A teacher candidate is eligible to register for the Capstone course ED 519 and take
his/her oral examination when he/she has verified completion of the following:
1. All coursework must be completed in a satisfactory manner with a grade of “C” or better
with an overall GPA of 3.00. Final credit hours must be in the process of being
completed.
a. Additionally, a grade of “B” or better is required in any 510 Internship course.
2. All incomplete grades must be officially replaced by an official grade by the
Registrar’s Office.
3. The teacher candidate’s program of study on file must be approved by his/her
Major Professor and signed by the College of Education.
4. Any changes or corrections to the program must be approved and on file in
the Graduate Office.
Note: Teacher candidates who receive an incomplete during the MAT program will
need to meet with their advisor for registration approval for the Capstone course ED 519.
Capstone Professional Portfolio
ED 519 is the Capstone course taken during your final spring or summer term, that will
lead you through the writing of your professional portfolio. The portfolio will address the
InTASC standards used by TSPC in determining teacher readiness and will include artifacts you
gather or produce during your student teaching and coursework. These artifacts are records of
your teaching and learning about teaching that you produce in your student teaching and in your
classes. Therefore, be careful to save everything you produce in this program. Many of the
items you produce or collect during your student teaching and/or classes may become
important artifacts to present in your Professional Portfolio for your Master’s degree.
Please see the “Professional Portfolio Artifact Checklist” link for a checklist to be used by teacher candidates to plan and develop the artifacts they will use in their Professional Portfolio for their Oral Examination. It will be helpful for teacher candidates to review this list throughout their Master of Arts in Teaching Program to assist in the planning of the artifacts to collect for the Professional Portfolio.
Oral Examination
All teacher candidates qualifying for the MAT degree must pass an oral examination. The
examination is scheduled during the teacher candidate’s final term (midMay for Spring term,
midAugust for Summer). The TC’s major professor and University Supervisor will conduct the
examination. In some cases, other faculty and staff members may serve on the committee.
The purpose of the Oral Examination is to:
1. Celebrate the Candidate’s growth as a professional educator, and
2. Provide the Candidate useful feedback on the contents of the Candidate’s
Professional growth and development.
The Oral Exam Committee’s role is to appraise the teacher candidate’s competence as a teacher
in terms of:
1. Integrated knowledge and application of subject matter knowledge, and
2. The ability of the teacher candidate to selfevaluate
his/her own teaching
effectiveness.
Format for the Oral Examination:
1. During your Oral Examination, you will present a PowerPoint (or similar)
presentation (20 minutes maximum) of your professional development as an
emerging educator as well as targeted growth areas.
2. You will be asked questions from your presentation and portfolio by the committee.
3. You will leave the room, so the committee can deliberate.
4. You will be welcomed back to hear the results of your oral exam and closing remarks.
