Elementary Education

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This is an archived copy of the 2018-2019 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.iastate.edu.

A degree in elementary education at Iowa State prepares you either to teach all subjects or to specialize in mathematics, science, language arts, or social studies. The curriculum in elementary education is planned for students preparing to teach in grades kindergarten through six. Teaching endorsements in areas closely related to elementary education, including a special education endorsement in multi-categorical resource teaching, are available for elementary education majors.

Curriculum in Elementary Education

Educator Preparation Program Admission Requirements

Teacher Candidates must have:

A minimum of 9 credits hours at Iowa State University with a 2.5 cumulative grade-point-average (GPA). (Student must maintain 2.5 cumulative GPA throughout the program in order to continue through the program)
Praxis CORE scores with a minimum of 156 in Reading, 162 in Writing, and 150 in Mathematics.
Documented completion of an Iowa State University-approved 10 hours of pre-student teaching ﬁeld experience.
A minimum of a "C" in ALL Curriculum and Instruction (C I), Human Development and Family Studies (HD FS), and Special Education (Sp Ed) courses required for licensure (pedagogy coursework).
A minimum of a "C-" in ALL Major department courses/content courses required for teacher licensure (content coursework). (This is for courses taken from Fall 2007 forward).
A valid criminal background check report processed by ISU's recommending ofﬁcial.
An e-portfolio started and meeting the program requirements for admission to the teacher education program. NOTE: Some programs may have additional requirements. Consult the Program Coordinator.

More information about admission requirements can be found at: https://www.education.iastate.edu/educator-prep-program/admission/

Degree Requirements

119 total credits minimum required

Communications and Library: 10 credits

ENGL 150	Critical Thinking and Communication ^**	3
ENGL 250	Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition ^**	3
LIB 160	Information Literacy	1
Communication course from approved Elementary Education list ^*		3
Total Credits		10

*Must receive a "C-" or above
**Must receive a "C" or above

Mathematics: 9 credits

MATH 195	Mathematics for Elementary Education I ^*	3
MATH 196	Mathematics for Elementary Education II ^*	3
Math Option from approved Elementary Education list ^*		3
Total Credits		9

*Must receive a "C-" or above

Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Earth/Space Sciences: 9 credits

Biological Sciences course from approved Elementary Education list ^*		3
Physical Sciences course from approved Elementary Education list ^*		3
Earth/Space Science from approved Elementary Education list ^*		3
Total Credits		9

*Must receive a "C-" or above

Social Sciences: 9 credits

Psych or Soc Option from approved Elementary Education list ^*		3
Social Sciences course from approved Elementary Education list ^*		3
Social Sciences course from approved Elementary Education list ^*		3
Total Credits		9

*Must receive a "C-" or above

Humanities: 6 credits

HIST 221	Survey of United States History I ^*	3
or HIST 222	Survey of United States History II
Humanities courses from approved Elementary Education list ^*		3
Total Credits		6

*Must receive a "C-" or above

Orientation and Initial Field Experience: 2 credits

C I 216	Learning Community Orientation to Teacher Education	1
or C I 315	Transfer Orientation
C I 280N	Pre-Student Teaching Experience I: Learning Community	1
or C I 280T	Pre-Student Teaching Experience I: Tutoring
Total Credits		2

Professional Education core: 21 credits

C I 201	Learning Technologies in the PK-6 Classroom ^**	3
C I 205	Social Foundations of Education in the United States: Early Childhood and Elementary Education ^**	3
SP ED 250	Education of the Exceptional Learner in a Diverse Society ^**	3
C I 245	Strategies in Teaching ^**	3
HD FS 102	Individual and Family Development, Health, and Well-being ^**	3
or PSYCH 230	Developmental Psychology
C I 332	Educational Psychology of Young Learners ^**	3
HD FS 240	Literature for Children ^**	3
Total Credits		21

**Must receive a "C" or above

Block I:Reading, Writing, & Math Methods: 9 credits

C I 377	The Teaching of Reading and Language Arts in the Primary Grades (K-3) ^**	4
C I 448	Teaching Children Mathematics ^**	3
C I 468A	Pre-Student Teaching Experience II: Primary Grades, Reading and Language Arts	1
C I 468C	Pre-Student Teaching Experience II: Primary Grades, Mathematics	1
Total Credits		9

**Must receive a "C" or above

Multicultural Foundations: 3 credits

C I 405	Social Justice Education and Teaching: Early Childhood and Elementary ^**	3
Total Credits		3

**Must receive a "C" or above

Block II:Reading, Writing, & Science Methods: 9 credits

C I 378	The Teaching of Reading and Language Arts in the Intermediate Grades (4-6) ^**	4
C I 449	The Teaching of Science ^**	3
C I 468B	Pre-Student Teaching Experience II: Intermediate Grades, Reading and Language Arts	1
C I 468D	Pre-Student Teaching Experience II: Intermediate Grades, Science	1
Total Credits		9

**Must receive a "C" or above

Social Studies Methods: 3 credits

C I 443	The Teaching of Social Studies ^**	3
Total Credits		3

**Must receive a "C" or above

Related Methods: 7 credits

KIN 284	Elementary and Pre-school Movement Education ^*	3
or H S 275	Health Education in the Elementary School
MUSIC 265	Music in Elementary Education ^*	2
ARTED 209	Methods of Teaching in and Through Art ^*	2

*Must receive a "C-" or above

Primary Endorsement Area: Credits Vary

Minimum grade of a “C” required for all CI, HD FS, or SP ED courses in endorsement areas. Minimum grade of "C-" required for all other courses in endorsement areas

Primary Endorsement Options:

English/Language Arts
English as a Second Language (ESL)
Health
Math
Science
Special Education
Social Studies

Student Teaching: 16 credits

C I 416A	Supervised Student Teaching - Elementary: Primary grades (K-3) ^**	8
C I 416B	Supervised Student Teaching - Elementary: Intermediate grades (4-6) ^**	8
Total Credits		16

**Must receive a "C" or above

Total Credits: 119 minimum credits (credits will vary depending on endorsement option)

U.S. Diversity and International Perspectives Requirement: Students in elementary education fulfill the U.S. Diversity with SP ED 250 or HD FS 240. International Perspectives Requirements are met by choosing three credits of coursework from university-approved Humanities or Social Sciences included on the Elementary Education approved options sheet.

Educator Preparation Program Completion Requirements:

In order to be recommended for a teaching license by Iowa State University, the following requirements must be met:

Licensure area requirements. The teacher candidate must fulfill all requirements for an approved licensure area as designated by ISU and the State of Iowa, including, but not limited to, the general education requirement, the professional teacher education requirements, the clinical experiences, and the content-required courses. (Specific courses to be used for licensure may not be taken pass/not pass.)
Official Transcript. The Board of Educational Examiners requires an official transcript from all who are recommended for teacher licensure.
GPA. A minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point average is required.
Pedagogy coursework grades. The teacher candidate must have earned a minimum grade requirement of a C in all Curriculum and Instruction (CI), Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS), and Special Education (Sp Ed) courses required for licensure (pedagogy coursework).
Content coursework grades. The teacher candidate must have earned a minimum grade requirement of a C- in department courses/content courses of the major specifically required for teacher licensure (content coursework).
National background check. The teacher candidate must have completed a national background check processed by the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners.
Application form. The teacher candidate must have completed the Iowa Application for Licensure form.
Supervisor documentation. The student teaching supervisor must have provided documentation that shows the teacher candidate has successfully completed the final assessment, which indicates the teacher candidate's mastery of the skills and knowledge included in the Iowa Teaching Standards.
Department approval. Department approval by the program coordinator must be granted.
Registrar approval. After graduation is confirmed, the registrar reviews student records for holds before approving recommendations for licensure.
Praxis Subject Assessments. The teacher candidate must have earned passing scores on the Praxis Subject Assessments (content) and Principles of Learning and Teaching -PLT (pedagogy) exams.
E-portfolio. The teacher candidate must have successfully complete the program requirements for the e-portfolio.
Attend Violent Incident Reduction Training. The teacher candidate must have attended a Violent Incident Reduction Training (VIRT) course. The VIRT course is a three hour training session that includes statistics about the rate of violent attacks in society (primarily in school settings) simulated footage of incidents, and statistics on survivals rates. It incorporates simulations and role playing that effectively empower its participants.