This is another form of assessment in the teacher education program. In addition, part of the Praxis is required which is subject matter testing. Communication Skills Students admitted into the teacher education program must have at least a 2.5 GPA in the university communication core requirement. In addition, they must achieve a score on the Communications Skills Test of the Praxis that is equal to or exceeds that set by the Montana Board of Public Education. Faculty are also constantly assessing written and oral communication skills through various course assignments including writing requirements and in-class presentations.
Student teaching provides another opportunity to assess oral and written communication skills.
This is a collaborative effort of the classroom teacher and the University supervisor. The only areas this department has direct responsibility for are the Social Studies Broadfield, the General Science Broadfield, and the Physical Science Broadfield. Other teaching specialty areas are found in their respective departments, such as math, English, music, chemistry, biology, modern languages, history, etc. Students are expected to be able to design an instructional unit that demonstrates their ability in terms of critical thinking, decision making and problem solving. As part of the student teaching experience, students are assessed on their ability to think, problem solve and make decisions relative to classroom management and behavior.