Program Description
The Bachelor of Science in Education in Grades PreK-4 Education degree prepares students to teach children at the pre-kindergarten to grade 4 levels. Pennsylvania certification in pre-K to grade 4 education is awarded upon graduation and completion of state certification requirements.
Delivery Mode
Traditional (on campus)
Accreditation
This undergraduate degree program is approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Cal U's education programs have also been accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) since 1954, and we are continuing with the successor organization, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
Curriculum
The following eight-semester schedule of courses provides a recommended framework for completing this program of study in four years.
| Course | Credits |
| Freshman Year | |
| First Semester | 16 |
| ENG 101 English Composition I | 3 |
| HIS 101 OR HIS 102 US History | 3 |
| MAT 120 Elementary Topics in Math I | 3 |
| PSY 205 Childhood Psychology | 3 |
| UNI 100 First-Year Seminar | 1 |
| Any Approved American/British Lit Course | 3 |
| Second Semester | 15 |
| CHD 200 Introduction to PreK-Grade 8 Ed. | 3 |
| ELE 220 Instruction and Assessment in PreK | 3 |
| ELE 221 Instruction and Assessment in K-4 | 3 |
| ESP 210 Special Ed Fnd. and Collaboration | 3 |
| MAT 130 Elementary Topics in Math II | 3 |
| Sophomore Year | |
| Third Semester | 18 |
| ELE 300 Emergent Literacy | 3 |
| ELE 310 Teaching PreK STEAM | 3 |
| ELE 410 PreK-4 Field | 3 |
| GEO/POS/ECO 102 Social Sciences | 3 |
| Any Fine Arts Course | 3 |
| Elective #1 | 3 |
| Fourth Semester | 15 |
| CHD 250 Health and PE for PreK-4 | 3 |
| CHD 312 Instructional Leadership in Childhood Education | 3 |
| ESP 311 Assessment Positive Behavior Intervention | 3 |
| PSY 208 Educational Psychology | 3 |
| Any Natural Science Course with lab | 3 |
| Junior Year | |
| Fifth Semester | 15 |
| CHD 350 Family and Community Collab. and Partnerships | 3 |
| ELE 301 Literacy Foundations I: Lang. Arts* | 3 |
| ELE 302 Literacy Foundations II: Reading* | 3 |
| ELE 331 Teaching Social Studies K-4* | 3 |
| Elective #2 | 3 |
| Sixth Semester | 15 |
| CHD 413 Content Area Literacy Field Exp.* | 3 |
| EDU 333 Technology for Teach. Learn. | 3 |
| ELE 311 Teaching Math K-4* |
3 |
| ELE 321 Teaching Science K-4* | 3 |
| Elective #3 | 3 |
| Senior Year | |
| Seventh Semester | 15 |
| CHD 450 Assessment and Data Literacy for Teach.* |
3 |
| EDU 350 Supporting English Lang. Learners | 3 |
| EDU 375 Intro to Integrated STEM Ed. | 3 |
| ELE 411 Field Experience K-4* | 3 |
| ESP 412 EBP for PreK-8 Inclusion* | 3 |
| Eighth Semester | 12 |
| ELE 461 Student Teaching and School Law* | 12 |
| Total | 121 |
Program Notes
- Course titles in bold indicate a block of courses that are scheduled together and must be taken at the same time.
- Courses marked with an asterisk require admission to Teacher Education before registration.
- All courses required for certification must earn C or better.
- CHD 200 and ELE 220 require current clearances and minimum 2.0 GPA to register for courses.
- ALL other EDU, ELE, ESP and CHD courses require current clearances and minimum 2.5 GPA to register for courses.
- Candidates must follow policies for admission to Teacher Education as stated in the Teacher Education Handbook.
- Pre-requisite for all courses marked with an asterisk (*) is admission to Teacher Education.
- Pre-requisites for ELE 221 and all 300-level ELE and CHD courses are ELE 200 and ELE 220.
- State licensure exams must be passed before Student Teaching.
- Current clearances are required prior to enrolling in program courses.
Approved British or American Literature Courses
- ENG 107 Introduction to Fiction
- ENG 125 The American West
- ENG 127 Woman as Hero
- ENG 148 Horror in Literature
- ENG 150 Baseball in Literature
- ENG 155 Black Literature
- ENG 160 Introduction to British and American Literature
- ENG 203 Great Books
- ENG 301 English Literature I (pre-requisites ENG 101, 102)
- ENG 302 English Literature II (pre-requisites ENG 101, 102)
- ENG 337 Survey of American Literature I (pre-requisite ENG 102)
- ENG 338 Survey of American Literature II (pre-requisite ENG 102)
- HON 250 Honors Comp II (pre-requisite HON 150)
Accelerated Bachelor's-to-Master's Program
Accelerated bachelor's-to-master's programs are also available to undergraduate students who qualify, including:
- B.S.Ed. in Grades PreK-4 Education to M.Ed. in Reading Specialist
- B.S.Ed. in Grades PreK-4 Education to M.Ed. in Integrative STEM Education K-12
Curriculum requirements are listed under the "Accelerated Programs" section of this catalog.
Additional Requirements
Students accepted into a teacher certification program must be admitted to Teacher Education before they may register for upper-level, restricted courses. Please refer to the Teacher Education Program Student Handbook for details on Admission to Teacher Education requirements.
Program Webpage
https://www.calu.edu/academics/undergraduate/bachelors/grades-prek-4-education/index.aspx