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Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2023-2024 [ARCHIVED CATALOG] See drop-down menu above to access other catalogs.
Elementary Education, Literacy Teacher Professionals Concentration, BSE
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Department: Elementary and Early Childhood Education
Students who select the Elementary Education, Literacy Teacher Professionals 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).
The Literacy Teacher Professionals Concentration provides a seamless pathway to either of the MEd in Reading programs, leading to professional licensure (grades 1-6) through early admittance to the College of Graduate Studies. Students in this program can take their first graduate course during their final semester of undergraduate course work. The purpose of this program is to develop general education teachers who have an in-depth understanding of literacy practices in the elementary school classroom.
Early Acceptance to the MEd Program
Students enrolled in the Elementary Education, Literacy Teacher Professionals Concentration, may apply to the College of Graduate Studies for early acceptance into the MEd program during their senior year. 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, LiteracyTeacher Professionals Concentration, BSE;
- be enrolled in Education Cluster III of their elementary education major; and
- file an application for admission* to the College of Graduate Studies, MEd in Reading, or MEd in Reading, Language, Literacy and Culture, to begin graduate course work during the Practicum semester of the BSE program.
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. Graduate student status will be granted the semester immediately following conferral of the Bachelor’s degree. Students accepted under the early acceptance program may begin taking graduate courses the semester immediately after receipt of their Bachelor’s degree.
*Note that the application for admission to the MEd program requires the following: resume; transcript; minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 2.8; personal statement; three letters of recommendation; and a qualifying passing score on the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure® (MTEL) Communication and Literacy Skills (01).
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Admissions Requirements for MEd Reading
- Resumé
- Transcripts – Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate course work
- GPA – Minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 2.8 based upon four years of course work or a 3.0 based on the last 60 credits
- Personal Statement – Prepare a brief, but careful statement regarding the reasons you want to pursue graduate work in Reading and your career goals
- Possession of a Massachusetts State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education active license OR a qualifying score on the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure® (MTEL) Communication and Literacy Skills (01)
- The graduate course taken as an undergraduate will count toward the 120 credits for the BSE degree
- Once the students complete their BSE, the graduate course that they have completed will be transferred to their MEd course requirements if they receive a minimum grade of “B”
Undergraduate Program Requirements
Students must apply for admission and be accepted into Professional Education after completion of ELED 220 - Introduction to Elementary Education and in order to enter Education Cluster I in their junior year. 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 in order to enter ELED 492 - Supervised Teaching in Public Schools: Elementary , which is 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 complete a series of field experiences (prepractica) throughout their Foundation courses and Education Cluster courses. Students will be asked to authorize a Criminal Offender Record Inquiry (CORI) as a requirement for access to schools and agencies during their prepractica and practicum. 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 Elementary Education, BSE, 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 Requirement, 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 (9 credits)
Literacy Teacher Professionals courses (12 credits)
Education Cluster I (7 credits)
Students must have junior status and be admitted to Professional Education, which requires a formal application to the College of Education and Health Sciences, a cumulative 2.8 GPA, completion of ELED 220, and successfully passing the Communication and Literacy Skills Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure® (MTEL).
Education Cluster II (7 credits)
Education Cluster III (10 credits)
Practicum (9 credits)
Students must be admitted to student teaching, which requires a formal application to the College of Education and Health Sciences, a cumulative 2.8 GPA, completion of all prerequisite course work for education, and successfully passing all required Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure® (MTEL). Students should be finished with all other undergraduate course work to proceed into student teaching (consideration for an exception to this should be sent to the Elementary and Early Childhood Education Department practicum coordinator).
Total minimum credits: 64
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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