Coordinator:  Dr. Walter Ryan
Campus Office: HH 006
E-mail: wrayn [at] ius [dot] edu
Telephone: (812) 941-2539             
Fax: (812) 941-2667

Program Description

Course work leading to the B.S. in Elementary Education has three components:

1. General Education—These requirements meet the campus-wide general education requirements.
2. Content—These requirements meet the need for elementary teachers to have a broad range of content knowledge
3. Professional and Pedagogical Studies—Students complete courses and experiences leading to successful demonstration of what elementary school educators need to know and be able to do.

Candidates for the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education should first review “General Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees at IUS.” The bachelor’s degree in elementary education leads to an Indiana license to teach students in grades K-6. The program has four sequential fulltime semesters. Perspective candidates are encouraged to complete most of the general education and content requirements before applying to the program. Candidates accepted into the program can only register in the required education courses within their block during daytime hours (from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm).

Student Learning Goals

Candidates majoring in elementary education are expected to be professional at all times and demonstrate an commitment to the development of the whole child. The program has five broad outcomes that all candidates must demonstrate proficiency in:

1. The Candidate is knowledgeable in planning and preparation.
2. The Candidate is knowledgeable in creating an effective classroom environment.
3. The Candidate is knowledgeable of a variety of strategies for effective instruction.
4. The Candidate understands and carries out professional responsibilities.
5. The Candidate is knowledgeable of and applies all professional standards and all content standards for K-6 grades.

 There are four major summative decision points for the Elementary Education Program. The first decision point is at application. The second decision point is at the beginning of block 2 of the program. The third is application to student teach. The fourth decision point is at the end of student teaching and degree completion. At each summative decision point, candidates are formally evaluated on specific criteria and a decision is made regarding each student’s status in the program. A candidate’s continuation status may be reevaluated at points other than summative decision points if significant difficulties are noted.

Degree /Certificate Requirements

For a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, students must satisfy all general rules for undergraduate education programs, rules for admission to the program, requirements for remaining in good standing, criteria for admission to student teaching, and eligibility for a degree described in the undergraduate general information section of the “School of Education” portion of this bulletin.  Degree completion is contingent upon students passing four summative decision points. Information about decision points can be found on the program Web site.  Completion of the degree, faculty recommendation, passage of state-mandated tests, CPR-Heimlich certification (Indiana only), are needed to apply for an Indiana elementary (K-6) license.  Applicants will be accepted into the Elementary Undergraduate Program in cohorts and will progress through the program together. Candidates who do not move through subsequent method blocks with their original cohort may only enter a later cohort if space permits.

Application Process

All candidates applying for admission to the elementary education undergraduate program must complete the application for admission. Candidates must attend an application admission session, hosted by the Academic Success Center, to obtain an application. Applications must be submitted to the Coordinator of the Elementary Education Undergraduate Program by October 15 for spring semester cohort and by February 15 for fall semester cohort. Applications are reviewed by elementary education faculty. Formal letters notifying applicants of their acceptance are mailed by the deadline stated in the application packet.

To apply for admission to the Elementary Education undergraduate program, students must meet the following criteria:

1. Have an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher.
2. Completed or be enrolled in all required Language Arts content courses
3. Have passing scores on the Praxis 1
4. Including current application semester enrollment, candidates must have at least 55 credit hours towards their general education requirements as outlined by the Elementary Education Program check sheet.

Required courses for application

A maximum of 50 candidates will be admitted to the cohort each semester (this includes both Special Education and Elementary Education candidates).  If more than 50 applicants meet the minimum criteria for admission, student acceptance will be determined based on a 12 point system:

• Average grade point average earned in the following:  ENG W131, SPCH S121, MATH T101, the highest grade in a required social science content course, the highest grade in a required science content course, and EDUC F200 (total GPA multiplied by 2 for a total of 8).
• Evaluation from F200 instructor (4 points).

All students are admitted conditionally until all grades are posted and a 2.5 minimum GPA is verified for the semester prior to starting Block I.

General Education Component

Arts and Letters Content Requirements (21 credit hours)

Mathematics Content Area Requirements (9 credit hours)

Social Science Content Area Requirements (18 credit hours)

Science Content Area Requirements (11credit hours, including a lab)

Major Specific Requirements

Exploration Area (6 credit hours)

Block 1- Child as Learner (15 credit hours)

Block 2 - The Literate Child (15 credit hours)

Block 3 - Specific Methods (15 credit hours)

Block 4 - Student Teaching (17 credit hours)

Electives

Concentrations

All elementary undergraduate education candidates must have a concentration in at least one of the four major content areas, Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science, to apply for a K-6 teaching license in Indiana. All candidates who complete the program as outlined will have a concentration in Social Studies. Candidates can add concentration(s) in one or more of the other three major content areas by completing the additional courses as outlined.

Language Arts Concentration (6 additional credit hours)

Mathematics Concentration (14/16 additional credit hours)

Science Concentration (6 additional credit hours)

Performance-Level Requirements 

In order to complete the degree, elementary education majors must:

1. pass the First-Year Seminar;
2. complete the degree with at least a 2.5 GPA;
3. have a grade of C or higher in each Professional Education courses;
4. have a grade of C or higher in each of the required  Mathematics content courses;
5. have a grade of C or higher in each of the required  Language Arts content courses
6. have a minimum GPA of 2.5 in each of the content area clusters (i.e. Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Science and Science)