, in Lawrence Center building, room 701.
Please note that checking the box for UCD when taking licensure exam is not the same thing as submitting scores to SSC. We need to retain the full score report which contains sub scores as well. A PDF, copy, or fax of your score report are all acceptable. Keep your original at all times. You will need to reference this exam report many times in your teaching career. To replace it can cost up to $50.
Starting September 2009, Praxis is no longer sending you official scores in the mail. They give you access to a website where you can print and save your scores. This website is accessible for a few weeks and then they shut it off. YOU MUST SAVE THE PDF TO YOUR COMPUTER BEFORE THEY TURN OFF YOUR ACCESS. If you don’t, you have to pay $40 to get your scores.
If you are starting your third internship this spring and we do not have your score report, please send it to Rachel immediately. Please email it to rachel.fraser@ucdenver.edu or fax to 303.315.6311. We must have your scores on record 20 days before you start your internship.
Student Spotlight
SEHD student Justin Darnell chosen Colorado Teacher Of The Year
(Nov. 23, 2009) Growing up in a small town outside of Albuquerque, Justin Darnell witnessed the divide between his classmates’ needs and what the educational system provided. The experience prompted Darnell to want to change the way teachers interact with at-risk learners.
Darnell, an EdD student at UC Denver’s School of Education and Human Development, pursued that personal goal and for the past seven years has worked as a science teacher. He has spent the past five years at Bryant-Webster K-8 School where 95 percent of the student body is eligible for free and reduced lunch and 96 percent of the students are Hispanic, including many English language learners.
“I joined the EdD program at the University of Colorado Denver to actively engage in leadership and educational equity discussions with top tier educators and faculty,” Darnell says. “My professors have successfully guided my continued learning and provided a rigorous curriculum that has challenged and further shaped my knowledge of education. I have become aware of and engaged in local and national academic policy surrounding the inequities in our educational system. Thanks to these courses I have strengthened my knowledge and position as an educational leader and pursuant of equity. I do not believe I would have been fully prepared to become the 2010 Colorado Teacher of the Year without the knowledge gained in this program, nor would I be in a position to use this recognition to increase equity for all students in Colorado.”
For his dedication, leadership and for bringing research-based best practices to the classroom, Darnell was chosen the 2010 Colorado Teacher of the Year in an event held in lower downtown Denver. The announcement was made by Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter.
“I don’t know of a profession that matters more to the future of our state and our country,” Ritter stressed.
In her letter of recommendation on behalf of Justin Darnell, Bryant-Webster principal Pamela Liñan wrote: “Mr. Darnell is respectful to students from cultures different than his own and has learned strategies in working with English language learners and applies them in his content area. He promotes oral language development within his science classroom. I truly believe that he is helping to foster great change and direction in the teaching of science for our student population.”
“I have unbelievable students and I work at a great, great school,” Darnell said. Darnell was chosen by a five-member committee from a list of nominees of exemplary classroom teachers. Bryant-Webster K-8 School is part of Denver Public Schools.
Darnell received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from the University of Northern Colorado.
Ritter, Commissioner of Education Dwight D. Jones, Colorado State Board of Education member Angelika Schroeder and 2009 Teacher of the Year Susan Elliott attended the event at the Oxford Hotel.
Darnell becomes the Colorado nominee for National Teacher of the Year honors and serves as a teaching ambassador to communities and organizations around the state and nation. The Colorado Teacher of the Year represents the entire teaching profession in Colorado.
The Teacher of the Year selection process includes a written application, letters of recommendation, classroom visits, endorsements from the teacher’s district and personal interviews.
For more information, contact Mark Stevens, 303-866-3898, or Megan McDermott, 303-866-2334, in the CDE Office of Communications. To sign up for the CDE e-mail news service, visit http://www.cde.state.co.us/Communications/index.html.
Check it out!
Pranav Mistry: The thrilling potential of SixthSense technology
New Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Content from PBS
Last week, the White House announced a number of science and math education initiatives. And PBS has created a collection of related online videos highlighting science, technology, engineering and mathematics content. Find specific content just for teachers.
Special offers from Rocky Mountain PBS
Free DVD and teacher’s guide for “American Experience: The Civilian Conservation Corps.” Download the teacher’s guide here. If you are interested in receiving the screener DVD, please e-mail Christine Jennings, christinejennings@rmpbs.org. For more information on the Civilian Conservation Corps and life during the Great Depression in Colorado, visit rmpbs.org/thirties.
Free DVD and teacher’s guide for Ken Burns’ “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea.” The lessons and activities in the guide are designed to help students actively engage in learning about America’s national parks. Each lesson incorporates video clips from the film, which come with the guide. If you are interested in receiving the guide, please e-mail Doña Dodson, donadodson@rmpbs.org.
Conferences & Special Events
CSDC’s January 20, 2010 Annual Conference!
“Conscious Leadership: What Is It and What Difference Does It Make?”
Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII’s Forgotten Heroes
In person: Kareem Abdul Jabbar
Mr. Abdul-Jabbar will answer questions and share from his book
Monday, February 22, 2010 :: 10:30 am – 12:15 pm :: $5 per person :: REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED
Wells Fargo Theater, Colorado Convention Center, 14th Street and Stout Street
Following the tradition of bringing the best programming possible to the youth of Colorado, the Mizel Museum again partners with Facing History and Ourselves, and the Denver Mayor’s Office for Education and Children to bring middle, high school and college students, along with educators from across the metropolitan Denver area, a program that will educate and inspire. Once again, we are expecting to fill the theater’s 5000 seats.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is an accomplished author and researcher who is passionate about history and education. His book Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWll’s Forgotten Heroes is the story of a battalion unit that fought long and hard during World War II without respite under the command of General George Patton. The 761st captured thirty towns, liberated Jews from concentration camps, and made history as the first African-American armored unit to enter the war.
Professional Development
Facing History and Ourselves will offer two different full day professional development workshops to prepare you for this event on October 19, 2009 and January 15, 2010. To register, go to www.facinghistory.org/denverevents. For Questions, call Karen Mortimer at 303 316-4848.
DPS Teachers
Tuesday, January 12, 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm. Free Professional Development workshop for DPS teachers bringing students to the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar event. The workshop will be sponsored by the Mizel Museum and co-facilitated by Facing History and Ourselves and Denver Public Schools. Light dinner is included.
Job/Volunteer Opportunities
Paraprofessional Jobs at Edison
We have several paraprofessional jobs open at Edison starting in January and lasting until May. I am wondering if any December graduates would be interested in applying. All the jobs would involve working with students in some capacity. If anyone is interested I would be the contact person. Have a nice holiday.
Joanne Stroud (Joanne_Stroud@dpsk12.org)
UCD Site Coordinator/Coach
Edison Elementary
Part Time Help
I am looking to hire someone part time to assist me in transporting my children to school and their activities for the first part of January.
I am having foot surgery on my right foot and will be unable to drive.
You can use my car for the transporting..
My older one can catch the bus near my other son’s school but the bus picks up about 7:50 am at Westerly Creek in Stapleton. My younger attends the Odyssey School, which shares a building with Westerly Creek, but he needs to be watched until 8 am or so when there is supervision for the kids on the playground.
Odyssey gets out at 3:15 and Polaris @ Ebert gets out at 3:30.
I would need help with activities after school on tues and thursdays.
Odyssey only has half days on fridays and I would need help here as well.
I would need help beginning with after school on January 5th and estimate until school for UCD begins.
Please contact me either via email at alyson@starkidsproducts.com or 303-887-9017 if interested or know of someone else who might be interested.
Thanks
Alyson