Early Childhood Education Major
The Early Childhood Education major prepares candidates for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Initial License as a teacher of children in public school classrooms, PK through grade 2 or for the Massachusetts Office of Early Education and Care. Both programs of studies are based upon a broad liberal arts foundation and an integrated professional teacher preparation program. A course waiver process is available for transfer students where appropriate. Fieldwork accompanies most education courses and is required and needed as a necessary component of the program. It should be noted that student prepracticum experience should include a wide variety of field settings. Students should attend different and varied schools in urban, rural and suburban settings. They should also vary their placements and grade levels in different school buildings within districts to insure a well rounded experience.
It is understood that if students do not abide by these fieldwork directives, they will be asked to redo their hours for prepracticum.
The Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL) is embedded in the program at various stages and must be passed for completion of the program and licensure.
Early Childhood Education Major Teacher Licensure
Program (Massachusetts Public Schools, PK-2)
Requirements for a Major in Early Childhood Education leading to MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Initial Licensure (PK-2): 36 credits
ED 160 Early Childhood Education Today
ED 206 Young Children, Learning and Special Needs
ED 211 Integrating Science, Social Studies and the Arts into Early Childhood Education Curriculum
ED 286 Assessment of Development and Learning of Typical and Atypical Children
ED 307 ECE: Science
ED 308 ECE: Mathematics
ED 317 ECE: Early Literacy, Children’s Literature, Language Arts (6 credits)
ED 313 Practicum in Preschool Education
ED 405 Classroom Management and Child Guidance Techniques in Early Childhood Education
ED 430 Practicum in Primary Education (6 credits)
Prerequisite Courses:
CD 115 Normal Development of Speech and Language
PS 210 Child Growth and Development
Recommended Courses:
HE 150 Health and Physical Education for the Teacher
OR
HE 140 Creative Arts and Health
MA 130 Numbers and Operations for Teachers
MA 132 Geometry, Measurement, Probability and Statistics for Teachers
Students will also be required to take specific liberal arts and science courses to satisfy foundation and distribution requirements. See advising program sheets.
Early Childhood Education majors must also complete an academic major in the arts or sciences offered at the College and approved by the Department.
Admission to the Early Childhood Education Major
Early Childhood Education majors seeking the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Initial License will progress through a three-stage process. Each stage must be satisfactorily completed before passage to the next stage.
Stage I: Early Childhood Major
1. Students demonstrate competence in communication skills by completing the following course with a grade of C or higher.
EN 102 English Composition II (or equivalent)
2. Students must submit a (Criminal Offender Records Information) CORI check application and be approved prior to beginning classroom observations in the Worcester Public Schools. No student is allowed to do fieldwork unless approval of the CORI has been received from the state.
3. Students demonstrate potential for teaching children by completing the following courses with a grade of C+ or higher in ALL prerequisite courses AND a prerequisite AND cumulative GPA of 2.5.
PS 210 Child Growth and Development
ED 160 Early Childhood Education Today
ED 206 Young Children, Learning, and Special Needs
ED 211 Integrating Science, Social Studies and the Arts in Early Childhood Education
ED 286 Assessment of Development and Learning of Typical and Atypical Children
4. Students must receive a passing score on the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL) Communication and Literacy Skills Test.
5. Any departure from the prescribed program of study for teacher licensure must have Waiver Committee approval prior to advancement to Stage II.
Stage II: Early Childhood Education Major
1. Upon satisfactory completion of Stage I requirements, students are eligible to apply for formal admission to the Early Childhood Education Major. The application must include a satisfactory physical examination, Mantoux test results, MTEL test results and transcripts of all previous course work. Approval by the Education Department is necessary for a student to progress to Stage II.
During Stage II, students must complete the following with a Grade of C+ or higher in ALL prerequisite courses AND a prerequisite AND cumulative GPA of 2.7. Fieldwork accompanies the following methods courses.
ED 307 ECE: Science
ED 308 ECE: Math
ED 317 Early Literacy, Children’s Literature, Language Arts (6 credits)
ED 313 Practicum in Preschool Education
2. Students must apply for formal admission into ED 313: Practicum in PK Education. Students must also complete 90 credits prior to taking this course. This application will be reviewed and acted upon by the Licensure Officer. Additional information regarding formal application for the Preschool and Primary Practicum is available in the Education Office S-226/227.
3. Students must have received a passing score on all portions of
the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (Communication and Literacy, Early Childhood, and Foundations of Reading).
Stage III: Early Childhood Education Major – Practicum
1. Upon satisfactory completion of Stage II requirements, students are eligible to apply for formal admission into ED 430: Practicum in Primary Education (Corequisite ED 405).
2. Students must have attained senior standing (90 credits of course work) to complete the Primary Practicum.
3. This application will be reviewed and acted upon by the Licensure Officer.
4. Students convicted of a felony may be denied admission to student teaching.
Additional information regarding formal application for the Preschool and Primary Practicum is available in the Education Office S-226/227.