Each of our programs has adopted a framework of
Wisconsin Teacher Standards that are woven throughout the students’
course of study. These
standards include building a solid understanding of content knowledge,
understanding diverse needs of students, understanding accommodations to
be made in teaching each child, and understanding design and
implementation of on-going assessment practices, and possessing a strong
knowledge of pedagogical applications.
Students graduating from our programs who are recommended for
licensure must demonstrate competence in the knowledge, skills and
dispositions as related to each of the ten Wisconsin Teacher Standards.
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has a 100+
year history in teacher preparation.
Teacher certification programs comprise the largest academic
interest on campus with the greatest number of teacher certifications in
Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education, Exceptional Education,
Science Education, Speech Language Pathology, English, English as a Second
Language, Physical Education, Family and Consumer Education, Mathematics,
Music and Social Studies.
The hub for teacher education programs is the School
of Education (SOE), the home of the University’s largest major,
elementary education. Elementary
education students enter teacher education as juniors, with an average
3.35 grade point, making this the most selective major on campus. Also located in the School are majors in exceptional
education and early childhood education as well as teacher certification
coursework for all Early Childhood through Adolescent and all Early
Adolescent through Adolescent majors .
Full time placement in schools for all education fields in
2002-2003 was 63% and 71% in elementary education.
The School sponsors the state’s largest student
education organization, Student Wisconsin Education Association, that
routinely wins national awards from the National Education Association (NEA),
including the single Best Chapter
in the nation award for the past four years, as well as the 2000-2001 Best Advisor Award, the 2001-2002 Best Web-Site Award and the 2002-2003 Most Outstanding Student Leader Award went to Diana Spargo, one of
it’s officers. The School
also teaches the largest UWSP graduate program, with over 1,000 teachers
enrolled in regular, on-site, or technology-mediated graduate courses.
The School of Education is at the forefront of
educational innovation. With
grant support of $285,000, the School has created two projects to support
Hmong-American students in pursuing teacher certification and graduate
degrees in education. The
School houses other innovative programs including:
UWSP Site-Based Master’s program, Network for Gifted and Talented
Education, and state headquarters for Wisconsin Creative Problem Solving
(Destination ImagiNation & First Lego League).
UWSP faculty participate in creative use of distance and Internet
for class delivery and service activities.
A recent survey revealed that over 1,200 K-12 teachers and 6,000
school-aged students were involved in UWSP enrichment programs in any
given year.