Early Childhood Education Major

College of Education and Social & Behavioral Sciences - Department of Education

 

Programs Leading to Educator Licensure

At Framingham State University, students may meet the requirements for the Initial license as an Early Childhood Teacher (Pre-K - 2) or Elementary Teacher (1 - 6) through completion of a major in education with a concentration in Initial Licensure. Secondary Education students minoring in Education may obtain an Initial license in the following fields: studio art, biology, chemistry, English, French, history, mathematics, Spanish, and world languages. Students may obtain middle school level licensure in earth science (5 - 8) or in the secondary subjects listed above with the completion of additional requirements. Students may also obtain the Teacher of Visual Art (Pre-K - 8) by special arrangement with the Art and Music Department. Since 1998, students seeking initial licensure at any level have been required to obtain a satisfactory score on the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL), formerly named the Massachusetts Educator Certification Test.

Program Information

Framingham State University, the first public institution in America to offer teacher preparation, continues to be in the forefront in teacher education, most recently in the area of teaching with technology. Teacher preparation students use wireless laptop computers and digital cameras in their technology-enhanced courses and student teaching. The teacher preparation programs listed above include a series of pre-practicum courses that enable students to address subject matter defined in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks while preparing for the student teaching experience. The success rate of our students on the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure is rooted in a strong liberal arts and sciences curriculum, supported by excellent education courses and academic support services that include test preparation workshops.

All programs of teacher preparation at the University are approved by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

 

Program in Early Childhood Education

All candidates for educational licensure shall be required to pass the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL), which will assess communication and literacy skills; subject matter knowledge; and foundations of reading. The Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure is administered in the months of September, November, February, May, and July. The University will comply with state-mandated licensure requirements, which are subject to change.

 

General Education Requirement

All students at the University must satisfy a general education requirement consisting of courses that fulfill the Domain General Education model. The courses listed below, with subjects related to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, are recommended (not required) for students in the Coordinate Major in Early Childhood Education.

COMMON CORE:

  • ENWR 110 Composition II
  • MATH 110 College Mathematics I

DOMAIN I-A:

  • _____ ____ Any Course from Domain I-A                    

DOMAIN I-B:

  • _____ ____ Any Course from Domain I-B

DOMAIN I-C:

  • _____ ____ Any Elementary or Intermediate Language Course

DOMAIN II-A:

  • MATH 120 College Mathematics II              

DOMAIN II-B (2 courses required):

  • BIOL 101 Biological Concepts
  • PHSC 109 Introduction to Physical Science

DOMAIN III-A:

  • HSTY 111 United States History to Reconstruction          

DOMAIN III-B:

  • PSYC 200 Psychology of Development

DOMAIN III-C:

  • GEOG 110 World Regional Geography
 

Teacher Licensure Study of the Constitutions Requirement

All students pursing teacher licensure must take one course that includes study of both United States and Massachusetts constitutions. Early Childhood and Elementary Education majors meet this requirement through HSTY 111 United States History to Reconstruction. Secondary education minors may choose from among the following course:

  • HSTY 111 United States History to Reconstruction
  • HSTY 112 United States History since Reconstruction
  • HSTY 165 Slavery, Race, and Rights in American History
  • HSTY 176 Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness? The Age of Revolutions, 1750-1850
  • POSC 110 Introduction to American Politics
  • POSC 211 Political Theory: Justice, Law, and Order
  • POSC 250 American Legal Systems

 

Traditional Liberal Arts and Science Major

For the Coordinate Major in Early Childhood Education, the Massachusetts Department of Education regulations do not specify curricular guidelines in subject matter for students seeking licensure in early childhood education. Students in this program must choose either a Traditional Major or an Liberal Studies/Interdisciplinary Studies Majors. Please note that some of the majors that may be completed in 32 courses over four years are Psychology, Studio Art, and World Languages; majors not mentioned may require additional coursework.

 

Major in Early Childhood Education (U_EC) 

Core Courses (9):

  • EDUC 110 Education in American Society Grades PreK-6
  • EDUC 205 Equity in Educational Settings
  • EDUC 230 Social-Emotional Learning
  • EDUC 301 Inclusive Practices for Students with Disabilities Grades PreK-6 with Pre-Practicum I
  • ECED 311 Teaching Mathematics Grades PreK-2 with Pre-Practicum I
  • ENGL 212 Children’s Literature
  • HSTY 105 Europe and the World to circa 1450
  • PSYC 200 Psychology of Development

Choose 1 of the following (literature courses with emphasis on diverse authors):

  • ENGL 240 LGBTQ Literature
  • ENGL 248 Literature of the Harlem Renaissance
  • ENGL 260 American Ethnic Literature
  • ENGL 263 African American Women Writers
  • ENGL 264 African American Literature
  • ENGL 275 Contemporary Latinx Literature

Early Childhood PreK-2 Licensure Concentration (8)

Required Concentration Core (4):

  • ECED 332/332L The Young Child and Emergent Literacy Grades PreK-2 with Pre-Practicum II
  • EDUC 342 Sheltered English Immersion Grades PreK-6 with Pre-Practicum II
  • ECED 353 Teaching English Language Arts and Social Studies Grades PreK-2 with Pre-Practicum III
  • ECED 363 Teaching Science Grades PreK-2 with Pre-Practicum III

The Practicum Semester (4 course credits):

  • ECED 440A Early Childhood Education Professional Practicum A (1 course-credit)
  • ECED 440B Early Childhood Education Professional Practicum B (2 course-credits)
  • EDUC 450 Principles of Educational Curriculum and Assessment

Early Childhood PreK-2 Non-Licensure Concentration (7)

Required Concentration Core (3):

  • EDUC 215 Action Research in Education
  • EDUC 305 Educational Policy
  • EDUC 350 Education and Social Change or
    • SOCI 350 Education and Social Change
Concentration Electives (Choose 4):
Students may select four (4) of the following courses, at least two (2) of which must be at the 300-level or above. Students who are considering returning for the post-baccalaureate teacher licensure (PBTL) program after graduating should take all four of the 300-level EDUC courses with pre-practicum experiences in the list below.
  • CFST 118 Child, Family, School, and Community: Connections and Collaborations
  • CFST 212 Disability in Society
  • CFST 390 Special Topics in Child and Family Studies
  • ECED 332/332L The Young Child and Emergent Literacy Grades PreK-2 with Pre-Practicum II
  • ECED 353 Teaching English Language Arts and Social Studies Grades PreK-2 with Pre-Practicum III
  • ECED 363 Teaching Science Grades PreK-2 with Pre-Practicum III
  • EDUC 342 Sheltered English Immersion Grades PreK-6 with Pre-Practicum II
  • EDUC 360 Special Topics in Education
  • EDUC 450 Principles of Educational Curriculum and Assessment
  • EDUC 490 Independent Study: Current Topics in Education
  • EDUC 495 Internship in Education
  • ENGL 212 Children’s Literature
  • PSYC 236 Psychology of Learning
  • SOCI 312 Sociology of Childhood and Adolescence
 

Admission into Teacher Education and the Student Teaching Practicum

The Education Department is proud to continue Framingham State University’s long-established tradition of excellence in teacher preparation. Students seeking licensure in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, or Secondary Education are encouraged to pursue one of our programs below. Students who wish to become single content area teachers at the elementary level, such as in Spanish or mathematics, are encouraged to major in those subjects and consider pursuing educator licensure at the post-baccalaureate or graduate levels. The Department’s commitment has been stated as follows:

  • To encourage students in their continuing adult development toward becoming self-directing, professional persons.
  • To foster an enthusiasm for scholarly investigation and intellectual pursuit which will be reflected by students in professional field settings.
  • To assist students in broadening their communication skills in order to enhance both their personal and professional advancement.
  • To raise students’ social and cultural awareness through a professional program which reflects a philosophy of equal access to educational opportunity for all.
  • To help students gain an understanding of human behavior, especially that of children and young people, that will aid them in working effectively with a variety of life styles and modes of
  • learning.
These goals are consonant with the Standards established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as requisite for approval of programs to prepare candidates for licensure as teachers in this state and for reciprocal licensure through the Interstate Certification Compact. (See the Field Placement Handbook from the Educator Licensure and Placement Office for further information on teacher licensure standards.)

In accordance with the requirements for approval or accreditation established by the Commonwealth, the University’s Professional Standards Committee (PSC) applies specific criteria for the retention of candidates in teacher preparation to determine that they possess academic competencies and personal characteristics appropriate to the requirements of teaching. The PSC uses a number of criteria, both objective and subjective, for permitting students to progress through the teacher education programs.
The requirements for entering the pre-practicum sequence are as follows:
1.    An undergraduate student must be in good academic standing to be placed in a public school for a pre-practicum experience.
2.    A student on disciplinary or academic probation will not be placed.
The requirements for entering pre-practicum and practicum are as follows:
1.    A student on disciplinary or academic probation will not be placed.
2.    A student seeking early childhood or elementary licensure must be accepted to a licensure concentration within one of the majors in the Education Department. A student seeking secondary licensure must declare an education minor in his/her discipline.
3.    Effective Fall 2001, students must pass the “Communication and Literacy Skills” component of the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL) prior to entering the methods course sequence (early childhood and elementary) or Secondary Methods (secondary).
4.    Students in early childhood, elementary, and secondary education must have a minimum GPA of 2.80 in all education courses (EDUC) and PSYC 200 Psychology of Development.
5.    Students in early childhood, elementary, and secondary education must maintain a minimum of 2.80 overall GPA at Framingham State University.
6.    Prior to beginning the practicum (early childhood, elementary, or secondary), all students must demonstrate competency in their subject matter field for licensure by achieving a passing score on the appropriate subject area subtest of the MTEL or an equivalent test. Early Childhood and Elementary Education students must also achieve a passing score on the Foundations of Reading test.
7.    To be recommended by the University for licensure, a student must have achieved an overall GPA of at least 2.80.
8.    Teacher candidates are required to complete all paperwork and security checks required by the school districts including, but not limited to, Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI), Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI), and fingerprinting prior to beginning the pre-practicum and practicum experiences. This process is completed through the designated school districts.
All students engaging in an experience requiring participation in the schools are required to be certified free from tuberculosis. This may be verified by proof of negative results of an intradermal tuberculin test. This information must be filed in the Educator Licensure and Placement Office, O’Connor Hall.
The general procedures are as follows:
1.    Each student pursuing teaching licensure, after satisfying general admission requirements of the University, be admitted to his or her respective program.
2.    Students must submit applications for pre-practicum placements for the following courses:

Early Childhood Education Major:

EDUC 301 Inclusive Practices for Students with Disabilities Grades PreK-6 with Pre-Practicum I
ECED 311 Teaching Mathematics Grades PreK-2 with Pre-Practicum I
ECED 332/332L The Young Child and Emergent Literacy Grades PreK-2 with Pre-Practicum II
EDUC 342 Sheltered English Immersion Grades PreK-6 with Pre-Practicum II
ECED 353 Teaching English Language Arts and Social Studies Grades PreK-2 with Pre-Practicum III
ECED 363 Teaching Science Grades PreK-2 with Pre-Practicum III
ECED 440A Early Childhood Education Professional Practicum A (1 course-credit)
ECED 440B Early Childhood Education Professional Practicum B (2 course-credits)

 

 

 

Effective as of the 2023-2024 Undergraduate Catalog