Educator Preparation
The Educator Preparation Section is primarily responsible for reviewing and evaluating programs for professional education certification at Missouri's colleges and universities, and the preliminary professional education programs at the community colleges. The Missouri Standards for Teacher Education Programs (MoSTEP) are applied in the review and evaluation of the units and programs for certification at the colleges and universities. Information from the reviews is used by the State Board of Education to make decisions regarding the approval of the programs. Institutions and their professional education programs are included in the Directory of Approved Professional Education Programs in Missouri.
The Section is responsible for the collection of data from colleges and universities for purposes of reporting information in the Profiles of Missouri Teacher Preparation Institutions and for inclusion in reports made to the U.S. Department of Education for Title II.
The Section oversees the standard setting procedures for the assessment of candidates for entry into professional education programs (C-BASE) and for the assessments required for the certification of school personnel (Praxis II). Information about these assessments is included under Assessments for Teacher Education and Certification.
Information and technical assistance is provided to institutions and individuals in all of these areas of responsibility.