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Current News
Mar 26 - Last day to Withdraw from Class
Apr 5 - Fall Registration begins
Gate 1: April 5 - 7 (students with 18 or more completed credits)
Gate 2: April 6 - 7 (students with 9 or more completed credits)
Gate 3: April 7 (all students)
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April 15 - Summer bills available for viewing in My.Mansfield
May 8 - Graduation (semester ends May 7)
May 10 - Summer tuition due (June 9 for deferment)
May 24 - Summer semester begins
Aug 12 - Summer semester ends
Aug 30 - Fall semester begins
Affiliation Agreements and Liability Insurance
As of Spring 2010, all SL&IT students are required to submit an Affiliation Agreement and confirmation that they have liability insurance prior to participating in a field experience or practicum. This legal document (available for download) outlines the duties, terms, conditions and responsibilities of the university and school district(s) in which you perform class activities. Similar to clearances, the agreement takes effect immediately once signed by authorized officials of MU and the school district in which you plan to perform a field experience. Please send the signed form to Jill Scott, 202 Retan, Mansfield University, Mansfield, PA 16933. For further information see Cindy Keller's 2/14/10 Announcement. If you still have questions contact Cindy (717-816-6995) or Jill Scott (570-662-4790).
Beginning in Fall 2010 several courses will undergo changes. Most significantly, LSC 5564, Seminar in School Librarianship, will combine with LSC 5562, Practicum in School Librarianship, to become LSC 5565, School Library Practicum. The new Practicum will be required not just for school library certification, but for the Masters degree as well. However, there will be two versions of this course, for either one or three credits. For details see the Sep. 2009 issue of the SL&IT Newsletter (page 1).
As another big change LSC 5520, Cataloging and Classification, will split into two separate courses. Students will select either LSC 5521, Introduction to Cataloging and Classification in the School Library or LSC 5522, Advanced Cataloging and Classification in the School Library.
Finally, the following courses will undergo name changes, to better reflect their content:
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LSC 5505, Core Resources —> Children’s and Young Adult Literature
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LSC 5510, Electronic Delivery —> Technologies for School Libraries
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LSC 5545, Access and Legal Issues in the Information Age —> Access and Legal Issues in the School Library
SL&IT Instructor Advocates for Library Funding
Deb Kachel, SL&IT Scholarship Coordinator and instructor (LSC 5515 and 5530), recently co-authored an Op-Ed for the Harrisburg Patriot News (the PA newspaper of record). In their editorial, Read between lines of library cuts, Deb and Susan Hauer, administrator of the Lancaster County Library System, argue passionately for adequate public and school library funding. In their editorial the authors conclude, "Our children are 20 percent of our population, but 100 percent of our future." For information about efforts to save PA's successful Power Library program, see the special web site sponsored by the Pennsylvania Library Association. For national efforts visit the American Library Association's Legislative Action Center, with custom pages for PA and other individual states.
In an effort to reduce paper mailings, MU no longer mails student invoices (i.e. bills). Instead, students must download and print the online versions, in PDF format, from the secure My.Mansfield web site. To login use your Blackboard username plus @mansfield.edu (e.g. smithma1@mansfield.edu) and your Blackboard password. To access the secure invoices use as the password the last six digits of your social security number. For more details about the new system see the Invoice Information web page from Student Accounts.
New Special Education Requirements for PA Certification
Please note this important information regarding new rules for PA certification. Educators who receive their primary certificate after January 1, 2011, and who wish to add an endorsement (e.g. in Library Media), must meet the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Chapter 49 requirements for Adaptations and Accommodations for Diverse Learners and ELL.
Satisfaction of the new requirement requires the following undergraduate special education courses:
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Foundations in Special Education (SPE 1001)
Graduate equivalent SPE 5501, Educating Children with Exceptional Learning Needs
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Instructional Strategies for English Language Learners (SPE 2276)
Graduate equivalent SPE 5530, Diverse Cultural and Linguistic Learners
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High Incidence Disabilities (SPE 3291)
Graduate equivalent SPE 5590, Teaching Learners with Mild Disabilities
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Assessment and Evidence Based Behavior Supports for Inclusion (SPE 3352)
Graduate equivalent SPE 5542, Assessment and Behavior Management
These special education courses will be phased in and offered online over the next two years from Mansfield University and will be taught by Special Education instructors. If you do not plan on graduating before 2011, you will need to begin to take these courses as soon as they are offered. We will keep you posted as to when the courses will be available online. For additional details see PDE's Frequently Asked Questions. If you still have questions, contact Cindy Keller (ckeller@mansfield.edu or 717-816-6995).
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