Early Childhood Education Major (BS)
College: College of Social Sciences & Professional Studies
The bachelor of science with a major in early childhood education includes a range of essential foundational “core” classes as well as courses in specialized areas pertinent to teaching and learning at early childhood developmental levels. The content of the courses in each program is guided by national standards and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction teacher standards as well as five integrated themes identified as foundational elements which are embedded in each education course: collaboration with regional partners to support clinical experiences, culturally responsive teaching, reflective practice, civic engagement and empowerment, and the integration of digital technology to enhance teaching and learning.
Early Childhood – Education Licensure: ages birth – 8, grades K-3
Requires a minimum of 140 clinical hours.
Degree Requirements
See the Degree Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science policy in the Academic Catalog. Completing the degree requirements does not automatically lead to an endorsement for a teaching license. Student must meet the teaching license requirements listed below.
Licensure Requirements
All majors or pathways leading to licensure must meet the requirements of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). DPI may make changes to the requirements for licensure at any time that may affect the teacher education program. It is the students’ responsibility to ensure that they are meeting with the teacher education advisor regularly to ensure that they have the most current licensure information.
A Tier II Wisconsin teaching license may be issued to a student who has received endorsement from the teacher education program’s Certification Officer. In order for a student to be endorsed for licensure, they must meet all requirements of the Exit Level Proficiency Policy.
· Successful completion of a licensable major or pathway, academic minor (if required for licensure), baccalaureate degree (if applicable) and UW-Parkside teacher education program (including student teaching).
· Successful completion of all clinical program requirements.
· Successful completion of the required content knowledge assessment.
· Successful completion of the Foundations of Reading Test (FORT) (for majors/pathways in early childhood, elementary education, and special education).
· Successful completion of the pedagogical knowledge assessment determined by the program.
· A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale and a department (EDU) GPA of 3.0 or higher in the teacher education program (all EDU courses) with no single EDU course grade lower than a C+ (with the exception of student teaching coursework, which requires a grade of CR.)
Requirements for the Early Childhood Education Major
The early childhood education major is a A+B articulation program in cooperation with the Wisconsin Technical College System. A student must first complete the A.A.S. in Early Childhood Education from a Wisconsin Technical Colleges institution prior to enrolling at UW-Parkside and declaring a Bachelor of Science with a major in Early Childhood Education. Program to program transfer courses/credits are accepted only for the degree specified in the articulation agreement. Admission to UW-Parkside does not guarantee admission to the early childhood education major.
Complete clinical and residency requirements; complete pre-residency requirements; comply with content knowledge policy.
Recommended General Education Courses
The teacher education program is committed to supporting the liberal arts education at UW-Parkside through the general education program. The teacher education program recommends the following courses that meet both the university general education requirements as well as content knowledge policy requirements. Alternate courses may be substituted for courses on this list; however, students should consult with the teacher education advisor each semester to ensure that they understand and are meeting requirements of the program’s content knowledge policy.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities and the Arts | ||
| COMM 105 | Public Speaking for the 21st Century | 3 |
| ENGL 167 | Introduction to Literature | 3 |
| Choose any two courses from the general education list to complete the required 12 credits | 6 | |
| Humanities and the Arts Subtotal | 12 | |
| Social and Behavioral Science | ||
| HIST 101 | The United States: Origins to Reconstruction | 3 |
| or HIST 102 | The United States: Reconstruction to Recent Times | |
| HIST 119 | Western Civilization II: The Middle Ages to 1815 | 3 |
| or HIST 128 | World History III: From 1800 to the Present | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Geography of American Ethnicity and Race | ||
| Contemporary Human Geography | ||
| Introduction to Geography: World Regions | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| The American Economy | ||
| American Politics | ||
| Introduction to Politics | ||
| Social and Behavioral Science Subtotal | 12 | |
| Natural and Health Sciences | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Nature of Life | ||
| Bioscience | ||
| Human Biology | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Physical Geography and the Environment | ||
| Earth in Perspective | ||
| Introduction to Astronomy | ||
| Astronomy of Native America | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| The World of Chemistry | ||
| General Chemistry I | ||
| Principles of Physics | ||
| Choose any course from the Natural Sciences general education list to complete the required 12 credits (if needed) | 3-4 | |
| Natural and Health Sciences Subtotal | 12-16 | |
| Total Credits | 36-40 | |
Required Major Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Complete AAS in WTCS Early Childhood Education | ||
| Required for admission into the major | ||
| Pre-Professional Sequence | ||
| EDU 210 | Exploring Equity In Education | 1 |
| EDU 212 | Mathematics for Elementary and Middle School Teachers I | 3 |
| Pre-Professional Sequence Subtotal | 4 | |
| Developing Expertise Sequence | ||
| EDU 304 | Context and Culture In Learning Environments | 3 |
| EDU 312 | Designing Learner-Centered Lesson Plans | 3 |
| EDU 325 | Introduction to Second Language Acquisition | 3 |
| EDU 332 | Foundations of Literacy | 2 |
| EDU 333 | Children's and Adolescent Literature and New Literacies | 3 |
| Developing Expertise Sequence Subtotal | 14 | |
| Demonstrating Expertise in Practice Sequence | ||
| EDU 430 | Using Action Research to Improve Instruction | 2 |
| EDU 431 | Teaching Developmental Mathematics, Grades K-3 | 3 |
| EDU 432 | Teaching Developmental Literacy, Grades K-3 | 3 |
| EDU 433 | Teaching Developmental Science, Grades K-9 | 3 |
| EDU 440 | Teacher Preparation Portfolio Design | 2 |
| Demonstrating Expertise in Practice Sequence Subtotal | 13 | |
| The Residency | ||
| EDU 420 | Residency Seminar | 2 |
| EDU 425 | Residency (Student Teaching) | 10 |
| The Residency Subtotal | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 43 | |
General University Degree Requirements (Bachelor's Degree)
In addition to individual program requirements, students must also fulfill the following requirements:
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Skills | 7-8 |
| General Education | 36 |
| Foreign Language** | 6-8 |
| Ethnic Diversity | 3 |
| Total | 52-55 |
** Transfer students in sustainable management, and health information management and technology collaborative, online degree-completion programs, the business management online degree-completion program, and the flexible option degree-completion program will be exempt from the university’s foreign language requirement. See appropriate academic section for further information.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and Writing | ||
| ENGL 101 | Composition and Reading | 3 |
| Computational Skills | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4-5 | |
| Quantitative Reasoning | ||
| Elementary Statistics | ||
| College Mathematics with Applications | ||
| College Algebra I | ||
| Total Credits | 7-8 | |
Degree Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Minimum Total Credits | 120 |
| Upper Level Credits (300 level or above) | 36 |
| Residency | 30 |
Cumulative Degree GPA: 2.0 minimum