Frequently Asked Questions 
About Undergraduate Initial Licensure Program 

Questions 
 
How can I find out who my advisor is? 
You may access this information on Info Bear. Also, there is a list at the Elementary Education 
office in Hart Hall (once you have declared us as your major). 
Your advisor is your human contact within the institution. He/she will help you get the accurate 
information you need to complete your educational program. You will be assigned an advisor 
for each of your two majors (after you have declared your majors). 
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When should I contact my advisor? 
You should contact your advisor if you have any specific questions or concerns. You may call or 
e-mail your advisor to set up an appointment if you have any questions. 

To prepare to register for courses for the upcoming semester, you will need to see a faculty 
member to have them “sign off” on your course selections. See “Drop-in Advising” question 
below. 
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What is “Drop-In” Advising? 
Prior to registration for the following semester, you will need to select courses. We provide 
“Drop-In” advising sessions to help guide you. You are REQUIRED to attend drop-in advising 
to get released for web registration. Faculty members will be there to answer your questions and 
look over your course selections. We will sign off on your registration process. Dates, times, and 
locations are usually posted throughout Hart Hall, as well as on the BSU web page. 
To prepare for this, go online to InfoBear and print a copy of your “degree audit”. You have a 
choice of two audits (your other major or your elementary/ early childhood ed). Be sure you 
bring the education audit with you. Also, bring any other things that you believe would be 
relevant to our discussion. You should bring a filled-out registration form with your tentative 
choices or at least a list of courses and times you are considering. 
NOTE: Drop in advising is NOT for Freshmen. Freshmen will need to be advised by the 
Academic Achievement Center staff. 
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What is this “degree audit” thing I can access through InfoBear? 
The printout provides you with information that the college believes to be correct about your 
credits earned, grade point average (GPA), courses you have taken, and courses you still need to 
complete. You should look it over to make sure that the information is accurate. If you see 
something you think is incorrect, let your advisor know as soon as possible! DON’T WAIT! It 
is easier for us to fix something if we are not under a time constraint. Also, you should regularly 
check to make sure you would have completed a minimum of 120.5 credits needed for 
graduation by the completion of your program. 
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Why do I need a 2nd major? 
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education determined that all 
education majors should also have a content area of expertise. Please note: Post-Bacc students 
do not have 2 majors. 
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What are my choices for a 2nd major? 
Anthropology 
Art 
Biology 
Chemistry 
Chemistry – Geology 
Communication Arts and Sciences 
Computer Sciences 
Earth Sciences 
Economics 
English 
Geography 
History 
Mathematics 
Music 
Philosophy
Physics 
Political Science 
Psychology – is possible but NOT recommended! 
Sociology 
Spanish 
Majors NOT acceptable as 2nd majors: Accounting and Finance; Aviation Science; 
Communication Disorders; Criminal Justice; Health Studies, Management Science; Physical 
Education; Social Work 
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Do I need to meet with my advisor for my 2nd major before registering for courses?  
Undergraduate students do need to meet with your advisor for your 2nd major. You need their 
signature in addition to your education advisor before registering for courses for the following 
semester. If you want the Elementary and Early Childhood Faculty to release you for web 
registration, be sure you have previously met with your advisor of your other major and make 
sure they sign your course selection sheet. If you meet with us first, we will sign your 
registration form but your advisor for your 2nd major will then need to release you for web 
registration. 
If you have not declared a second major, you will need to meet with staff at the Academic 
Achievement Center staff (bottom floor of Maxwell Library). They will act as your 2nd advisor 
until you declare a 2nd major. 
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Is there a general rule of thumb for a recommended sequence of courses? 
In general, you would take courses that satisfy the CORE requirements along with the courses of 
your 2nd major. It is desirable to do some of both CORE and your other major for each semester. 
Be crafty with CORE course selections as many of them can satisfy multiple CORE requirements. 
There are only two education courses a candidate may take prior to being admitted to professional ed 
(admission to professional ed is covered within the course ELED220 or ECED230). 
You may take this one course whenever you wish (except not during your freshman year) but prior to taking any 300 
level education courses. This course is designed to provide you with a foundation of information 
about education as well as to help you make an informed career choice. Your second course is Foundations of Reading 
ELED250 ( an elective and not program requirement). This course is designed to help you get the information necessary 
to pass the Foundations of Reading portion of the (MTEL) teacher test. Your other education courses will come at the 
end of your program along with student teaching.
Note: There are some 200 level ELED courses offered as electives and vary from semester to 
semester. 
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When can I take any education courses beyond the 200 level? 
You will need to apply to professional education. You will learn specifics on this process during 
your introductory course (ELED220 or ECED230). In general, you will need to have at least a 
2.8 GPA earned at BSU. You will need to have completed the course requirements of the 
introductory course, including the 40-hour pre-practica field experience. You will have to 
provide evidence of passing the literacy / communications to be admitted into professional 
education. Note: You will need to pass the Elementary General Curriculum – multi-subject and 
math subtest sections (or Early Childhood content) courses AND the Foundations of Reading 
MTEL before you can register for the block of professional courses. There are occasions where a  
student may have passed the Literacy and Communication AND the General Curriculum (multi-subject 
and math subtests) but have not yet passed the Foundations of Reading MTEL. This student 
could meet with the Department chairman and develop a plan of action for passing the final 
MTEL. Note: you must pass all required MTELs prior to being allowed to student teach. There 
are other requirements included in the professional education application packet (you will get 
this packet in your Introductory course). 
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What is the “Block”? 
This is the cluster of professional education courses (300 level) you will take as your second to 
last semester at BSU (your last semester is student teaching). You are not allowed to take any 
other courses during this semester other than the block courses so be sure you have completed all 
of your other major and CORE curriculum course requirements before trying to register for the 
block. It includes “How to teach” courses. You will be committed to being on campus or in 
assigned pre-practicum experiences five days a week from 8 am to 4:00 pm. During this time, 
you will attend classes. In between course sessions, your professors will schedule pre-practica 
experiences working with age-appropriate students in the content areas covered in your courses. 
Pre-practica experiences include working at professional development schools, other public 
school settings as well as a school in an urban setting. 
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Can I register for courses on the web? 
Yes…but…you must meet with an education faculty member first. This is done at drop-in 
advising (see FAQ above) In addition to checking on your course selections, the education 
faculty member can alert you to any changes in the teacher preparation program or changes made 
by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. At the end of your 
meeting, the education faculty member will sign your registration form and/or electronically 
enable you to register online. You will have to meet with BOTH your advisors (education and 
your other major – If you do not have a second major declared, you must go to Academic 
Advising in Maxwell – they will act as your second advisor). 
Note: Post Bacc students do NOT need to meet with an advisor prior to registration. You will have 
satisfied the requirement of meeting with your advisor during GRPP501. You may go online and register. 
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Do I need to pass the Teacher Test?

Yes!  You will need to pass the Literacy and Communication AND the Elementary General
Curriculum – multi-subject and math subtest sections (or Early Childhood content) courses AND
the Foundations of Reading MTEL before you can register for the block of professional courses.
There are occasions where a student may have passed the Literacy and Communication AND the
General Curriculum (multi-subject and math subtests) but have not yet passed the Foundations of Reading MTEL.
It is recommended that this student meet with the Department chairman and develop a plan of action for passing
the final MTEL.
Note: you must pass all required MTELs prior to being allowed to student teach.
Plan your timing carefully! The test is administered typically five times a year. Registration for
the test ends about 6 weeks prior to the test. Results of the test are not typically available until 6
weeks after taking the test. You will need the results early enough to meet BSU registration
deadlines. 

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How can I learn more about the Teacher Test? 
Check out the “Professional Links” portion of my “Links” page. Info is available online at the 
Mass Dept of Elementary and Secondary Education www.doe.mass.edu. They also offer 
practice tests online at that site. Additional help may be available at the Educator Research and Enrichment 
Center (EREC) in the College of Education and Allied Studies' office (see Lisa Turner).
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What resources are available to help me prepare for the Teacher Test? 
1.You may obtain FREE assistance at The Reading Center and the Writing Center, which are both 
parts of the Academic Achievement Center located in the Maxwell Library. You may also receive 
advice on test taking strategies. 
2.Check out the “Professional Links” section of Dr. Greenberg’s web page. 
3.The university has previously offered (on a tuition basis) workshops and/or courses to help 
prepare you for the test. Check out the link at http://www.bridgew.edu/EREC/mtel/. 
4.On the BSU web page you can find some sample questions for practice. 
5. For the Foundations of Reading teacher test, you can register for ELED250 Foundations of 
Reading. This elective course is designed to provide you with the information you need to pass 
this section of the teacher test (MTEL). 
6. Use the practice teacher tests on line at http://www.doe.mass.edu/mtel/faq/tprep_lst.html.

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What can I do to gain experiences in education when the courses I am taking concentrate 
on my second major? 
Bridgewater State University offers numerous experiences to work and volunteer with children. 
There is the after-school STAR (Students Teaching Awesome Readers) program in Brockton 
where you may attend a short training session and then tutor school-age children, as well as other 
on/off campus opportunities.

On campus opportunities: 
Children Physical Developmental Clinic (Dr. Huber) 
Community Service (Habitat for Humanity) 
America Reads 
America Counts 
Campus Climate Committee, activities. 
Tutor (see Dr. Farrar) 
Student Government Association 
Student Affairs Leadership Programs 
Off campus opportunities: 
Girl / Boy Scouts 
YM/WCA programs 
Community / religious organization sponsored programs 
Local school after-school programs 

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When should I apply for admission into the Professional Education program? 
You should apply for admission into the Professional Education program as soon as you 
have completed ELED 220 or ECED 230 and passed the Literacy and Communications MTEL. Note, 
see requirements for registering for the block of professional courses above.  
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How do I apply for admission into the Professional Education program?  
You must complete an application. This application is available on the CEAS web page, in the 
Office of the College of Education and Allied Studies, and outside of the Elementary & Early 
Childhood Education office. To be accepted, you must have passed the Literacy and 
Communication MTEL, completed the 40 hours pre-practica experience; and have a GPA of 2.8 
or greater, and earned a C+ or better in ENG 101 and 102. There are other requirements so 
check out the application packet for specific details. Typically, the process for admission to 
professional ed is covered in the intro courses (ELED220 or ECED230). 
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Can I still register for the Block or other education courses even if I haven't passed all 
three Teacher Tests? 
In order to be admitted to Professional Education and take any certification course (300-400 
level), you must pass the Literacy and Communication AND Foundations of Reading, AND 
Elementary General Curriculum multi-subject and math subtests (or Early Childhood content 
MTEL) sections of the Teacher Test. Even if you have not yet passed the test, we encourage you 
to visit the Elementary Education office in Hart Hall during pre-registration to complete some 
paperwork. 
There have been occasions where the Department Chair has allowed a candidate to register for 
the block having only passed 2 of the 3 MTELs but only if they generate a viable action plan. 
Under NO circumstances will a candidate be allowed to register for student teaching without 
passing all three MTELs.  
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 How can I prepare for the required MTELs?

The best way to prepare for any standardized reading and writing test is to be a reader and writer.
Because each standardized test has its own peculiar structure, we strongly recommend that you talk
to others who have taken the test, go to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education web site at http://www.doe.mass.edu/mtel/ and visit the Academic Achievement Center where
they may have information that you might find helpful. Additionally, we offer two electives to help with the
MTELs. You can register for ELED250 Foundations of Reading. This elective course is specifically
designed to provide you with the information you will need to pass this section of the teacher test. This
course has no pre-reqs and may be taken at any time. You may also register for ELED240 General
Curriculum: The Content of the Curriculum. This is intended to help you with information you need
to pass the elementary General Curriculum multi-subject MTEL OR the Early Childhood Content MTEL.
(Note: ELED240 is not designed to help with the Elementary General Curriculum mathematics subtest).
This course has no pre-reqs and may be taken at any time.  Additional resources may be found at the
Educator Resource Center in Maxwell Library – 2nd floor. BSU offers MTEL preparation seminars.

Learn more at: http://www.bridgew.edu/EREC/mtel/

 
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I am planning on taking my education courses at night. How do I do my prepracticum 
(field work)? 
Undergraduate and Post-Bacc courses are offered only during the day hours. 
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How do you decide where I student teach? 
When you sign up to student teach, you will be asked to indicate the town in which you live or 
expect to live during your student-teaching semester. We use this information and information 
about where you did your pre-practicum fieldwork to place you in one of our member school 
districts (not all school districts are members). Most of the time this district will be within 30 - 
45 minutes of your residence. Please note, you must have completed all of your other major 
courses, all CORE Curriculum courses and all education course-works prior to student teaching. 
Student Teaching takes place during your last semester at BSU. 
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