In ways that are unique to each Institution, new revised “Masters of education degree programs” (Section VIII A of the Excellent Schools Act ) will:

1. Build upon the instructional expertise and leadership qualities and skills of an experienced licensed teacher by requiring a minimum of two years of full time Pre K-12 teaching experience (or successful completion of North Carolina’s Initial Licensure Program) prior to full admission to the program.
2. Extend the new teacher standards of the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) and the NCDPI competencies currently required for initial “A” licensure in the student’s teaching area; in addition, build on the curriculum standards of national specialty area associations, the standards of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and the NCDPI guidelines currently required for a “G” license in the student’s teaching area.
3. Involve experienced teachers, university faculty, and other practicing educators in the design of the curriculum.
4. Include rigorous academic preparation in the subject matter or licensure area(s) in which students in the program currently teach or will teach in the future.
5. Include rigorous preparation in the latest research on human development and learning, and the pedagogical knowledge and skills expected of a master’s teacher.
6. Include the following components in the degree program:
• Examining current trends and issues in education, e.g., school-based management, portfolio assessment, the principles and practices of quality improvement;
• Teaching or reading and writing across the curriculum;
• Meeting the diverse needs of students in inclusive classroom settings;
• Using technology to enhance and support teaching and other professional activities;
• Applying research findings to curriculum development  and classroom instructions, and
• Reflecting, diagnosing, and prescribing instruction that fosters student learning.
 
7. Provide experienced teachers an opportunity to:
• Build on their current knowledge and competencies;
• Increase their skills in data collection and data use for diagnosis, planning, decision-making, and evaluation;
• Apply research to real-world experiences to improve classroom practice through action;
• Reflect on instructional and management practices and on their own professional development as master teachers,
• Develop peer leadership and mentoring skills.
8. Include on-going clinical or field experiences that link program faculty, students enrolled in the program, and master practitioners in the schools.
9. Require students to prepare a culminating “product of learning” (e.g., a thesis, project, or portfolio) that a panel of university faculty and school professionals can evaluate to determine whether or not the student has adequately demonstrated the professional advanced competencies of a master teacher.  This product should reflect advanced teacher knowledge and skill, and include classroom impact [e.g., on-site visit and report; feedback from supervisors, colleagues, students, parents, and other individuals who might provide information about this candidate’s performance; student performance data and its analysis, higher score on exit exam in content, etc.]
10. Provide participants with the opportunity to complete the program “as part-time students, during summers, or at off-campus sites by means of distance learning (assuming adequate enrollment).”
11. Provide “the more rigorous course of study using the same number of hours as are currently required for master’s by education degrees.”
12. Professional “Master’s / Advanced Competencies” of a Master Teacher

1. Instructional Expertise:  Applies the theoretical, philosophical, and research bases for education practice in elementary, middle, and secondary school classrooms to improve student learning.  Plans, implements, and evaluates instruction that is rigorous, coherent, and consistent with a well-developed theoretical and philosophical stance and with best practices emerging from education research.
• Reads educational literature critically, including theoretical, philosophical, and research materials;
• Analyzes and articulates relationships between and among theory, philosophy, research findings, and current practice;
• Designs and modifies instruction based on well articulated theory, philosophy, educational research and best practice; and
• Incorporates findings from educational literature into school and classroom strategies to improve student learning.
2. Knowledge of Learners:  Incorporates knowledge of the nature of the learner, learning processes, variations in learning abilities and learning styles, and strategies for evaluating learning.  Plans, implements, and evaluates instruction that is responsive to wide variations in students’ learning needs and learning styles.
• Designs and modifies instruction that is responsive to differences among learners that are influenced by development, exceptionalities, and diversity;
• Seeks actively to increase understanding of and respect for differences in students’ development, exceptionalities, and diversity;
• Creates a classroom environment in which all learners feel welcome and can be successful; and
• Reflects on, diagnoses, and prescribes instruction that foster student learning.
3. Research Expertise:  Understands and employs methods of research to examine and improve instructional effectiveness and student achievement.
• Investigates and solves educational problems through data-gathering, action research, and evaluation of student learning, classroom processes, and school practices;
• Modifies instruction and learning environments based on assessment of student learning problems and successes; and
• Monitors the effects of instructional actions, selection of materials, and other instructional decisions on students’ learning and behavior.
4. Connecting Subject Matter and Learners:  Understands and links subject matter and students’ developmental and diverse needs in the context of school settings.  Plans, implements, and evaluates instruction that reflects intellectual rigor and depth of knowledge in both subject matter disciplines and students’ diverse learning needs.
• Demonstrates appropriate depth and breadth of knowledge in the subject matter defined in the North Carolina course of study:
• Uses technology to create leaning environments that support students’ learning;
• Seeks, implements, and evaluates the best pedagogical practices for the subjects taught within the context of a specific school setting; and
• Understands and respects differences between the learning behaviors and outcomes expected in diverse communities.
5. Professional Development and Leadership:  Demonstrates self-directed, self-reflective professional behavior and the importance of providing leadership to colleagues and communities through collaboration.
• Initiates professional inquiry through reading, dialogue, professional development, and action research;
• Seeks, evaluates, and applies well-grounded suggestions for improvement provided by educators, parents, students and community leaders; and
• Participates in collaborative leadership and mentorship activities to solve educational problems at the level of classroom, school building, school system, and community.

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