2018-2019 Academic Catalog 
    
    Apr 18, 2024  
2018-2019 Academic Catalog [Archived Catalog]

Elementary Education (Grades 1-6), B.A. with Bridge to M.A. in Special Reading


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This program prepares candidates to teach at the elementary level, (grades 1-6) . Additional coursework and experiences providing a strong emphasis on literacy devleopment and addressing the needs of struggling readers is a cornerstone of this program, enhancing teacher effectiveness in the elementary classroom. During the senior year, candidates take some master’s level coursework focusing on literacy development, content reading, diagnosis of and strategies for impacting children’s reading problems. This coursework provides an accelerated pathway to completion of a master’s degree and fulfillment of requirements in the State of Missouri for certification in special reading.

General Education Requirements


A minimum of 45 credit hours of general education courses is required for the Elementary Education (Grades 1-6 B.A. degree with Bridge to Master of Arts in Special Reading.. Some of the courses listed below are required to fulfill the general education requirements and others may be used as electives. Other courses not listed below may also be considered to fulfill electives that comprise the General Education requirements. General Education courses must meet the following criteria:

Humanities - Fine Arts Elective (Music, Art, Performance - 3 hours), Literature Elective - 3 hours, Multi-Cultural Elective - (Study Abroad, Foreign Language, other - 3 hours) = Total 9 hours

Literacy - (ENG 101 Writing I and ENG 104 Writing II required) = Total 6 hours

Mathematics - MATH 207, 116 OR117, AND Math 208 = Total 6 hours

Science - SCI 131 OR 132, AND SCI Elective with Lab or Lab Experience = Minimum Total 6 hours

Social Science - EDUC 220, HIST 121 OR 122, and PSCI 101 = Total 9 hours

Electives -9 hours: EDUC 100 - Introduction to Schooling or its equivalent is required of all freshman education majors and is strongly recommended as an elective for all other education majors. All freshmen are also required to take INTD 101 - University Seminar. This credit will count toward the 6-hour elective requirement for Elementary Education majors.

Please work with your life coach and faculty mentor to determine which of the listed general education courses are appropriate for you.

Special Reading Courses


The following courses are needed to meet the requirements for Special Reading certification in the State of Missouri. All of these courses are graduate level courses. Some of these courses may be taken during the senior year to accelerate the path to completion of the Master’s degree and Special Reading Certification.  Candidate should note that a minimum of two years teaching experience is also required to be eligible for the Special Reading Certification in the State of MIssouri.

Practicum Experiences - (26 Hours)


Education majors spend a considerable amount of time in schools gaining firsthand classroom experience with students. Beginning in the sophomore year, all education students are required to complete a practicum experience each semester, with increasingly rigorous expectations regarding student interactions, lesson planning and delivery, and collaboration with professional educators in the field. These experiences build upon one another to provide teacher candidates with exposure to students from multiple grade levels in diverse schools and districts, as well as to a wide variety of teaching/learning opportunities in real-world settings. These practicum experiences culminate in student teaching experience in the final semester if he initial teacher preparation program. Candidates seeking the Master’s degree in Special Reading complete an additional 6 hours of clinical experience at teh graduate level. These clinical experiences focus on working with struggling readers. One of these experiences is done at the elementary level and another is done at the secondary level.

Recommended Electives


EDUC 100 - Introduction to Education, EDUC 668 - Behavior Management, and EDUC 616 - Differentiating for All Learners are strongly recommended as electives for all education majors.

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