Early Childhood Education (certification

Early Childhood Education (certification) Bachelor of Science

The bachelor of science degree in early childhood education prepares professionals to teach in a variety of Pre-K to fourth grade settings. This early childhood certification program is organized to foster the development of skilled teachers, who can utilize best practices for planning and preparing environments and instructing in early childhood settings. Students engage in fieldwork every semester. A field component consists of weekly observation/participation/teaching supervised by College faculty. Fieldwork requires current FBI, criminal history and child abuse clearances, as well as a current health appraisal including a negative TB test. The field experience requirement is 150 documented hours.

All students must successfully complete the general education and curriculum requirements listed below with a minimum overall grade point average of 3.00 to graduate in a certification major. In addition, all education majors require a 3.00 GPA to gain admission to the program and a cumulative 3.00 GPA to continue in the program and a combined cumulative 3.00 GPA in psychology, early childhood education, and special education coursework. Students must obtain a “C” or better in the content courses in the major. Students earning lower than a “C” must retake the course. All students must obtain a “B” or better in each student teaching course. Students earning lower than a “B” must retake the course.

Graduation Requirements

ENGL 0050 - Critical and Analytical Reading: All students must demonstrate competency in this course whether by achieving specified SAT/ACT scores or by successful completion of the course. The course carries two credits which are included in full-time status and financial aid considerations, but do not count toward the minimum earned credits necessary for graduation. Students who are exempted from the course due to SAT/ACT scores receive an exemption that does not carry credits.

All students must successfully complete the General Education and Curriculum requirements listed below with a minimum overall grade point average of 3.00 to graduate from this curriculum. Additional graduation criteria are found on page 38 of this Catalog.

In addition, the Early Childhood Education curriculum requires a 3.0 GPA to gain admission to the program and a cumulative 3.0 GPA to continue in the program, as well as a 3.0 GPA in psychology, early childhood education and special education. Students must obtain a “C” or better in the content courses in the major. Students earning lower than a “C” must retake the course.

General Education Requirements (Minimum 40 credits)

Courses fulfilling the General Education Requirements can be found beginning on page 51.

Competencies

Communication Skills

11 credits COMM 1125 - Speech Communication ENGL 1110 - College Writing I: Academic Writing ENGL 1125 - College Writing II: Writing About Literature FYS 1110 - The First-Year Seminar

Moral Reasoning Quantitative Reasoning Scientific Literacy

3–6 credits 3–6 credits 3–6 credits Technology & Information Literacy 3–6 credits Critical Analysis & Reasoning Arts & Humanities Literacy 6–9 credits Social & Cultural Consciousness 6–9 credits

Curriculum Requirements

ECE 1110 - Introduction to Early Childhood Education ECE 2115 - Curriculum Program Planning (3-8) ECE 3120 - Curriculum and Methods: Mathematics ECE 3125 - Curriculum and Methods: Social Studies ECE 3130 - Curriculum Methods: Science ECE 3135 - Early Literacy Foundations EDUC 1710-1740 - Field Observation/Participation EDUC 1110 - Introduction to Teaching EDUC 1700 - Portfolio Preparation EDUC 2125 - Teaching Literacy through Literature EDUC 2165 - Integrating the Arts for the Developing Child EDUC 2130 - Child, Family, and Community EDUC 2160 - Technology in the Classroom EDUC 3001 - Formal Acceptance/Teacher Candidate Status EDUC 3155 - Developmental Assessment I EDUC 3165 - Developmental Assessment II EDUC 3210 - Teaching English Language Learners EDUC 3230 - Teaching Reading EDUC 4720 - Student Teaching in Early Childhood Education (Pre K-1) EDUC 4725 - Student Teaching in Early Childhood Education (Grades 2-4) EDUC 4910 - Seminar: Contemporary Research, Issues & Ethics in Education Literature Elective 2000-level or higher MATH 1125 - College Algebra or a higher level MATH course MATH 1150 - College Mathematics II PSYC 2190 - Child Development I PSYC 2195 - Child Development II PSYC 3165 - Cognition and Learning SPEC 2110 - Characteristics & Needs of Exceptional Learners SPEC 2120 - Early Intervention & Transitions SPEC 3110 - Classroom Management SPEC 3115 - Differentiated Instruction for Diverse Learners SPEC 4110 - Family Partnerships, Advocacy, Collaboration and Transitions

Free Elective Courses: Sufficient free electives must be taken to ensure a minimum of 120 credits earned for graduation.

The academic advisor assists the student in planning his/her curriculum and in pre-registration, and monitors student progress on a semester by semester basis; however, the student is ultimately responsible for meeting the requirements of the curriculum selected.

Not every course is offered every semester. Course offerings are dependent on enrollment.