Graduate Department of Early Childhood, Elementary and Literacy Studies

Birth-Kindergarten Education
Elementary Education
Reading Education

Birth-Kindergarten Education (B-K), B.S.

Coordinator: Sandra Plata-Potter

Location: Inclusive Education DepartmentDepartment of Early Childhood, Elementary and Literacy Studies

Program Description

The program of study in Birth-to-Kindergarten Education consists of four curricular components: freshman seminar and general education, the professional studies core, the essential standards area, and content pedagogy (methods and internship). Upon successful completion of the program and related requirements, graduates are eligible for an License to teach in the State of North Carolina. The NC Department of Public Instruction issues the teaching license based on University recommendation.

The Birth-to-Kindergarten Education program is one of the Educator Preparation programs offered at UNCP. Birth-to-Kindergarten Education majors are subject to Educator Preparation Program policies, admission requirements, continuation requirements, and graduation requirements. For more information about Educator Preparation Program policies and requirements, turn to the previous section.

The Birth-to-Kindergarten Education program is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and approved by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Program Standards

The Educator Preparation Program standards for all education majors are described fully in the UNCP Teacher Education ProgramEducator Preparation Programok.

North Carolina Birth-Kindergarten Program Standards

The goals of the Birth-Kindergarten program are to prepare preservice and in-service Birth-Kindergarten professionals with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed to effectively serve infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their families in diverse settings. Our program is based on the following six standards as established by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

The successful Birth-Kindergarten professional will

have a comprehensive knowledge of typical as well as atypical patterns of child development;
foster relationships with families that support children’s development and learning;
build community partnerships in support of children and families;
use authentic, ongoing assessment of children’s abilities in order to plan, implement, and evaluate programs that build upon each child’s unique strengths;
create and adapt environments and intentionally plan and implement an integrated curriculum that facilitates every child’s construction of knowledge and provides a strong foundation for lifelong learning;
provide an integrated curriculum derived from Infant-Toddler Guidelines, Foundations for Early Learning, and the Kindergarten Common Core Standards which includes the following areas: emotional/social development; physical development, health, nutrition, and safety; and cognitive development.

Elementary Education, M.A.Ed.

Director: Kelly Ficklin

Program Description

The master’s degree in elementary education is designed for experienced, practicing teachers who are seeking an “M” license and/or planning to apply for National Board Certification. The master’s program extends the theoretical and pedagogical foundations acquired during undergraduate study and builds on the competence acquired by the career teacher through years of practice. Teachers must hold a Standard Professional I license or be eligible to hold a Standard Professional I license at the time of application. Two years full-time teaching experience is recommended but not required.

Program Mission

The mission of the master’s program in elementary education is to prepare the experienced teacher for full participation in the profession as leader, researcher, and master practitioner. The master’s program is designed to promote both teacher autonomy and interdependence through inquiry, reflection, and action. Teachers and teacher educators are encouraged to collaborate on ways to enhance the professional lives of teachers, the learning and well-being of their students, the teaching and learning environments of their schools, and partnerships with parents and families.

Program Goals

The Elementary Education Program is designed to help the career teacher

strengthen his/her commitment to the goals of education in a democratic society and use the underlying principles of those goals to guide decisions about practice;
develop ways of working with families and other members of the community to reform schools so that all children may learn meaningfully and equitably;
become an active member of various professional communities, develop leadership abilities, and seek opportunities to function as a leader within those communities;
develop the disposition to strengthen both subject-specific and pedagogical knowledgebases through systematic research and inquiry on practice;
construct (or revise) a conceptual framework for teaching and learning which reflects the philosophical, moral, and pedagogical complexities of teacher decisions about the education of culturally and developmentally diverse learners; and,
develop the disposition to reflect critically on the connection between his/her conceptual framework for teaching and learning (theory) and the effectiveness of his/her practice on diverse learners.

Reading Education, M.A.Ed.

Director: Heather Sellers

Program Description

The Master of Arts in Education (M.A.Ed.) in Reading Education is designed for classroom and reading teachers to prepare them as leaders in the field of literacy instruction and as reading specialists. Since the program builds on the knowledge base and experience of the practitioner, teachers who enter the M.A.Ed. must be licensed to teach in North Carolina. Graduate study in reading education will enable teachers to develop expertise in the teaching of reading, the diagnosis and remediation of problems, and the development of successful reading programs. Teachers will also have opportunities to develop leadership competence in the design, delivery, and assessment of reading and services.

Special Program Admission Requirements:

Applicants who do not have a degree in a reading-related discipline such as elementary education, special education, or English/ language arts are subject to special program admission requirement(s), which may include prerequisite courses, based on the Program Director’s evaluation of the applicant’s transcript.

Program Goals

The revised M.A.Ed. in Reading Education is organized around four major standards established by the International Literacy Association (ILA) for Master’s level literacy specialist. These reflect state-approved standards for reading teachers and expectations set forth by NCATE. All reading courses reflect the four program standards in content, learning opportunities, and requirements.

The four standards are:

Reading teacher candidates have knowledge of the foundations of reading.
Reading teacher candidates use a wide range of reading assessment tools and results in order to provide developmentally appropriate instruction.
Reading teacher candidates understand and apply best instructional practices and techniques in the reading process of all learners.
Reading teacher candidates create a literate environment that fosters reading and writing competencies by integrating foundational knowledge and technology.

Please contact the Program Director for the Reading Education Program Progression Worksheet.

Courses

Birth to Kindergarten

Elementary Education

Reading Education