Undergraduate Adapted Physical Education Concentration

Proposal to Change the APE Concentration to an APE Minor

Notes:

1. Since the Wisconsin APE licensure (WI 860 Add-on) requires physical education certification, only PETE majors can be approved for WI APE licensure.  Students from different majors may enroll in a particular course with instructor approval.

2. ESS 231, Introduction to Adapted Physical Education, is already a required course in the PETE major and is a prerequisite to all APE courses.

3. SPED 424, Classroom Management/Positive Behavioral Strategies

SPE 424/524   Cr. 3  Classroom Management and Positive Behavior Practices

This course is designed to provide intervention methods and strategies for classroom management as well as positive behavior intervention. The course provides theoretical foundations and practical applications for preventing behavior problems, and for intervening when problems occur.  Prerequisite:  junior standing and admission to teacher education for initial certification candidates; admission to graduate special education program for MSEd candidates.

4. APE students are currently assigned a student teaching section (CI 403, Section 139, Elem APE, Section 140, MS APE, or Section 141 HS APE) and spend approximately 25-35% of the student teaching experience in adapted physical education under the supervision of a state licensed APE teacher.

Selected Rationale for Minor:

• Earning a minor would be considered more academically impressive than a concentration by students and others.

• A minor is more readily recognized as a higher academic credential by various state education agency teacher licensing offices and therefore is more likely to be accepted for licensure under state reciprocity agreements.  This should advantage our students.

• A UWL APE minor would be comparable with other APE professional preparation programs in Wisconsin.  Currently, UW Eau Claire offers a 24 credit APE minor and UW Oshkosh offers a 26 credit APE minor. We would want to be sure that our graduates are not disadvantaged by the lack of a recognized minor.

• Although on paper going from a 15 credit concentration to a 24 credit minor would result in 9 additional credits, 6 of the 9 additional credits are already part of their current PETE major or APE concentration requirements.

• ESS 231 (3 cr):  Introduction to Adapted Physical Education is required of all PETE majors.
• CI 403 (3 cr.):   APE students are currently assigned a student teaching section (CI 403, Section 139, Elem APE, Section 140, MS APE, or Section 141 HS APE) and spend approximately 25-35% of the student teaching experience in adapted physical education.

§         The additional 3 credits would have minimal impact on time-to-degree.

• APE students need the content of a behavior management course.  Many APE professional preparation programs require a special education behavior management course yet it is not required in the current UWL concentration. This is an area that APE teachers need extra knowledge and practical skills due to the characteristics of the students they teach (ED, MR, autism, BD, LD, ADHD, etc.).  This course would better prepare our graduates for their employment roles and for the national exam in APE.  Behavior management is a major part of the "Teaching" standard of the Adapted Physical Education National Standards.
  • A major goal in the APE program is to prepare teacher candidates for the Adapted Physical Education Standards National Examination.

• APE teachers are part of special education behavior intervention program teams in schools.  This course will prepare them for these roles.  They will also apply this knowledge when they complete ESS 439 (Teaching Methods and Internship in Adapted Physical Education) as staff members of the UWL Motor Development Program, in student teaching, and in other practicum/clinical situations.

• This is an area of content that could also be part of our graduates' Wisconsin DPI Professional Development Plans.  Behavior management is one of the most common cited reasons for beginning teachers, especially those working with special populations, to drop out of the profession.