About the Program
Elementary Education reflects what is known about the best, evidence-based practices in teacher education and is aligned with state and national standards for elementary school teacher preparation. The program prepares professionals who embody the vision of education for a sustainable, socially-just world. Through professional courses and seminars that are paired with community experiences and extensive experiences in partner schools, the program prepares teachers who (a) are “inspired to care about our physical and social worlds and have the knowledge and skills [and dispositions] to enact that caring” (UNESCO, 2005), (b) revitalize classrooms and communities by providing equitable, socially just opportunities for learning and flourishing, (c) address racism at systemic and individual levels and recognize the impact of racism on learning and opportunities, and (d) promote interdependence between people, communities, and the natural world by what and how they teach (content and pedagogical practice).
The Elementary Education program prepares professionals who are attentive to the needs of diverse students and supports specialization in one or more learner pathways (i.e., students who are learning English as a new language, students with gifts and talents, students with special needs). The Elementary Education plan of study outlines the required courses to complete the degree for licensure.
This program meets state and national licensure standards and is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the State of Indiana, State Board of Education. Admission to and successful completion of the Teacher Education Program (TEP) are required.
For more information about the degree program, visit the COE Office of Advising and Recruiting. For teacher licensure information, visit the Office of Teacher Education and Licensure.
Departmental/Program Major Requirements (84-94 credits)
All courses below (Major Courses, Additional Methods Courses, Required Reading Concentration, and Required Learner Pathway) are included in the calculation of the Professional Education GPA requirement: 3.0 (“B” average with no grade lower than a “C”).
College of Education Pass/No Pass Option Policy
Education majors (which includes the total credit hour requirement to fulfill General Education: Educational Studies and General Education: Curriculum & Instruction) are not eligible to receive P/NP for required courses on your plan of study. Only electives and courses at the 500+ level can have a grade mode change.
Spring 2020 was the only exception approved for the entire campus.
World Language Courses
World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japenese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS=Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish)
Critical Course
The ♦ course is considered critical.
In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program”.
