Catalog - Table of Index

Elementary Education Major

Elementary Education Certification

Degree BS, Elementary Education
Department Co-Chairs, Susan Tomascik, PhD and Molly Vitale, PhD

The elementary education (ELED) program has been continually refined to keep pace with developments in the field of education and to meet the ever-increasing standards of various professional and accrediting groups. The program is approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and leads to a teaching certificate valid in Pennsylvania (kindergarten through sixth grade) and transferable to many other states. Currently, Pennsylvania has signed an Interstate Agreement with 45 other states/jurisdictions.

Pre-service teachers in ELED must successfully complete the university’s liberal arts core curriculum, a series of generic teacher education department (TED) courses and field experiences, and the courses and experiences required by at least on TED specialization (for example, elementary education).

ELED majors must satisfactorily complete a series of field experiences that begin during the second semester of the first year and continue every semester until graduation. By graduation, our pre-service teachers will have spent at least 700 hours in community classrooms. During students’ final semester, they must complete a 15-week student teaching assignment (two separate placements).

Students who successfully complete the ELED program are eligible for recommendation by the university to the Pennsylvania Department of Education for state teacher certification. The university’s recommendation and the successful completion of other requirements established by the state, including meeting the pass scores specified by the state on PRAXIS I–The Preprofessional Skills Test and PRAXIS II–The National Teacher Examination, qualify graduates for an “Instructional I” certificate in elementary education. Once certified in Pennsylvania, our graduates usually have no difficulty becoming certified in other states.

ELED majors may elect to complete the requirements for certification in early childhood education (ECED) and/or they may choose to declare a second TED major in special education (SPED). The additional coursework might require additional semesters, or at least summer study.

Sequence of Required Courses

First Year

First Semester	Total Credits	15	Second Semester	Total Credits	15
ENG 103	English Composition	3	ENG	Literature Core (any)	3
BIO/CHM /PHY	Natural Science Core (one sequence)	3	BIO/CHM /PHY	Natural Science Core (one sequence)	3
HIS/POL	Hist/Pol Sci Core (one seq)	3	HIS/POL	Hist/Pol Sci Core (one seq)	3
ENG	Eng Lit Core (Amer or Brit req)	3	TED 111	Intro to Education	3
PSY 123	Introduction to Psychology	3	TED 121	Educational Technology	3
TED 101	First-Year Seminar or	0	TED 191	First-Year Field	0
TED 102	Transfer Seminar	0

Sophomore Year

First Semester	Total Credits	15	Second Semester	Total Credits	17
SOC 101	Comparative Sociology	3	RLS	Religious Studies	3
PHL 100	Intro to Philosophy	3	FA	Fine Arts Core	3
MTH	Mathematics Bank I	3	MTH	Mathematics Bank II(Stats)	3
TED 231	Learning	3	TED 251	Curriculum	3
TED 241	Development	3	TED 261	Teaching	3
TED 292	Sophomore Field I	0	TED 271	Classroom Management	2
			TED 293	Sophomore Field II	0

Junior Year

First Semester	Total Credits	15	Second Semester	Total Credits	17
TED 381	Reading Methods I	3	TED 382	Reading Methods II	3
TED 384	Math Methods I	3	TED 385	Math Methods II	3
TED 353	Curriculum/Elementary	1	TED 386	Art Methods	1
TED 363	Methods/Elementary	2	TED 387	Music Methods	1
TED 388	Methods/Language Arts	3	TED 373	Management/Elementary	1
TED 389	Methods/Science	3	TED 390	Methods/Social Studies	2
TED 394	Junior Field	0	TED 391	Methods/Health	2
			TED 395	Junior Practicum	1
				Free Elective	3

Senior Year

First Semester	Total Credits	15	Second Semester	Total Credits	12
PHL	Philosophy Core	3	TED 497	Student Teaching	9-12
FA	Fine Arts Core	3
RLS	Religious Studies Core	3
TED 383	Reading Methods III	3
TED 360	Children's Literature	2
TED 443	Parent Conferencing	1
TED 401	Senior Seminar	0
TED 496	Senior Field	0

Education Course Descriptions (TED)