Elementary Education

Program Plan

Currently, there are two areas of study in Elementary Education. Download the curriculum sheets to view program plan (pdf files).

Curriculum Sheets
Grades 1-5:  Elementary Education	Grades 1-5:  Integrated to Merged

Program Overview

The Elementary Education program prepares candidates for teaching in Grades 1-5 and leads to an initial Louisiana teaching certificate as well as a degree. The teacher education program in elementary education is in the process of being recognized by the Association of Childhood Education International (ACEI). The program focuses on the knowledge, skills, and dispositions associated with the effective education of elementary-aged children.

In addition to the traditional elementary education program, the college offers an "integrated to merged" curriculum that incorporates special education into the coursework.
 
There are two pathways to achieving teaching certification in Elementary Education:

Bachelor's Degree

The college offers a undergraduate program of study for students who have not yet attained a bachelor's degree. 

Master of Arts in Teaching

For students who have already attained a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution, the alternate means to achieving certification is by pursuing the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) degree. This alternate pathway to certification is also designed to accommodate students who already have advanced degrees.

More Information on the Elementary Program

The Elementary program of study, like all teacher preparation programs in the college, affords teacher candidates the opportunity to progress via a number of “stages.” In the undergraduate program, these stages are called “tiers.” In the MAT program, they are referred to as “levels.”

The college has recently added the option called the “Integrated to Merged” certification program, which includes the preparation necessary to for candidates to seek dual certification. More information on this option is available in the Undergraduate Candidate Handbook. For more details about coursework and requirements, please see the curriculum sheets.

Field Experience

The elementary education program represents a performance-based model of personnel preparation, which includes a number of field experiences associated with the attendant coursework.  These experiences culminate in the clinical experience, which occurs during the last semester of the program. Information on the field experience requirements of each course may be found in each course's syllabus. For more information, please see the web page for field experiences.

Assessment

The Elementary teacher education program requires candidates to complete a variety of assessments as they progress through the program of study. The program includes various transition reviews. Assessments include unit assessments that are incorporated into each teacher education program of study, and there are program assessments that are unique to the Elementary program. Specific information about each assessment and scoring information for each assessment may be obtained from your professors or the program coordinator.