Inclusive Elementary Education Major

The dual licensure program in Inclusive Elementary Education is committed to helping prospective teachers become knowledgeable, competent, caring professionals who are dedicated to nurturing the intellectual, social, and aesthetic growth of children in both traditional and inclusive PreK-5 classroom settings. The Inclusive Elementary Education Major leads to a Primary License (Grades PreK-5) and an Intervention Specialist License (Grades PreK-5).

About the Major

Preservice inclusive elementary education teachers pursue their general liberal arts education requirements while taking foundational education courses. Once accepted into the education program, preservice teachers will take a carefully sequenced set of discipline-specific courses and accompanying field experiences to prepare them for the roles and responsibilities of working in elementary schools, specifically with general and special educator teams. Preservice teachers will pursue in-depth study of educational theory, evidence-based instructional strategies, assessment of student learning, and differentiated support for academic and behavioral goals. Coursework includes an emphasis on strong reading and literacy instruction, subject specific instruction, classroom and behavior intervention, collaboration, and assessment. Pedagogy is made relevant by application in planned field experiences in inclusive elementary classrooms. The culminating experience for the Inclusive Elementary Education licensure program is the 15-week student teaching experience that provides experience in both a traditional elementary setting as well as a special education setting, supervised by both university faculty and experienced educators.