Early Childhood Education (birth-gr 3) & Special Education (birth-gr 3) Major – Bachelor of Science
Teachers have a positive and profound impact on future generations unlike any other profession. The Early Childhood Education and Special Education (ECE/SPE) Program prepares educators and future leaders of our global society to teach the core subjects (literacy, math, science, and social studies) to young learners (birth through grade 3) including those with identified special education needs. Through this rigorous education program, teacher candidates learn how to reach all students with relevant curriculum, utilizing strategies that are geared toward young learners' innate curiosity about the world around them. We collaborate with K-12 schools and early childhood centers to provide multiple practical experiences in classrooms where our teacher candidates learn to differentiate teaching approaches with the end goal of honoring the individuality of all students. Graduates of this program are confident, reflective practitioners who value academically rigorous teaching for all and who continuously improve their skills in response to best practices.
Completion of the Early Childhood - Special Education Program and associated benchmark assessments will lead to endorsement for the following Wisconsin teaching license(s):
- Early Childhood - Regular Education, birth - grade 3 (2088), and
- Early Childhood - Special Education, birth - grade 3 (1809).
Students in all teacher education programs must satisfy the School of Education (SOE) core requirements.
Students in all teacher education programs must be admitted to the School of Education to complete their program requirements and be eligible for endorsement for the appropriate teaching license(s). Students majoring in early childhood education (birth - grade 3) and early childhood education and special education (birth - grade 3) must meet specific program admission criteria.
Retention and advancement
Grade of "C" or better requirement
All courses required in the Early Childhood Education Program with ECE, EDS, SPE, and TSL prefixes must be passed with a minimum grade of "C" or better.
Curriculum
The Early Childhood Education Program is aligned with Wisconsin Teacher Standards (WTS) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Standards.
Program requirement courses that may also fulfill Core General Education Requirements (CGER) (26 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EDS 203 | Foundations of Education 1, 2, 3 | 3 |
| EDS 206 | Society and Schools 1, 2, 4 | 3 |
| EDS 309 | Global Perspectives in Education 5 | 3 |
| MTH 115 | Mathematics for Early Childhood and Elementary Teachers I 1, 6 | 2 |
| MTH 116 | Mathematics for Early Childhood and Elementary Teachers II 1, 6 | 2 |
| HIS 110 | World History 7 | 3 |
| GEO 200 | Conservation of Global Environments 8 | 3 |
| Select one physical science course 9 | 4 | |
| General Chemistry I | ||
| Earth Environments | ||
| Fundamental Physics I | ||
| Physical Science for Educators (recommended) | ||
| Solar System Astronomy | ||
| Stars, Galaxies and the Universe | ||
| General Physics I | ||
| Select one English literature course 10 | 3 | |
| Literature and Human Experience | ||
| American Literature before 1865 | ||
| American Literature after 1865 | ||
| British Literature before 1800 | ||
| British Literature after 1800 | ||
| Western Literature before 1700 | ||
| Western Literature after 1700 | ||
| Total Credits | 26 | |
- 1
Must pass all ECE, EDS, SPE, and TSL courses with a grade of "C" or better.
- 2
Satisfies an SOE core requirement.
- 3
May also satisfy CGER - Social & Behavioral Science: Social & Behavioral Studies (CGER SBS-BS).
- 4
May also satisfy CGER - Civics & Perspectives: Communities of the United States (CGER CP-CU).
- 5
May also satisfy CGER - Civics & Perspectives: Cultures of Our World (CGER CP-CW).
- 6
May also satisfy CGER - Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning: Quantitative Reasoning (CGER MQR-QR).
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May also satisfy CGER - Humanities & Arts: Pasts that Define Us (CGER HA-PDU).
- 8
May also satisfy CGER - Natural Science & Wellness: Mind, Body, & Planet (CGER NSW-MBP).
- 9
May also satisfy CGER - Natural Science & Wellness: Experiential Science (CGER NSWL-ES).
- 10
May also satisfy CGER - Communication & Literacy: Stories We Tell (CGER CL-SWT).
Courses not requiring admission to the School of Education (27 credits)1
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ECE 216 | Child Development Birth Though Age 8 (Child Development) | 3 |
| ECE 316 | Early Childhood Administration, Advocacy, and Leadership | 3 |
| ECE 330 | Social and Emotional Foundations of Learning | 3 |
| ECE 335 | Learning with Nature | 3 |
| SPE 200 | Foundations of Special Education 2 | 3 |
| TSL 250 | Educating Multilingual Learners | 3 |
| EDS 308 | Foundations of Literacy | 3 |
| EDS 311 | Curriculum and Pedagogy: Elementary/Middle Education | 3 |
| EDS 318 | Literacy Methods I | 3 |
| Total Credits | 27 | |
Courses requiring admission to the School of Education (54 credits)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SPE 300 | Designing Sustainable Inclusive Classrooms 1 | 3 |
| ECE 435 | Creative Arts and Play in ECE 1 | 3 |
| ECE 342 | Emergent Literacy and Language Development in Young Children 1 | 3 |
| ECE 424 | Curriculum and Assessment for Preschool-Kindergarten 2 | 3 |
| ECE 460 | School, Family and Community Partnerships 1, 2 | 3 |
| Field I block courses (must be taken concurrently) 1 | ||
| ECE 413 | Teaching Social Studies: Early Childhood/Elementary Education | 3 |
| ECE 415 | Field Experience I in Early Childhood Education: Grades K-3 2 | 3 |
| ECE 418 | Literacy Methods II: Early Childhood/Elementary Education | 3 |
| ECE special education field block courses (must be taken concurrently) 1 | ||
| ECE 428 | Intervention and Assessment for Children Birth through Age 3 | 3 |
| ECE 445 | Early Childhood Special Education Field Experience | 3 |
| Field II block courses (must be taken concurrently) 1, 2 | ||
| ECE 421 | Science Methods: Early Childhood/Elementary Education | 3 |
| ECE 422 | Mathematics Methods: Early Childhood/Elementary Education | 3 |
| ECE 426 | Intervention and Assessment for Children PreK through Grade 3 | 3 |
| ECE 455 | Field Experience II in Early Childhood Education: Birth-Kindergarten | 3 |
| Student teaching semester | ||
| Demonstrate content knowledge through benchmark assessment prior to student teaching 11 | ||
| EDS 492 | Student Teaching Seminar 2 | 1 |
| One of the following: 2 | 11 | |
| Student Teaching: Early Childhood Education (birth-grade 3) | ||
| Teaching Internship | ||
| Total Credits | 54 | |
- 11
Must complete all course requirements and benchmarks prior to student teaching. See SOE's benchmark assessments website for information about these assessments. For more information on student teaching, please see the Student Teaching and Internship Policy.
Additional teacher education requirements are listed on the School of Education catalog page.
All students must complete the general education, college core, major/minor, and university degree requirements to qualify for a degree. All enrolled students have access to a degree audit to track all of these requirements.
- Core general education requirements
- School of Education requirements
- Baccalaureate degree requirements
Baccalaureate degree requirements
Candidates for the Bachelor of Arts or the Bachelor of Science degrees must accomplish the following:
- Fulfill the Core General Education Requirements (CGER).
- Complete the courses prescribed by the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee for the degree desired in the respective school or college.
- Earn a minimum of 120 semester credits with at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA.1, 2
- At least 40 credits must be earned in 300/400 level courses. Transfer courses earned or transferred at the 300/400 level apply to this requirement.
- Complete major and minor requirements with at least a 2.00 GPA1, 2 in each major and minor (and concentration or emphasis, if selected).
- A minimum of 30 semester credits in residence at UWL is required for graduation. (See undergraduate resident requirement.)
- Submit an application for graduation via the "Submit Intent to Graduate" link in the WINGS Student Center as soon as the student has registered for his or her final semester or summer term in residence. December and winter intersession graduates should apply by May 1. May and summer graduates should apply by December 1.
- 1
Grade point average requirements for some programs will be considerably higher than 2.00. Re-entering students may be required to earn credits in excess of the 120 needed for graduation in any curriculum to replace credits earned in courses in which the content has changed substantially in recent years. Each case will be judged on its own merit.
- 2
The grade point average recorded at the time the degree is awarded will not be affected by future enrollment.
No degree will be awarded unless all requirements are fulfilled and recorded within 30 days after the official ending date of each term.
Below is a sample degree plan that can be used as a guide to identify courses required to fulfill the major and other requirements needed for degree completion. A student's actual degree plan may differ depending on the course of study selected (second major, minor, etc.). Also, this sample plan assumes readiness for each course and/or major plan, and some courses may not be offered every term. Review the course descriptions or the class timetable for course offering information.
The sample degree plans represented in this catalog are intended for first-year students entering UWL in the fall term. Students should use their degree audit and work closely with their advisor(s) and college dean's office to ensure declaration and completion of all requirements in a timely manner.
Core General Education Program
The Core General Education Requirement (CGER) is the common educational experience for all undergraduates at UWL. Sample degree plans include CGER placeholders to ensure completion of the core general education requirements. The CGER category listed in parentheses indicated the recommended course to help complete CGER and the program requirements. Transferred courses may alter the plan. Courses may be rearranged to fit the needs or recommendations of the student’s program of study. CGER courses may be taken during winter term (January between the semesters) and summer to reduce the course load during regular terms (fall and spring). Students should consult with their advisor and/or the college academic services director in their college/school for assistance with course and schedule planning. Refer to the Core General Education Requirements for more specific details.
At least 40 credits of the 120 credits required must be earned at the 300/400-level.
Note: New students and transfer students with less than 12 credits earned are required to take The Eagle Advantage for College Success (UWL 100, 2 cr.) or FYS 100 First-Year Seminar (3 cr.) during one of their first two semesters at UWL.
This sample degree plan does not establish a contractual agreement. It identifies the minimum requirements a student must successfully complete, to qualify for a degree, in a format intended to assist the student in planning their academic career. Actual degree plans may differ.
| Year 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ENG 110 (CGER CL-WL Communication & Literacy: Written Literacy) | 3 | CST 110 (CGER CL-SL Communication & Literacy: Spoken Literacy) | 3 |
| EDS 203 (CGER SBS-BS Social & Behavioral Science: Social & Behavioral Studies) | 3 | EDS 206 (CGER CP-CU Civics & Perspective: Communities of the United States) | 3 |
| GEO 200 (CGER NSW-MBP Natural Science & Wellness: Mind, Body, & Planet) | 3 | English Literature (see list CGER CL-SWT Communication & Literacy: Stories We Tell) | 3 |
| UWL 100 or FYS 100 (CGER SBS-FS Social & Behavioral Science: Social Foundation for Success) | 2 | Physical Science (CGER NSWL-ES Natural Science & Wellness: Experiential Science)1 | 4 |
| HIS 110 (CGER HA-PDU Humanities & Arts: Pasts that Define Us) | 3 | MTH 116 (CGER MQR-QR Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning: Quantitative Reasoning) | 2 |
| MTH 115 (CGER MQR-QR Mathematics & Quantitative Reasoning: Quantitative Reasoning) | 2 | ||
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Year 2 | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ECE 216 | 3 | EDS 311 | 3 |
| EDS 308 | 3 | EDS 318 | 3 |
| EDS 309 (CGER CP-CW Civics & Perspective: Cultures of Our World ) | 3 | ECE 330 | 3 |
| SPE 200 | 3 | ECE 335 | 3 |
| TSL 250 | 3 | ECE 342 | 3 |
| Apply for admission to School of Education3 | |||
| Apply for Field I4 | |||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Year 3 | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ECE 413 | 3 | ECE 426 | 3 |
| ECE 415 | 3 | ECE 428 | 3 |
| ECE 418 | 3 | ECE 445 | 3 |
| ECE 424 | 3 | ECE 435 | 3 |
| SPE 300 | 3 | CGER HA-AA | 3 |
| Apply for SPE Field or Field Experience II4 | Apply for Field Experience II or SPE Field4 | ||
| Apply for Student Teaching5 | |||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Year 4 | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ECE 316 | 3 | All course requirements and other benchmarks must be completed prior to student teaching.6 | |
| ECE 421 | 3 | EDS 492 | 1 |
| ECE 422 | 3 | EDS 490 | 11 |
| ECE 455 | 3 | ||
| ECE 460 | 3 | ||
| University Elective | 2 | ||
| 17 | 12 | ||
| Total Credits: 120 | |||
- 1
PHY 106 Physical Science for Educators (4 cr.) is recommended.
- 2
PH 207 Youth Health Issues (3 cr.) is recommended.
- 3
See the SOE admissions website for complete admission and application details. Students are required to complete a criminal background check at the time of application for admission.
- 4
Students applying for field and student teaching placements will be asked to disclose any criminal charges.
- 5
Students must apply for student teaching through the Office of Field Experience one year prior to the student teaching semester.
- 6
For more information, please see the Student Teaching and Internships Policy.