Mar 28, 2024  
Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2020-2021 
    
Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2020-2021 [ARCHIVED CATALOG] See drop-down menu above to access other catalogs.

Elementary Education, BSE


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Department: Elementary and Early Childhood Education

Students who select the Elementary Education, BSE, wish to be elementary teachers and are pursuing a public school teaching license for grades 1-6. Students are also required to select a second major outside of the Elementary and Early Childhood Education Department. A second major is a requirement of Bridgewater State University. Students who successfully complete their Elementary Education major and a second major are then eligible to apply for an Initial License with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for Elementary Education (Grades 1-6).

Students must apply for admission and be accepted into Professional Education after completion of ELED 220 - Introduction to Elementary Education  and in order to take ELED 480 - SEI Endorsement for Teachers . This requires a formal application to the College of Education and Health Sciences, a cumulative 2.8 GPA and successfully passing the Communication and Literacy Skills Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure® (MTEL).

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires three Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure® (MTEL) for Elementary licensure: Communication and Literacy Skills, General Curriculum (made of two subtests: Multi-Subject and Mathematics), and Foundations of Reading. All three of these exams must be passed as a prerequisite to the “block” of Professional courses.

Students must complete a series of field experiences (prepractica) throughout the Foundation courses and Professional courses. This equals over 100 hours in educational settings. After completing all Foundation courses, Cognate courses, ELED 480 and their second major, students take the remaining Professional courses as a “block” of courses and must register with the department. Following the Professional “block” of courses, students must complete a full-time, semester-long student teaching experience in a local school under the joint supervision of a university supervisor and a supervising practitioner.

All undergraduate students seeking licensure must consult the Educator Preparation and Licensure Policies and Procedures  section of this catalog for information pertaining to admission to Professional Education and the state regulations for the Licensure of Educational Personnel and important institutional deadlines.

Students will be asked to authorize a Criminal Offender Record Inquiry (CORI) as a requirement for access to public and private schools and agencies during their prepractica and student teaching field experiences. Additional criminal background checks, including Statewide Applicant Fingerprint Identification Services (SAFIS), are required for field placement in schools and agencies according to Massachusetts laws and regulations. Students who are rejected for field placement by public school districts or other educational institutions due to CORI or SAFIS results or professional dispositional concerns may be unable to successfully complete the teacher preparation curriculum at BSU.

This program has been approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and includes licensure reciprocity with signatory states under the Interstate Certification Compact.

Learning Outcomes: CAEP Standards, Massachusetts Professional Standards for Teachers, Massachusetts Subject Matter Knowledge Requirements and Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.

Grade Requirement


A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8 is required for acceptance into the professional education program, and it must be maintained throughout the program.

Course Requirements


Foundation courses (12 credits)


The following courses are to be completed prior to admission to professional education and enrollment in professional education courses.

Note:


*ELED 120 and 220 are to be completed prior to admission to Professional Education. ELED 120, ELED 220, ELED 222, cognate courses and the second major must be completed prior to enrollment in the Professional “block” of courses. ELED 222 may be taken concurrently with ELED 220 or ELED 480, or can be taken separately.

Note(s):


*Students with a double major in English and Elementary Education are not required to complete ENGL 254  ; this requirement will be met with the completion of ENGL 494 , ENGL 495 , ENGL 496 , ENGL 497  within the English major.

**Students with a double major in Mathematics and Elementary Education must take MATH 112 . MATH 325  will meet the requirement of MATH 113 , and MATH 403  will meet the requirement of MATH 114 .

***Students with a double major in Biology and Elementary Education may meet this requirement with BIOL 122/122L .

Professional courses (15.5 credits)


The following courses are taught as a “block”. Students must plan to be available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. During this time period, students will attend classes, participate in pre-practica experiences and attend seminars.

Total minimum credits: 67.5


Core Curriculum Requirements


A minimum of 120 earned credit hours is required for graduation. These earned hours include the Core Curriculum Requirements as specified in the Core Curriculum section of this catalog and at the Core Curriculum website, www.bridgew.edu/corecurriculum. For additional graduation requirements, see the Undergraduate Academic Policies and Procedures section of this catalog.

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