SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) — Educators looking to teach advanced academic courses will have a new online program to help secure state credentialing.
Texas State University’s College of Education announced Tuesday a new, fully online Master of Education in Secondary Education with a concentration in teaching advanced academics.
The program is set to launch in the fall, per a Texas State release. It is catered toward “practicing teachers seeking a graduate degree with qualifications to teach advanced academic courses in history, math, English or government at the high school level,” per the release.
Those enrolled will undergo 18 semester hours in secondary education along with 18 hours in a content subject area. It’s designed to assist working teachers already in the field who are looking to advance their profession, the release added.
“This fully online program is really exciting,” said Dr. Joellen Coryell, associate dean for educational partnerships and enrollment, in the release. “It was collaboratively designed by professors, community colleges, and high schools to provide access to teachers around the state to become credentialed and uniquely skilled to teach dual credit and other advanced academics courses.”
The online program centers around three areas:
- Preparing teachers to teach college-level courses to high school students “who are developmentally in a different place than college students”
- Expand knowledge and skillsets for teaching in dual credit and early college high schools
- Instill best practices for implementing, leading dual credit and early college high school programs “to help secondary school students successfully advance towards their bachelor’s degree”
Advanced academics programs are those offered by school districts statewide that offer high school students college credit. Those credits can come through “standalone dual credit courses, comprehensive college and career readiness early college high school models, or international baccalaureate programs,” per the release.
Texas State’s College of Education is providing Scholar-Practitioner Fellowships in Advanced Academics to provide financial support for the first fully online group in the program. Those interested in learning about the program, and how to apply, can find more information online.
