Elementary Education Major (BS)
College: College of Social Sciences & Professional Studies
The elementary education major is designed for UW-Parkside students who wish to teach at the elementary and/or middle school level. The completion of the major will lead to a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Elementary Education. The core program, grounded in child development, learning in social and cultural contexts, curricular design, assessment and data driven decisions, and subject specific pedagogy, will prepare UW-Parkside student who successfully pass all program and licensure requirements to earn a license to teach children in grades K-9.
Changes to the Wisconsin Administrative Rule for teacher licensing, PI 34, have led to changes in licensure categories for the Elementary Education Major. The former Middle Childhood-Early Adolescence (MC-EA) pathway licenses teachers for grades 1-8, while the new licensure pathway, Elementary/Middle School, licenses teachers for grades K-9. Requirements within the major differ for these licensure pathways.
- All students who declare a major in Elementary Education beginning in the Fall 2021 semester will be admitted to the Elementary/Middle School (K-9) license pathway and must complete all requirements within the major for that license as indicated in this catalog.
- Students who declared a major in Elementary Education prior to Fall 2021 will be permitted to change their licensure pathway from MC-EA to Elementary/Middle School by updating their catalog year to the 2021-2023 catalog, with the understanding that doing so may delay their graduation date due to additional course requirements for the major.
- Students who declared a major in Elementary Education prior to Fall 2021 will be permitted to maintain the pre-2021 Elementary Education major and MC-EA licensure pathway, meeting requirements of their catalog year. These students should consult the academic catalog of their catalog year for details on MC-EA major and licensure requirements and clarify these requirements with the teacher education advisor.
Students who declared a major in Elementary Education prior to Fall 2021 who wish to change to the Elementary/Middle School license pathway must meet with the teacher education advisor and complete a new plan declaration and catalog change form.
Students who complete the Elementary Education major may apply to be certified to teach in grades K-9 through an Elementary/Middle School teaching license. Candidates may choose one of three license pathways as declared Elementary Education majors under this catalog year:
- Elementary/Middle School license pathway, where candidates graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Elementary Education and will be eligible for an elementary/middle school license if all licensure requirements are met;
- Dual license pathway, where candidates complete all coursework required for an additional license in either English as a Second Language (12 credits) or Special Education (17 credits), and will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Elementary Education and will be eligible for an Elementary/Middle School license AND a license in either ESL or Special Education if all licensure requirements are met (see those sections of the catalog for specific license requirements);
- Non-licensure pathway, where candidates complete all Elementary Education degree requirements with the exception of EDU 420: Residency Seminar and EDU 425: Residency, and will graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Elementary Education, but will not be eligible for licensure.
Candidates who declare the Elementary Education major for this catalog year but do not pursue licensure must complete all Elementary Education major course requirements, with the exception of EDU 420: Residency Seminar and EDU 425: Residency. Candidates must also complete additional content coursework from an approved list to total 120 degree credits. Candidates will graduate with Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Elementary Education, but will not be eligible for licensure. Candidates choosing this pathway must meet with the teacher education advisor to ensure that all degree requirements are met.
Requires a minimum of 230 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 Elementary Education Major
Documented Completion of University Skills Requirements (English 101 and Math 102/111 required; C or better in these classes required).
GPA Requirement: 2.75 cumulative GPA, including all higher education coursework; requires official transcripts from all post-secondary institution.
Communication Skills Requirement (One of the following):
- Praxis CORE - Passing scores in reading (156), writing (162), and math (150). When registering for the test, indicate UW-Parkside as a score recipient (1860).
- ACT - Composite score of 23 with minimum score of 20 on English, Math, and Reading, and the score is within the previous 10 years.
- SAT - minimum score of 510 on Critical Reading, 480 on Writing, and 520 on Math AND the score is within the previous 10 years.
- GRE Revised General Test - minimum score of 450 on Verbal Reasoning, 3 on Analytical Writing, and 540 on Quantitative Reasoning (prior to August 1, 2011) or a minimum score of 150 on Verbal Reasoning, 3 on Analytical Writing, and 145 on Quantitative Reasoning (after August 1, 2011) AND the score is within the previous 10 years.
- Alternative Option - Grade of C+ or better in both ENGL 101 and MATH 102 or MATH 111 AND the grades are within the previous 10 years.
Successful completion (grade of C+ or better) or current enrollment in EDU 100, EDU 200, EDU 210, EDU 211, and EDU 212 at the time of application (EDU 215 required for K-9 licensure pathway).
Completed Educator Preparation Application for Admission, submitted by deadline.
Completed Education Program Disclosure Form.
Successful completion of clinical and residency program; successful completion of pre-residency portfolio; compliance 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. 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 Humanities and the Arts general education list | 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 | ||
| Introduction to Sociology | ||
| 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 one 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Professional Sequence | ||
| EDU 100 | Introduction to the Teaching Profession | 1 |
| EDU 200 | Teaching the Whole Child | 1 |
| EDU 210 | Exploring Equity In Education | 1 |
| EDU 211 | Child and Adolescent Development | 3 |
| EDU 212 | Mathematics for Elementary and Middle School Teachers I | 3 |
| EDU 215 | Mathematics for Elementary and Middle School Teachers II | 5 |
| Pre-Professional Sequence Subtotal | 14 | |
| Developing Expertise Sequence | ||
| EDU 300 | Creating Effective Learning Environments | 1 |
| EDU 304 | Context and Culture In Learning Environments | 3 |
| EDU 310 | Family, School, and Community Partnerships | 1 |
| EDU 312 | Designing Learner-Centered Lesson Plans | 3 |
| EDU 322 | Teaching Exceptional Learners | 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 |
| EDU 335 | ESL Methods | 3 |
| EDU 343 | Classroom Management | 3 |
| MUSE 303 | Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning | 2 |
| Developing Expertise Sequence Subtotal | 27 | |
| 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 |
| EDU 442 | Teaching Developmental Mathematics, Grades 3-9 | 3 |
| EDU 443 | Teaching Developmental Literacy, Grades 3-9 | 3 |
| EDU 444 | Teaching Developmental Social Studies, Grades K-9 | 2 |
| Demonstrating Expertise in Practice Sequence Subtotal | 21 | |
| The Residency | ||
| EDU 420 | Residency Seminar | 2 |
| EDU 425 | Residency (Student Teaching) | 10 |
| The Residency Subtotal | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 74 | |
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