Oct 07, 2024

Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2020-2021

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

Elementary Education, Double Degree Concentration, BSE

Leading to Elementary Education (Professional Licensure), MEd

Department: Elementary and Early Childhood Education

The accelerated double degree concentration in the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education leads to both a BSE in Elementary Education with initial license in elementary education and a MEd leading to professional license (grades 1-6). This program provides a seamless, accelerated process that permits candidates to finish quicker than if they completed the two programs separately. The program provides a pathway to either the MEd concentration in the applications of technology in the elementary classroom or the concentration in STEM education. These concentrations may make teacher candidates more marketable as they seek their first faculty appointments as elementary teachers.

Admission Requirements

Early Acceptance to the MEd Program

Students enrolled in the Elementary Education, Double Degree Concentration, may apply to the College of Graduate Studies for early acceptance into the MEd program, and no application fee will be required. Application for early acceptance requires that the student:

be a Bridgewater State University senior, enrolled in the Elementary Education, Double Degree Concentration;
have completed an application to enroll in the elementary education “block” or student teaching; and
file an application for admission to the MEd in Elementary Education leading to Professional License program for the semester immediately following their anticipated BSE completion date.

Students must apply for admission and be accepted into professional education after completion of ELED 220 .

Although students may be accepted into the graduate program during their senior year, they will be classified as undergraduate students until all requirements of the Bachelor’s degree have been fulfilled and the Bachelor’s degree has been awarded. Under the early acceptance program, student will be admitted and classified as graduate students in the semester immediately following conferral of the Bachelor’s degree. Students accepted under the early acceptance program must begin taking graduate courses the semester immediately after receipt of their Bachelor’s degree.

Undergraduate Program Requirements

Students who select the Elementary Education, Double Degree Concentration, 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, the STEM concentration course, 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.

Foundation courses (12 credits)

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

Note:

*ELED 120 and ELED 220 are to be completed prior to admission to Professional Education. ELED 120, ELED 220, ELED 222, ELED 480, the concentration course, 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, ELED 480, and/or the concentration course, or can be taken separately.

Cognate courses (28 credits)

Notes:

Some of the required courses listed above also fulfill certain Core Curriculum Requirements.

*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 his requirement with BIOL 122/122L .

Concentration course (3 credits)

Select one course based upon the intended concentration at the master’s level.

Students who intend to pursue the Applications of Technology in the Elementary Classroom concentration, select:
- ELED 200 - Introduction to Computers for the Elementary School Classroom
Students who intend to pursue the STEM Education concentration, select one of the following:
- ELED 282 - STEM Teaching and Learning in Elementary Schools
- NSCI 140 - A Hands-On Approach to Environmental Education

Professional courses (15.5 credits)

Required fieldwork (12 credits)

ELED 492 - Supervised Teaching in Public Schools: Elementary (12 credits)
or
INTD 492 - International Student Teaching Experience (6 credits)
and ELED 492 - Supervised Teaching in Public Schools: Elementary (6 credits)

Total minimum credits: 70.5

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.