Early Childhood Education: Teachers of Students With or Without Disabilities (Pre-K-2)
To qualify for licensure, a student must complete the major concentration and a minor program in early childhood education with appropriate course work. He or she must also pass the following three Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure: MTEL Communication and Literacy, MTEL Foundations of Reading and MTEL Early Childhood Subject Test.
Major requirements for early childhood education
A Wheaton student will complete a major concentration (usually equivalent to at least 36 semester hours of credit) in a liberal arts field relevant to early childhood education. Please consult the departmental coordinators to determine appropriate subjects for the major.
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Minor requirements in early childhood education
A student must complete the prepracticum and the practicum. The prepracticum consists of courses and experiences specifically designed to meet the licensure standards. The practicum involves full-time student teaching and practice in the role of a classroom teacher at cooperating schools. The following prepracticum courses are required: two of the three courses Educ 240, Educ 250 and Educ 260; Educ 251; Educ 375; Educ 385 and Educ 390. All of these, as well as required arts, sciences and humanities distribution course work, must be completed before the two practicum courses, Educ 496 and Educ 495. Also required are Eng 286, Math 133, Psy 203 and one of the following: first aid, lifesaving or CPR training.
Fieldwork
A student must complete a minimum of 20 hours of classroom observation, tutoring and teacher assisting in each of two prepracticum courses. Licensure regulations are determined by the state of Massachusetts; thus, students must stay abreast of possible changes.
Practicum requirements
During the senior year, a student will complete a semester-long two-and-one-half-credit student teaching practicum plus a one-credit seminar in teaching methods. While student teaching, Wheaton students will intern at the cooperating schools for the entire school day and will follow the public school calendar. Students may take only one additional Wheaton credit during the semester and this must be fulfilled after the regular school hours. A student must notify the department chair of any incomplete grade from the previous semester. An incomplete may disqualify the student from admission to the practicum. One hundred hours of practicum must be completed at the Pre-K through kindergarten level and 200 hours at the 1-2 level. One setting must be an inclusion classroom.
Arts, sciences and humanities distribution course work in the field of early childhood education
A student must also take approximately nine courses equivalent to 36 semester hours of credit in the following areas: psychological foundations, children's literature, the sciences, mathematics and the social sciences. These requirements are normally met by careful selection of liberal arts courses that fulfill Wheaton's general distribution requirements. Consult the departmental coordinators for a list of courses that are especially recommended. Specifically, students are also required to take Math 133 to fulfill their mathematics requirement, unless a waiver is granted by the Mathematics Department. Licensure regulations are determined by the state of Massachusetts; thus, students must stay abreast of possible changes.