Minn. R. agency 188, ch. 8710, TEACHER STANDARDS, pt. 8710.3200

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 20, November 12, 2024

Part 8710.3200 - TEACHERS OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION

Subpart 1.Scope of practice.

The teacher of elementary education is authorized to teach all subjects to children in kindergarten through grade 6.

Subp. 2.Licensure requirements.

A candidate for licensure to teach elementary students in kindergarten through grade 6 shall:

A. hold a baccalaureate degree from a college or university that is accredited by the regional association for the accreditation of colleges and secondary schools;

B. demonstrate the standards for effective practice for licensing of beginning teachers listed in part 8710.2000; and

C. show verification of completing a Board of Teaching preparation program approved under part 8700.7600 leading to the licensure of teachers of elementary education in kindergarten through grade 6 in subpart 3.

Subp. 3.Subject matter standards, elementary education.

A candidate must complete a preparation program for licensure under subpart 2, item C, that must include the candidate's demonstration of the knowledge and skills in items A to L.

A. A teacher of children in kindergarten through grade 6 must:

(1) understand and apply the research base for and the best practices of kindergarten and elementary level education;

(2) understand and apply educational principles relevant to physical, social, emotional, moral, and cognitive development of young children;

(3) understand and apply the concepts of "belonging" and "family connectedness" as crucial to the development of young children;

(4) understand and apply the process and necessity of collaboration with families and other adults in support of the learning of young children; and

B. A teacher of children in kindergarten through grade 6 must demonstrate the knowledge of fundamental concepts of communication arts and literature and the connections between them. The teacher must:

(1) develop the skills and understanding to teach reading, writing, speaking, listening, media literacy, and literature;

(2) understand and apply teaching methods related to the developmental stages of language;

(3) use a variety of developmentally appropriate techniques for augmenting the listening, speaking, reading, and writing vocabularies of children;

(4) know how to integrate the communication arts;

(5) develop children's use of a process to write competently with confidence, accuracy, and imagination appropriate to the purpose and audience;

(6) develop children's ability to use written, spoken, and visual language to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes;

(7) know children's and young adolescents' literature representing a variety of genre; and

(8) know how to use books and other printed sources to develop children's personal growth and lifelong learning.

C. A teacher of children in kindergarten through grade 6 must have knowledge of the foundations of reading processes, development, and instruction, including:

(1) oral and written language development, including:

(a) relationships among reading, writing, and oral language and the interdependent nature of reading, writing, listening, and speaking to promote reading proficiency;

(b) the use of formal and informal oral language and writing opportunities across the curriculum to help students make connections between oral language and reading and writing, particularly English learners; and

(c) the interrelated elements of language arts instruction that support the reading development of English learners, including ways in which the writing systems of other languages may differ from English and factors and processes involved in transferring literacy competencies from one language to another.

(2) phonological and phonemic awareness, including:

(a) the phonemes that make up the English language;

(b) the ways in which reading achievement is related to phonological and phonemic awareness, including the ability to recognize word boundaries, to rhyme, and to blend, segment, substitute, and delete sounds in words; and

(c) the instructional progression of phonological awareness, for example, words, syllables, onsets and rimes, and phonemes;

(3) concepts about print, including:

(a) knowledge about how letters, words, and sentences are represented in written English;

(b) the importance of teaching uppercase and lowercase letter recognition and formation; and

(c) the instructional progression of the alphabetic principle;

(4) phonics and other word identification strategies and fluency, including:

(a) systematic, explicit phonics instruction that is sequenced according to the increasing complexity of linguistic units;

(b) word identification strategies and common, irregular sight words;

(c) the stages of spelling development and systematic planning for spelling instruction related to the stages of spelling development;

(d) how the etymology and morphology of words relate to orthographic patterns in English; and

(e) the development of reading fluency;

(5) knowledge of how to develop vocabulary knowledge, including:

(a) understanding the critical role vocabulary knowledge plays in reading;

(b) how to provide explicit instruction in vocabulary development and in determining the meaning and accurate use of unfamiliar words encountered through listening and reading; and

(c) how to provide opportunities for students to engage in early and continual language experiences to increase vocabulary by modeling and explicitly teaching students a variety of strategies for gaining meaning from unfamiliar words;

(6) comprehension processes related to reading, including:

(a) knowledge of how proficient readers read, how to facilitate listening comprehension, and how to develop comprehension of print material;

(b) the levels of comprehension, how to explicitly teach and provide guided practice in comprehension skills and strategies; and

(c) how to facilitate comprehension at various stages of reading development by selecting and using a range of texts, activities, and strategies before, during, and after reading;

(7) content-area literacy, including:

(a) knowledge of reading comprehension processes necessary to comprehend different types of informational materials and content-area texts; and

(b) the structures and features of expository (informational) texts and effective reading strategies to address different text structures and purposes for reading;

(8) literary response and analysis, including:

(a) knowledge of how to provide frequent opportunities to listen to and read high-quality literature for different purposes;

(b) knowledge of how to select, evaluate, and respond to literature from a range of genres, eras, perspectives, and cultures; and

(c) knowledge of how to analyze and teach literary text structures and elements and criticism, drawing upon literature and instructional needs and interests;

(9) structure of the English language, including:

(a) basic knowledge of English conventions and the structure of the English language (sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, syntax, and semantics);

(b) knowledge of how to enhance literacy skills including helping students understand similarities and differences between language structures used in spoken and written English;

(c) basic knowledge of English syntax and semantics and the ability to use this knowledge to improve reading competence, including how to help students interpret and apply English grammar and language conventions in authentic reading, writing, listening, and speaking contexts; and

(d) knowledge of how to help students consolidate knowledge of English grammar and improve reading fluency and comprehension by providing frequent opportunities to listen to, read, and reread materials.

D. A teacher of children in kindergarten through grade 6 must have knowledge of and ability to use a wide range of instructional practices, approaches, methods, and curriculum materials to support reading instruction, including:

(1) appropriate, motivating instruction, both explicit and implicit, in:

(a) oral language development;

(b) auditory awareness, discrimination of sounds, phonemic awareness, and word awareness;

(c) the teaching of phonics, sight words, spelling, and fluency, including the selection, design, and use of instructional programs, materials, texts, and activities; and

(d) applying a variety of reading comprehension strategies to different types of informational materials and content-area texts including teaching the structures and features of expository texts;

(2) selection, design, and use of appropriate and engaging instructional strategies, activities, and materials, including:

(a) multisensory techniques to ensure that students learn concepts about print including how to recognize and write letters;

(b) teaching vocabulary using a range of instructional activities to extend students' understanding of words; and

(c) teaching comprehension skills and strategies, including opportunities for guided and independent work;

(3) selection and appropriate use of a wide range of engaging texts representing various genres and cultures when designing reading lessons; the ability to facilitate and develop students' responses to literature and critical reading abilities through high level, interactive discussions about texts;

(4) selection and appropriate explicit instruction and guided practice to teach written-language structures using a range of approaches and activities to develop students' facility in comprehending and using academic language;

(5) development of a literacy framework to coherently organize reading programs and effectively implement lessons, including a variety of grouping strategies, guided practice, and independent work; and

(6) the ability to design purposeful lessons and tasks based on the qualities, structures, and difficulty of texts and the reading needs of individuals, including the selection and use of supplementary materials to support the reading development of struggling and gifted readers.

E. A teacher of children in kindergarten through grade 6 must have knowledge of and ability to use a variety of assessment tools and practices to plan and evaluate effective reading instruction, including:

(1) formal and informal tools to assess students':

(a) oral and written language development;

(b) auditory awareness, discrimination of sounds, and phonological and phonemic awareness;

(c) understanding of concepts about print and the alphabetic principle;

(d) knowledge of and skills in applying phonics and other word identification strategies, spelling strategies, and fluency;

(e) vocabulary knowledge in relation to specific reading needs and texts;

(f) comprehension of narrative and expository texts and the use of comprehension strategies, including determining independent, instructional, and frustration reading levels;

(g) comprehension in content area reading;

(h) ability to evaluate and respond to a range of literature and analyze text structures and elements; and

(i) oral and written language to determine understanding and use of English language structures and conventions;

(2) formal and informal tools to:

(a) plan, evaluate, and differentiate instruction to meet the needs of students from various cognitive, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds; and

(b) design and implement appropriate classroom interventions for struggling readers and enrichment programs for gifted readers;

(3) the ability to work with reading specialists, gifted and talented specialists, and other staff on advanced intervention and enrichment programs;

(4) the ability to communicate results of assessments to specific individuals in accurate and coherent ways that indicate how the results might impact student achievement;

(5) the ability to administer selected assessments and analyze and use data to plan instruction through a structured clinical experience linked to university reading course work; and

(6) the ability to understand the appropriate uses of each kind of assessment and the concepts of validity and reliability.

F. A teacher of children in kindergarten through grade 6 must have the ability to create a literate and motivating environment that fosters reading by integrating foundational knowledge, use of instructional practices, approaches and methods, curriculum materials, and the appropriate use of assessments, including:

(1) knowledge of how to use interests, reading abilities, and backgrounds as foundations for the reading program and provide authentic reasons to read and write;

(2) the ability to support students and colleagues in the selection or design of materials that match reading levels, interests, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds;

(3) the development and implementation of classroom and schoolwide organizational structures that include explicit instruction, guided practice, independent reading, interactive talk, opportunities for response, and reading and writing across the curriculum;

(4) the ability to create and maintain a motivating classroom and school environment and teacher and student interactions that promote ongoing student engagement and literacy for students;

(5) the ability to foster independence and self-efficacy in readers;

(6) the development of independent reading by encouraging and guiding students in selecting independent reading materials, promoting extensive independent reading by providing daily opportunities for self-selected reading and frequent opportunities for sharing what is read; and motivating students to read independently by regularly reading aloud and providing access to a variety of reading materials; and

(7) the use of a variety of strategies to motivate students to read at home; encourage and provide support for parents or guardians to read to their children, in English or in the primary languages of English learners; and to use additional strategies to promote literacy in the home.

G. A teacher of children in kindergarten through grade 6 must demonstrate a view of professional development as a career-long effort and responsibility. The teacher must:

(1) exhibit a particular stance towards professional development. A beginning teacher must view learning about reading processes and student reading development, and becoming more proficient as a teacher of reading, as a career-long effort and responsibility;

(2) display positive dispositions toward the act of reading and the teaching of reading, including a belief that students can learn to read regardless of cognitive, cultural, or linguistic backgrounds;

(3) provide support for reading development by communicating regularly with parents or caregivers and eliciting their support in a student's reading development;

(4) understand how to provide instructions for paraprofessionals and volunteers working in the classroom to ensure that these individuals provide effective supplementary reading instruction;

(5) engage in personal learning as a daily and long-term goal to inform instructional practices, including reflection on practices to improve daily instructional decisions and interactions with students; and

(6) collaborate with other professionals on literacy learning initiatives.

H. A teacher of children in kindergarten through grade 6 must demonstrate knowledge of fundamental concepts of mathematics and the connections between them. The teacher must know and apply:

(1) concepts of mathematical patterns, relations, and functions, including the importance of number and geometric patterns in mathematics and the importance of the educational link between primary school activities with patterns and the later conceptual development of important ideas related to functions and be able to:

(a) identify and justify observed patterns;

(b) generate patterns to demonstrate a variety of relationships; and

(c) relate patterns in one strand of mathematics to patterns across the discipline;

(2) concepts and techniques of discrete mathematics and how to use them to solve problems from areas including graph theory, combinatorics, and recursion and know how to:

(a) help students investigate situations that involve counting finite sets, calculating probabilities, tracing paths in network graphs, and analyzing iterative procedures; and

(b) apply these ideas and methods in settings as diverse as the mathematics of finance, population dynamics, and optimal planning;

(3) concepts of numerical literacy:

(a) possess number sense and be able to use numbers to quantify concepts in the students' world;

(b) understand a variety of computational procedures and how to use them in examining the reasonableness of the students' answers;

(c) understand the concepts of number theory including divisibility, factors, multiples, and prime numbers, and know how to provide a basis for exploring number relationships; and

(d) understand the relationships of integers and their properties that can be explored and generalized to other mathematical domains;

(4) concepts of space and shape:

(a) understand the properties and relationships of geometric figures;

(b) understand geometry and measurement from both abstract and concrete perspectives and identify real world applications; and

(c) know how to use geometric learning tools such as geoboards, compass and straight edge, ruler and protractor, patty paper, reflection tools, spheres, and platonic solids;

(5) data investigations:

(a) use a variety of conceptual and procedural tools for collecting, organizing, and reasoning about data;

(b) apply numerical and graphical techniques for representing and summarizing data;

(c) interpret and draw inferences from data and make decisions in a wide range of applied problem situations; and

(d) help students understand quantitative and qualitative approaches to answering questions and develop students' abilities to communicate mathematically;

(6) concepts of randomness and uncertainty:

(a) probability as a way of describing chance in simple and compound events; and

(b) the role of randomness and sampling in experimental studies;

(7) mathematical processes:

(a) know how to reason mathematically, solve problems, and communicate mathematics effectively at different levels of formality;

(b) understand the connections among mathematical concepts and procedures, as well as their application to the real world;

(c) understand the relationship between mathematics and other fields; and

(d) understand and apply problem solving, reasoning, communication, and connections; and

(8) mathematical perspectives:

(a) understand the history of mathematics and the interaction between different cultures and mathematics; and

(b) know how to integrate technological and nontechnological tools with mathematics.

I. A teacher of children in kindergarten through grade 6 must demonstrate knowledge of fundamental social studies concepts and the connections among them. The teacher must know and apply:

(1) tools of inquiry and problem solving;

(2) concepts of:

(a) culture and cultural diversity;

(b) the ways human beings view themselves in and over time;

(c) the interaction between people, places, and environments;

(d) individual development and identity;

(e) interactions among individuals, groups, and institutions;

(f) how people create and change structures of power and authority and of governance;

(g) how people organize for the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services and how those choices impact the environment;

(h) the relationships among science, technology, and society;

(i) global connections and independence; and

(j) the ideals, principles, and practices that promote productive community involvement;

(3) history, government, and culture of Minnesota-based American Indian tribes as integrating concepts throughout the elementary curriculum; and

(4) the environment as an integrating concept through understanding of how to use the sciences, social sciences, mathematics, arts, and communications in the exploration of environmental issues and topics.

J. A teacher of children in kindergarten through grade 6 must demonstrate a fundamental knowledge of scientific perspectives, scientific connections, science in personal and social perspectives, the domains of science, and the methods and materials for teaching science and scientific inquiry. The teacher must:

(1) understand science as a human endeavor, the nature of scientific knowledge, and the historical perspective of science;

(2) know and apply the understandings and abilities of scientific inquiry including the ability to:

(a) identify questions and concepts that can be explored through scientific inquiry;

(b) design and conduct scientific investigations;

(c) use appropriate scientific instrumentation and equipment and mathematics as tools to improve scientific investigations and communications;

(d) compare the use of multiple types of inquiry for answering questions;

(e) evaluate alternative explanations and models based on evidence, current scientific understanding, and logic; and

(f) communicate and defend a scientific argument;

(3) know how to make connections across the domains of science, between science and technology, and between science and other school subjects;

(4) use scientific understandings and abilities when making decisions about personal and societal issues;

(5) know and apply the fundamental concepts and principles of physical science concerning properties of and changes in matter; position, motion, and force; light, heat, electricity, and magnetism; and kinds of and ways to transfer energy;

(6) know and apply the fundamental concepts and principles of life science concerning the characteristics of organisms, the life cycle of organisms, the interrelationships of organisms and environments, structure and function in living systems, reproduction and heredity, regulation and behavior, populations and ecosystems and their interrelationships, and diversity and adaptations of organisms;

(7) know and apply the fundamental concepts and principles of earth and space science concerning properties of earth materials; objects in the sky; changes in earth and sky; structure of the earth system, including hydrosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, and lithosphere; history of the earth; and earth in the solar system; and

(8) know and apply pedagogy and classroom management in science and scientific inquiry including understanding:

(a) content standards under chapter 3501 for recommendations regarding curriculum, instruction, assessment, professional development, and program development;

(b) how to teach scientific inquiry in a developmentally appropriate manner;

(c) common student misconceptions in science and developmentally appropriate strategies to elicit students' misconceptions and help them move to accepted scientific understandings; and

(d) how to implement safe environments for learning science through knowing:

i. state and national legal responsibilities and safety guidelines for teaching science;

ii. how to establish and enforce recognized safety procedures during the science learning experience;

iii. how to use required safety equipment for classroom, field, and laboratory settings including goggles, fire extinguisher, fire blanket, eye wash, and chemical shower;

iv. how to manage, maintain, and utilize science supplies and equipment;

v. state and national guidelines and plan for the care, storage, use, and disposal of chemicals and equipment used to teach science;

vi. the ethics of and restrictions on making and maintaining collections of scientific specimens and data; and

vii. the ethics of and restrictions on the use of live organisms, and how to acquire, care, handle, and dispose of organisms.

K. A teacher of children in kindergarten through grade 6 must demonstrate knowledge of fundamental physical education and health concepts and the connections among them. The teacher must:

(1) understand the knowledge needed for providing learning experiences that encourage personal and community health promotion, disease prevention and safety, and proper nutritional choices;

(2) understand strategies for reducing and preventing accidents; drug, alcohol, and tobacco use; and high-risk situations and relationships;

(3) understand and apply movement concepts and principles to the learning and development of motor skills; and

(4) understand the knowledge needed for providing learning experiences that develop a health-enhancing level of physical fitness.

L. A teacher of children in kindergarten through grade 6 must demonstrate knowledge of fundamental visual and performing arts, including music, dance, and theater, concepts and the connections among them. The teacher must:

(1) understand the basic structural elements, principles, and vocabulary of the visual and performing arts;

(2) be able to perform and create using the basic elements and processes of visual and performing arts;

(3) know and apply within the elementary curriculum strategies for nurturing artistic modes of expression and thinking;

(4) understand the role of visual and performing arts in culture; and

(5) know the characteristics of children's developmental stages in the visual and performing arts.

Subp. 3a.Student teaching and field experiences.

A candidate for licensure to teach elementary students in kindergarten through grade 6 must have a variety of field experiences which must include at least 100 school-based hours prior to student teaching that provide opportunities to apply and demonstrate competency of professional dispositions and the required skills and knowledge under this part and part 8710.2000.

Across the combination of student teaching and other field-based placements, candidates must have experiences at both the primary and intermediate elementary levels.

For initial teacher licensure, the student teaching period must be a minimum of 12 continuous weeks, full time, face-to-face, in which the candidate is supervised by a cooperating teacher, and evaluated at least twice by qualified faculty supervisors in collaboration with the cooperating teachers.

Subp. 4. [Repealed, 34 SR 595]

Subp. 5.Continuing licensure.

A continuing license shall be issued and renewed according to the rules of the Board of Teaching governing continuing licensure.

Subp. 6.Effective date.

The requirements of this part for licensure as a teacher of elementary education are effective on September 1, 2015, and thereafter.

Minn. R. agency 188, ch. 8710, TEACHER STANDARDS, pt. 8710.3200

23 SR 1928; 34 SR 595; L 2012 c 239 art 1s 33; 39 SR 822

Statutory Authority: MS s 122A.09; 122A.18