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Major Requirements — Elementary Education

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Admission to the College of Education

2009-2011 Four-Year Plan

Admission to the university does not guarantee admission to a major in the College of Education. Only students who have been accepted into the College of Education may take methods courses.

Admission Criteria

There are two levels of admission to the College of Education:

1. To be conditionally admitted, the candidate must have a cumulative GPA between 2.50 and 2.75. Once an individual has declared pre-education as a major, an advisor is able to advise each candidate to help ensure completion of the program in a timely fashion. As soon as a candidate's GPA reaches a minimum of 2.75 and all the other requirements are met, the candidate is fully admitted.
2. To be fully admitted to the elementary education program, a candidate must have completed an application form to the College of Education; earned a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher; passed the Illinois Test of Basic Skills; passed an FBI fingerprint check and National Sex Offender list check; and have a current (within the last year) TB test.

Retention Criteria

Candidates must maintain an overall GPA of 2.75 to remain in the elementary education major. Candidates must earn a grade of "C" or better in both English composition courses (ENG 1010 and ENG 2010) and mathematics for elementary education majors (MTH 1210 and MTH 1220). In order to enroll in methods courses, a candidate must be a fully admitted College of Education student. Candidates must have passed the Illinois State Board of Education Elementary Middle School Content Area Test in order to student teach.

Exit Criteria

Candidates must show satisfactory progress in order to be recommended for teacher certification, including completion of all required coursework and credit hours, including student teaching; and successful completion of the Illinois State Board of Education Assessment of Professional Teaching Test.

The College of Education is continuously redesigning its programs based on both current research and its conceptual framework. Students must be aware that there is the possibility that this redesign may alter some of the requirements currently stated in this catalog and their program could be subject to these changes.

MAJOR IN EDUCATION

Required Elementary Education Courses (44 semester hours)

Students are required either to complete an area of specialization of 15 semester hours OR 15 semester hours of elective courses.

Elective Courses: Among the courses that may be taken as electives are:

Area of Specialization: The following are acceptable areas of specialization: art, biology, English, history, mathematics, music, Spanish, theatre.

Required for State Certification in Elementary Education (56-62 semester hours)

The requirements of the state of Illinois for certification in elementary education (K-9) are outcome-based. Our program consists of a series of courses that enable candidates to meet the required outcomes. The outcomes of these courses are aligned with both the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards (IPTS) and the Association of Childhood Education International (ACEI) standards. These outcomes are met not only in Aurora University's education courses but also in many of the courses required to meet Aurora University's General Education requirements. In meeting the requirements of certification, candidates also meet the requirements of General Education. The following courses are required to meet these outcomes:

NOTE: For those individuals seeking a middle school endorsement, completion of EDU3440 Middle School Missions and Methods (4) is required.

Academic information on departmental Web sites reflects the university's most current curriculum. The print version of the catalog, which is also posted online, may differ from this information.