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Undergraduate Catalog

2008 - 2009

      
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Elementary Education

Admission to Degree Program

Students are accepted into the elementary education teacher preparation program by application only. Students must attend an application meeting held by the Education Advisement and Certification Center prior to making application for admission.

The application review process includes but is not limited to the following:

  1. Significant experience working with elementary-age children.

  2. Technology Skills Assessment (TSA).

  3. Being fingerprinted. See Education Advisement and Certification Office (120 MCKB) for instructions.

  4. If admitted, departmental approval only for deferment from the four-semester professional sequence.

Fingerprint and Background Check

All candidates for teacher licensure are required by state statute to be fingerprinted and pass an FBI background check before participating in required field experiences. Fingerprints are taken in the Education Advisement Center (EAC) in 120 MCKB. Contact the EAC for the schedule. Allow from five to six weeks for fingerprints to be processed. FBI background clearance is valid for only three years. If clearance expires before graduation, candidates must repeat the fingerprinting and clearance process, including a new fee payment.

Failing to expunge a police record prior to the background check may result in a blocked registration while a panel reviews the charges. Candidates who cannot pass an FBI background check will be removed from the teacher education licensure program.

Additional Licensing Requirements

It is the student's responsibility to be sure that the Praxis test has been taken and that BYU has received the test scores, that their fingerprint background clearance is current prior to graduation and that state licensing fees have been paid. Students will also be responsible for any additional requirements imposed by the state prior to their graduation. To confirm the status of these requirements contact the Education Advisement and Certification Center, 120 MCKB, (801) 422-3426. Graduation and Utah licensure cannot be processed until these requirements have been completed.

The Discipline

Elementary education prepares teachers who, having gained their own liberal education, help elementary school children learn by improving the teaching children receive in the home, school, church, and community. Elementary education helps students enhance their thinking abilities, build their confidence in exploring new ideas, and become self-motivated, independent learners.

In the program prospective teachers learn about the culture of the elementary school, develop a solid foundation in basic principles of teaching and learning that originate in educational theory and research, and become proficient in systematically applying those basic principles in practical settings.

Career Opportunities

A degree in elementary education leads to opportunities for teaching in elementary schools. By taking additional classes in early childhood education, secondary education, music, or teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) students can extend their teaching credential to teach kindergarten, seventh and eighth grade, elementary music, or TESOL.



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