Nov 21, 2024

2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

Early Elementary Education, B.S.

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The Early Elementary Education program provides enrolled students with the knowledge, skills, and experience to be an effective educator of students in grades Prekindergarten-4. Courses in the Early Elementary Education program focus on the cognitive, social, and emotional development of young children and emphasize those pedagogical strategies most appropriate to support development across the domains and promote academic achievement. Students enrolled in the Early Elementary Education program become transformative classroom teachers able to support diverse populations of learners. Students completing the Early Elementary Education program may also add on licensure in grades 5-6.

Degree Requirements

Program-Specific Degree Requirements: To be eligible for graduation, students majoring in Early Elementary Education must achieve a 3.0 or higher in each of the following six courses: , , , , and and demonstrate satisfactory progress on identified professional and personal dispositions. Students must achieve a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher in order to be determined eligible for PreProfessional Educator Status and in order to enter the Professional Semester and to obtain Pennsylvania teacher certification.

Students seeking certification in Early Elementary Education are required to have a minimum of 190 hours of Field Experience prior to the Professional Semester and must meet specific requirements as determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

General Education Requirement

First Year Seminar

FYS 100 First-Year Seminar 3 credit hours
FYS 102 Common Hour 0 credit hours

Foundations Requirements

Communication course:

FCO 105 Rhetorical Communication 3 credit hours

Advanced Communication course:

Satisfied by major ()

Quantitative Fluency course:

Satisfied by major ( or )

American Citizenship course:

PS 101 American Government and Citizenship 3 credit hours

Global Citizenship course:

G 100 World Regional Geography 3 credit hours

Disciplinary Perspectives Requirement

Humanities course:

LIT 200 Introduction to Literary and Textual Studies 3 credit hours

Arts course:

Satisfied by major ()

Social and Behavioral Sciences course:

PSY 100 General Psychology 3 credit hours

Natural and Physical Sciences course:

BIO 204 Exploring Biology 3 credit hours

Constellation Requirement

The Constellation requirement is met when a student completes four courses from a minimum of three disciplines within the Constellation requirements. Students who transfer in 60 credits or more at the time of admission to the college will be waived from the Constellation requirement, except for Education majors. Education majors are required to complete the Transformation: Children, the Family, and Development across the Lifespan Constellation as part of their General Education requirements.

PSY 223 Early Childhood Development 3 credit hours
SPE 200 Special Education Processes and Procedure 3 credit hours
SPE 270 Literacy Development and Instruction in Core Intervention Areas Including Inclusive Practices 3 credit hours
Constellation elective course (may come from the High Impact Practice and Innovation grouping) 3 credit hours

Required Courses

A grade of 2.0 is required in all the courses listed below:

Pre-Professional Education Coursework

ECH 201 Early Field Experience 2 credit hours
ECH 210 Educational Technology for Early Elementary Education 3 credit hours
ECH 215 Teaching Pre-K 3 credit hours.
ECH 220 Instruction and Curriculum Development 3 credit hours
ECH 230 Early Childhood Theory and Practice 3 credit hours
ECH 240 Educational Assessment for Early Elementary 2 credit hours
ECH 250 Professionalism and Partnerships in Early Childhood Education 3 credit hours
EDU 200 Foundations of Education 3 credit hours
EDU 225 Instructional Needs of English Language Learners 3 credit hours
EDU 230 Introduction to the Arts 3 credit hours
EDU 250 Science Concepts in Education 3 credit hours
EDU 260 Effective Communication in the Field of Education 3 credit hours
MAT 115 Mathematical Foundations 3 credit hours
MAT 150 Using Data to Improve Decision Making 3 credit hours
HIS 111 American History from Colonization to Civil War 3 credit hours
OR
HIS 112 American History from Civil War to Global Power 3 credit hours

Professional Preparation Courses

Must attain PPES status to complete.

ECH 301 Literacy and Language for Young Children 3 credit hours
ECH 304 Teaching Language Arts 3 credit hours
ECH 310 Diagnostic Reading & Instruction 3 credit hours
ECH 311 Advanced Field Experience 2 credit hours
ECH 312 Advanced Field Experience 2 credit hours
ECH 313 Advanced Field Experience 2 credit hours
ECH 315 Teaching Social Studies Methods 3 credit hours
ECH 320 Teaching Mathematics Methods 3 credit hours
ECH 330 Teaching Science Methods 3 credit hours
EDU 460 Community and Legal Issues in Education 3 credit hours
SPE 300 Effective Instructional Methods and Supports for Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Settings 3 credit hours

Education Electives

Students must complete 2 credits of electives from ECH, EDU, or SPE.

Professional Semester

Students are required to have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 for admittance into the Professional Semester.

ECH 494 Student Teaching Seminar 2 credit hours