Major Requirements

Major Requirements

Course Requirements

Introductory Courses: 30 quarter hours required, grade of C or better required

¹

Must be taken with ECE 290.

ISBE Science Requirement: 12 quarter hours required, grade of C or better required

Science requirement fulfills the mandate by the Illinois State Board of Education that all individuals pursuing a license in Early Childhood Education have coursework in 3 science areas that cover biological science, physical science, and earth/space science.  These courses simultaneously meet DePaul requirements for Liberal Studies.

Choose One of the Following Concentrations

ESL Concentration Courses: 28 quarter hours required, grade of C or better required

Bilingual Concentration Courses: 28 quarter hours required, grade of C or better required

*Individuals seeking both bilingual and ESL endorsements on the Professional Educator License (PEL) must complete one additional course to qualify for both endorsements and must take both:

To be eligible for the bilingual endorsement, individuals also complete the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Target Language Proficiency (TLP) test in the non-English language.

Advanced Courses: 40 quarter hours required, grade of C or better required

¹

Must be taken with ECE 381.

²

ECE 310 is co-requisite.

³

Must be taken with ECE 382.

⁴

ECE 311 is co-requisite.

Open Electives: 4 quarter hours required

Open elective credit also is required to meet the minimum graduation requirement of 192 hours. The following cannot be used to fulfill an open elective: WRD 98, MAT 94, and MAT 95

Student Teaching: 12 quarter hours required, grade of B- or better required

Registration in student teaching requires completion of all requirements and procedures indicated in the college core section. EDU 95 indicates to the Illinois State Board of Education that all field experience hours are complete. All students also take ECE 387, Capstone Seminar with student teaching (listed in the Liberal Studies section) during the Autumn, Winter or Spring quarters. Early Childhood students complete 6 weeks in a preschool classroom and 6 weeks in a primary classroom.

Learning Behavior Specialist Special Education Endorsement Courses

Individuals seeking an endorsement in Special Education (called LBS1-Learning Behavior Specialist) can add the credential to the Professional Educator License (PEL) by taking additional courses. Courses are:

Requirements are listed in the Endorsements section of the Course Catalog and are in addition to degree requirements.

Special Education Approval Courses

All students in ECE program will take 5 courses that are required for the degree. These courses will make ECE students who are seeking a PEL eligible to receive a letter of approval in early childhood special education. An approval in early childhood special education makes graduating ECE license holders eligible to work in preschool special education settings. Five special education courses are:

Licensure Tests

All individuals licensed by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) are required to complete licensure tests specific to their teaching license. Early Childhood majors must complete the following tests:

• Early Childhood Content Area Test (test #206) – assesses knowledge of the content of what is taught at the early childhood level including language and literacy development, learning across the curriculum, diversity, collaboration, and professionalism in the early childhood program. Test is required before Student Teaching (deadlines apply).
• EdTPA - assessment conducted during the student teaching experience including video clips of instruction, lesson plans, student work samples, analysis of student learning and reflective commentaries. Students will submit an electronic portfolio to an outside agency for independent evaluation and a fee will be imposed by that agency as part of the assessment.

Non-Licensure Option

Individuals that do not desire a license or are not eligible for a license can seek to earn the degree without meeting licensure requirements. In seeking this option, individuals understand that the following stipulations apply:

Optional Infant Toddler Courses

Two infant toddler courses are available for special population or as elective for early childhood education students who seek additional specialty in infant/toddler education.

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