Communicative Sciences and Disorders

Department of

Communicative Sciences and Disorders

MichiganStateUniversity

Program Summary

Teacher Certification for Speech-Language Pathology

Teachers of the Speech-Language Impaired

Speech-language pathologists working in the schools contribute to the education of children across a continuum of service alternatives. This continuum includes: a) regular classroom, b) itinerant instruction, c) resource room services, d) full-time special classes, e) special schools, and f) non-school settings (e.g., homes, hospitals, developmental centers, and other institutions). The contribution that speech-language pathologists make to the education of students includes identification, evaluation, consultation, and provision of intervention services for communicative disorders. The caseload of speech-language pathologists in the schools may include students with hearing impairment, autism, emotional disorders, mental retardation, physical handicaps and other health related problems, learning disabilities, as well as those children whose handicap may be limited to the communicative disorder they demonstrate. The types of communicative disorders speech-language pathologists work with include language disorders, hearing impairments, fluency disorders, articulation disorders, voice disorders, and augmentative communication.

Professional certification for speech-language pathologists is accomplished through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association via its Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC). To be so certified, a candidate must possess a master's degree in speech-language pathology from an ASHA-accredited program. In completing the master's degree at the college or university, the candidate must demonstrate the successful completion of a specified academic program of study, as well as a specified clinical practicum program. These academic and practicum requirements span both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Following the completion of the academic and practicum requirements, a candidate must successfully complete a one-year clinical fellowship under the supervision of a certified speech-language pathologist, and successfully complete the ETS-PRAXIS National Examination in Speech-Language Pathology.

In addition to a master's degree in speech-language pathology and professional certification, speech-language pathologists who wish to work in Michigan schools also may possess a teaching certificate (this is in addition to any other certificate or license the professional may possess). Speech-language pathologists who work in the schools do not teach subject matter in a classroom. Speech-language pathologists however, may work in the classroom with children who possess a communicative disorder with the aim of improving students' communicative skills. The teacher education/certification credentialing is accomplished via college or university teacher education programs that recognize speech-language pathology as a teacher education major. Students who pursue teacher certification as a teacher of the speech and language impaired at MichiganStateUniversity major in Communicative Sciences and Disorders, complete an approved sequence of coursework in teacher education, and complete an approved teaching minor. They must also pass the state teaching examination in basic skills, minor, and major areas. Upon completion of an approved master's degree in speech-language pathology, students must request recommendation for teacher certification as a teacher of the speech and language impaired through the College of Education and the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders.

Students who attend MichiganStateUniversity for both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees

These students complete an undergraduate major in Communicative Sciences and Disorders and the undergraduate teacher certification program of study, to include a teaching minor. Following the receipt of their bachelor’s degree and acceptance into the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders’ graduate program, they begin their master’s degree studies in speech-language pathology at MSU. These students complete the post-bachelor’s degree component of the directed teaching practicum/internship along with their master’s degree. This is accomplished through the Department’s clinical practicum placement procedures. Students are placed in speech-language pathology school placements for a minimum of two semesters.

Appropriate state examinations (MTTC) must also be passed prior to placement in a school-based practicum. Contact the College of Education, 134 Erickson, (517) 353-9680, for information regarding the Teacher Certification Program application procedures and registration materials for the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification.

Students must contact the MSU College of Education during the term in which they plan to receive their master’s degree to complete the process of teacher certification.

Students who attend MSU for their bachelor’s degree, but go elsewhere for their master’s degree

Except for the post-bachelor’s degree directed teaching practicum/internship experience, these students complete all of the teacher certification course work at MichiganStateUniversity as part of their bachelor’s degree studies. They must complete the post-bachelor’s degree practicum/internship experience along with their master’s degree at the other university. As at MichiganStateUniversity, this is accomplished through the students’ departmental speech-language pathology practicum placement. They must be placed in a speech-language pathology school placement for a minimum of 2 terms. Given that other schools may only offer full-time, single-term practicum/internship placements, the alternative of 1 term of full-time placement in a school setting is generally acceptable. It is necessary that the practicum/internship experience be evaluated as equivalent to that completed by students attending MSU for their degree. Therefore, students are advised to inquire about the acceptability of their school-based practicum experience with ample time prior to beginning it by contacting the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders. Students must earn a minimum of 6 semester credits for the combined practicum/intern experience(s) in order to meet State Department of Education standards. Following the completion of their school placement, the student should have a letter from their departmental chairperson or clinical practicum placement coordinator sent to the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders’ chairperson verifying that they have completed the requisite school-based practicum/internship placement. Students who attend another university for their master’s degree must complete the post-bachelor’s degree directed teaching practicum/internship in this manner. They cannot complete it through MichiganStateUniversity. Only fully accepted graduate students in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders are allowed to complete practicum placements through the Department.

Students must contact the MSU College of Education the term in which they plan to receive their master’s degree to complete the process of teacher certification.

Students who attend other schools for both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees, but who seek teacher certification via MSU

These students must have completed an accredited course of study in speech-language pathology at the bachelor’s and master’s degree levels. Evidence of this course work and degree(s) must be submitted to the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders via MSU’s College of Education post-bachelor teacher certification program application.

Students’ prior clinical practicum/internship experiences will be evaluated for equivalency to meet the requirement of a post-bachelor’s school-based practicum/internship experience. The students must demonstrate the completion of either two part-time terms, or one full-time term of an equivalent school-based speech-language practicum/internship placement as part of their prior speech-language pathology education. These students cannot complete the requisite directed teaching practicum/internship experience via MichiganStateUniversity. Only fully accepted master’s degree students in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders are allowed to complete practicum placements through the Department. However, and as for all others, these students may request a waiver of the post-bachelor’s directed teaching practicum/internship experience following the completion of 3 years of successful full-time employment in the schools as a speech-language pathologist. If this evaluation is positive, the student must then verify completion of the professional teacher education and teaching minor course work requirements of the College of Education.

Appropriate state examinations (MTTC) must also be passed prior to placement in a school-based practicum.Contact the College of Education, 134 Erickson, (517) 353-9680, for information regarding the Teacher Certification Program application procedures and registration materials for the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification.

PROGRAM SUMMARY

TEACHER CERTIFICATION

THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMUINICATIVE SCIENCES AND DISORDERS

MICHIGANSTATEUNIVERSITY

University Requirements

Arts and Humanities (8) / Writing (4)
General Science -- ISB, ISP & Lab(8) / Tier II Writing Course (CSD344, or 364)
Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (8) / Math (3-5)

Communicative Sciences and Disorders Major Requirements(39-45 SCH)

CSD 203 Introduction to Communicative Disorders (3) / CSD 344 Evaluation Procedures in Audiology (4)
CSD 213 Anat-Phys Speech and Hearing (3) / CSD 364 Evaluation Procedures in Sph. and Lang. (4)
CSD 232 Descriptive Phonetics (2) / CSD 391 Guidelines for Clinical Practice (1)
CSD303 Hearing Science (3) / CSD 444 Aural Rehabilitation (4)
CSD 313 Speech Science (3) / CSD 463 Intervention Procedures in SLP(3)
CSD 333 Oral Language Development (3) / CSDElective Credits (6)

Outside-the-Major Requirements

CSE 101 Computing Concepts (3)
or
CSE 131 Technical Computing (3)
LIN 200Introduction to Language (3)
or
LIN 401 Introduction to Linguistics (4) / PSY 101Introduction to Psychology (4)
PSY 244Developmental Psychology (3)
or
FCE 211 Child Development (3)
PSY 295 Data Analysis in Psychological Research (3)
or
STT 200 Statistical Methods (3)

Teacher Certification Requirements

TE 150Reflections on Learning (3) / CSD 433 Lang. Dialect Diff. in App. Contexts (3) (Credit towards major)
CEP 240 Diverse Learners (3) / CSD 483 School-Based Com. Disorders Programs. (3) (Credit towards major)
TE 302 Learners & Learning in Context (4) / TE 842Methods of Elementary School Reading (3)

Teaching Minor Requirement: Students seeking teacher certification as a teacher of the speech and language impaired are required to complete an approved teaching minor.

Post-Bachelor's-Degree Internship: Completion of a yearlong internship placement in a school setting. Students attending MSU for their master's degree enroll in TE 501 and CSD 883 for the placement. Students attending a graduate program other than MSU's must have the equivalent of a yearlong school-based internship placement approved by the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders. Such students must contact the Department prior to the beginning of their school setting practicum experiences.

Completion of an Approved Master's Degree in Speech-Language Pathology: To complete the process of teacher certification students must complete an approved master's degree in speech-language pathology per State of Michigan regulations.

(Revised 5/29/07)

MEMORANDUM

May 29, 2007

TO:Whom It May Concern

FROM:Michael W. Casby, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

Professor & Chairperson

Department of Communicative Sciences & Disorders

MichiganStateUniversity

RE:Completion of Michigan Teacher Certification

Since you completed all of the required teacher certification course work as part of your undergraduate degree at MSU, but are doing your speech-language pathology master’s degree through a school other than MSU, you will need to have your master’s degree program, especially your school-based practicum experience, deemed as equivalent to that of the MSU-CSD program. This is defined as either two semesters of a minimum half-time placement, or one semester of a full-time school placement with a practicing school speech-language pathologist (ASHA-Certified). This is accomplished through your speech-language pathology program’s practicum placement system as part of your graduate-level practicum experiences.

For completion of your teaching certificate, near or upon completion of your master’s degree, you will need to fill out the application for the Michigan provisional teaching certificate that you can find on the MSU Department of Teacher Education’s website at: The completed application should be sent to 134 Erickson, MSU, East Lansing, MI48824,Attention: Carey Linsemier, , please send along a letter from your speech-language pathology program chairperson or practicum supervisor verifying your successful completion of a full semester, or two half-time semesters of a school-based practicum experience. This information will be forwarded to the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders for review and determination of whether you have fulfilled a comparable program to MSU's, and thus qualify to be recommended by the MSU College of Education for a Michigan teaching certificate for speech-language pathology.

Also, recall that the state of Michigan requires that its teachers pass the Michigan Tests for Teacher Certification – MTTC. Prior to receiving a teaching certificate you must take and pass the basic skills, speech-language pathology (major area), and minor area tests. You may get further information about the MTTC by contacting the MSU College of Education’s teacher education office.

We wish you well in reaching your goal of becoming a certified teacher of the speech and language impaired vis-à-vis the state of Michigan’s requirements. If you have further questions regarding the process or steps involved in applying for the Michigan teaching certificate, please contact me (), or Carey Linsemier, the MSU teacher education secretary for certification at: , 517-353-5146.