Early Childhood Inclusive Bachelor of Arts in Education
- Program: Early Childhood Inclusive
- Credit Hours: 120 Credit Hours
- Prerequisites: General Undergraduate admission requirements.
Early Childhood Inclusive Initial Certification
- Program: Early Childhood Inclusive
- Credit Hours: 77-80 Credit Hours
- Prerequisites: A completed Bachelor’s Degree in any discipline is required. General Graduate admission requirements.
Early Childhood Inclusive Additional Endorsement
- Program: Early Childhood Inclusive
- Credit Hours: 53-56 Credit Hours
- Prerequisites: A completed Bachelor’s Degree and a Teaching Certificate in any discipline is required. General Graduate admission requirements.
Professional Sequence (For BA & Initial Certification Students only)
TE 100 - Teaching in a Democratic Society
TE 204 - Typical and Atypical Growth & Development
TE 206 - Instructional Technology & the Pre-Service Teacher
TE 318 - Management/Assessment in Preschool/Elementary Classrooms
TE 411 - Inclusive Practices for Students with Exceptionalities in PreK8 Classrooms
TE 400 - Student Teaching (12 credit hours)
TE 816A - Practicum (Taken in lieu of TE 400 Student Teaching for Additional Endorsement Students only)
Program Specific Courses
TE 311 - Math Methods I
TE 313 - Field Experience: Math
TE 314 - Phonics and Word Study
TE 315 - Literacy Assessment
TE 316 - Primary Grades Literacy
TE 317 - Field Experience: Literacy
TE 349 - Support Young Child/Family
TE 341 - Foundations of Early Childhood Education
TE 342 - Literacy Methods for the Preschool Teacher
TE 343 - Methods of Inclusive Educating: Birth to Age 3
TE 343L - Field Experience: Early Childhood Inclusive
TE 344 - Methods of Inclusive Education: Ages 3-5
TE 344L - Field Experience: Early Childhood Inclusive
TE 346 - ChildCare Administration
TE 348 - Math, Science and Social Studies for Children 0-8
MATH 104 - Concepts in Mathematics and Statistics or MATH 102 College Algebra
MATH 230 - Math for Elementary Teachers I
MUS 404 - Early Childhood Music and Movement
PE 247 - Nutrition, Health and Safety for Young Children
TESE 333 - Young Child Special Needs
TESE 334 - Assess/Intervention
TESE 334L - Field:Assess/Intervention
Pick one of the following specializations:
Specialization Birth - K
FSID 302 - Parent Education
TE 336 - Methods for Preschool and Kindergarten Classrooms
TE 338 - Infant and Toddler Mental Health
TE 339 - Infant and Toddler Curriculum
TE 347 - Literacy Methods 0 - 3
Specialization Age 3 - Grade 3
Math 330 - Math for Elementary Teachers II
TE 312 - Math Methods II
TE 313 - Field Experience: Math
TE 335 - Inclusive Methods K-3
TE 335L - Field Experience: Inclusive Methods K-3
TE 336 - Methods for Preschool and Kindergarten Classrooms
Courses are rotated regularly and by demand. Full course descriptions are listed in the UNK undergraduate catalog.
Transfer Students: If you would like to see what will transfer in for Early Childhood Inclusive Program, please follow this link.
TE 100 (Teaching in a Democratic Society) - 3 hours; Prerequisite: None - Online Fall
- 4 School Visits - Online students are responsible for their own school selections for the 4 visits.
- Service Learning Project - Minimum of 15 hours community service project dedicated to helping meet a community need.
- Students will be required to complete a OneSource Background Check, cost $27.82 (subject to change). Instructions will be emailed to you from the Teacher Education staff.
- Taskstream will be required. The fee varies depending on how many semesters you purchase. See the following website for more information: https://www.taskstream.com/pub/
TE 204 (Typical/Atypical Growth and Development) - 4 hours; Prerequisite: Sophomore Standing or above - Online Spring
- Students will be required to take the PRAXIS CORE exam as part of the class
- 5 School Visits of 2 hours each - Online students are responsible for their own school selections for the 5 visits
- These visits must take place at a school with a certified teacher (not with an in-home provider or with Head Start).
- These visits must take place outside of the school building in which you are employed.
- Students may be required to complete a OneSource Background Check, cost $27.82 (subject to change). A notification will be emailed to you from the Teacher Education staff if any background check is required.
- Taskstream will be required. The fee varies depending on how many semesters you purchase. See the following website for more information: https://www.taskstream.com/pub/
TE 311/313 (Math Methods I with Field Experience) - 2.5 hours; Prerequisite: TE 204; Co-requisite: MATH 230 - Online Summer
- TE 313 (Field Experience: Math) - Total of 20 clock hours. Students will implement math activities and assessment procedures with individual students, which the TE 313 candidate identifies. The two individual students may not be a relative of the candidate.
TE 312/313 (Math Methods II with Field Experience) - 2.5 hours; Prerequisite: TE 311/313 and Admission to Teacher Education; Co-requisite: MATH 330 - Online Spring
- TE 313 (Field Experience: Math) - Students will develop and implement math activities, lesson plans, and assessment procedures with small groups and the entire class in one elementary classroom setting for up to 30 clock hours.
TE 314, 315, 316, 317 (Primary Literacy Block) - 7 hours; Prerequisite: TE 318 and Admission to Teacher Education - Online Fall
- TE 317 (Field Experience: Literacy) - Students will be assigned to work with an experienced teacher in an elementary school (Kindergarten-Third Grades) with a highly diverse student population. Students should expect to spend (8) full days spread over (8) weeks in this classroom. Students may have to travel to schools that meet the diversity requirement. Reading Mastery cannot be the adopted reading curriculum and no family members can be associated with the building. Students cannot complete this field experience in their place of employment. Students will develop and implement primary literacy lesson plans and assessment procedures.
- If your Field Experience placement is outside of Nebraska, contact the instructor of TE 317 as soon as you register. The instructor of your course will be listed in MyBlue.
- Students must take all 4 classes together in the same semester and have previously completed the course pre-requisites.
- Taskstream will be required. The fee varies depending on how many semesters you purchase. See the following website for more information: https://www.taskstream.com/pub/
TE 343/343L (Inclusive Methods 0-3) - 3.5 hours; Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education - Online Spring and Fall
- TE 343L (Field Experience B-3) - Students will be expected to complete 30 hours in an approved Infant-Toddler Program. Students are expected to complete the field experience by scheduling 3-4 consecutive hours once a week for 8-10 weeks. Students will work with their instructor to identify an early childhood inclusive environment that will meet the course requirements. For students who currently work in an EC program the instructor MAY allow students to utilize their work environment/agency for either TE 343L or 344L but not for both, however this is at the instructors discretion.
- Students may be required to complete a OneSource Background Check, DHHS Central Registry, and/or Fingerprinting. A notification will be emailed to you from the Teacher Education staff if any background check(s) are required.
TE 344/344L (Inclusive Methods 3-5) - 3.5 hours; Prerequisite: Admission to Teacher Education - Online Spring and Fall
- TE 344L (Field Experience 3-5) - Students will be expected to complete 30 hours in an approved Preschool Program. Students are expected to complete the field experience by scheduling 3-4 consecutive hours once a week for 8-10 weeks. Students will work with their instructor to identify an early childhood inclusive environment that will meet the course requirements. For students who currently work in an EC program the instructor MAY allow students to utilize there work environment/agency for either TE 343L or 344L but not for both, however this is at the instructors discretion.
- Students may be required to complete a OneSource Background Check, DHHS Central Registry, and/or Fingerprinting. A notification will be emailed to you from the Teacher Education staff if any background check(s) are required.
- Taskstream will be required. The fee varies depending on how many semesters you purchase. See the following website for more information: https://www.taskstream.com/pub/
TE 335/335L (Inclusive Methods K-3) - 3.5 hours; Prerequisite: TESE 333, TE 334/334L, and Admission to Teacher Education - Online Fall
- TE 335L (Field Experience K-3) - Students will be expected to complete 30 hours in an approved K-3 Elementary Program. Students are expected to complete the field experience by scheduling 3-4 consecutive hours once a week for 8-10 weeks. Students will be work with their instructor to identify an early childhood inclusive environment that will meet the course requirements.
TESE 334/334L (Assessment/Intervention) - 3.5 hours; Prerequisite: TESE 333 - Online Spring
- TESE 334L (Field Experience 0-5) - Students will be expected to complete 30 hours in an approved infant-toddler or preschool program. Students are expected to complete the field experience by scheduling 3-5 consecutive hours once a week for 6-10 weeks. Students will need to work with a student who has a verified disability and one who needs behavioral guidance. Students will work with their instructor to identify an early childhood inclusive environment that will meet the course requirements. For students who currently work in an EC program with the appropriate age group, the instructor may allow students to utilize their work environment/agency.
- Students may be required to complete a OneSource Background Check, DHHS Central Registry, and/or Fingerprinting. A notification will be emailed to you from the Teacher Education staff if any background check(s) are required.
TE 400 (Student Teaching) - 12-14 hours - Online Spring and Fall
- PRAXIS II exam should be taken and passed by the end of the Student Teaching semester before the teaching certificate can be awarded.
- Must complete a background check for the required class visits. Go to www.onesourcebackground.com; go to Quick Links at lower right, choose Student Login, select UNK, select UNK College of Education - Student Teaching. Pay the $26.75 (subject to change) background check fee; payment will be made to the vendor.
- Taskstream will be required. The fee varies depending on how many semesters you purchase. See the following website for more information: https://www.taskstream.com/pub/
NOTE: Students will be required to complete at least (30) clock hours with each age group across the entire developmental period of early childhood (infants and toddlers, preschool-kindergarten, and the primary grades 1-3) under a variety of settings that offer early childhood education such as child care centers and homes, Head Start programs, public or private centers, or community agencies and schools. For more information, see the Early Childhood Inclusive requirements listed in RULE 24 by the Nebraska Department of Education.
NOTE: For further information about class and field experience requirements, please refer to the “Field Experience Handbook”. You can download the handbook for free as an iBook on iTunes or it is available on the Early Childhood Inclusive Online Program web page.
1. Your first step is to fill out the Request Unofficial ECI Transcript Review form. To initiate the review, you must also email unofficial copies of your transcripts from all previous colleges you have attended to Staci Jacobson.
2. You will need to apply to UNK through the Undergraduate Admissions Office (Bachelors) or through the Graduate Admissions Office (Initial Certification or Additional Endorsement). Send your official transcripts from every institution that you have attended to the following addresses (High School transcripts are needed for Undergraduates only):
For Bachelors:
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Memorial Student Affairs Building
2504 9th Avenue
Kearney, NE 68849
308-865-8526
For Initial Certification or Additional Endorsement:
Office of Graduate Admissions
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Warner Hall, Room 2131
Kearney, NE 68849
800-717-7881
gradstudies@unk.edu
3. After you have confirmed your admission with the Undergraduate or Graduate Admissions, contact our online program adviser or Dr. Dawn Mollenkopf for campus program advising.
The Early Childhood Inclusive program contains field experiences (time spent observing and/or teaching in early childhood programs and primary grade school settings). The field experiences component of earning a teaching endorsement at UNK includes:
- The state of Nebraska requires a minimum of 100 clock hours of pre‐student teaching field experience. The Early Childhood Inclusive program requires significantly more clock hours. In most cases, individuals taking field based courses must be available during regular school hours (8 AM – 3 PM) for selected field days and times as required by each class.
- A student teaching (TE 400) experience. (Bachelor and Initial Certification Students Only) Student teaching is an all‐day (8AM‐4PM)/all‐semester (16 weeks) experience in a Birth-3rd placement, which is often in a school setting. The vast majority of student teaching placements happen between the months of August and May. If you are currently employed in a school setting, arrangements will need to be made because the state does not allow students to be paid while they student teach. Student teaching will be completed in the last http://www.unk.edu/academics/ecu/student_information.phpsemester of the program.
- A practicum (TE 816a) experience. (Additional Endorsement Students Only) Practicum is an all‐day (8AM‐4PM)/partial-semester (7 weeks) experience in a Birth-3rd placement, which is often in a school setting. The vast majority of student teaching placements happen between the months of August and May. If you are already teaching in a Birth-3rd classroom, the practicum can be completed in your current classroom. The practicum will be completed in the last semester of the program.
The Nebraska Department of Education requires all teachers to pass two tests prior to receiving a Nebraska teaching certificate. The tests are as follows:
- Praxis Core (PPST prior to September 1, 2014) - a basic skills test (reading, writing, and math) taken at the beginning of your program. We strongly recommend that you make passing the PRAXIS Core exam a priority early in your program. (This test is not required for those students who are adding an ECI endorsement to a certificate.
- Subject Assessments (formerly PRAXIS II) - a content test taken at the end of an endorsement program just before student teaching or practicum. Students will take the Subject Assessment test (5024) “Education of Young Children”. The Early Childhood Inclusive Subject Assessment test must be passed before the state of Nebraska will issue the teaching certificate.
- We recommend that you carefully review the exam information located on the Praxis website, including test preparation materials, before you enroll for the exam. The current cost of the Praxis Core test is $150 for all three sections taken combined: reading, writing, and math.
- For more information on test-prep options and materials, please visit the Educator Certification Office webpage.
For detailed student teaching information, please follow this link.
Student Teaching Reminders
Application forms are due to the Educator Certification Office in the College of Education by the first Tuesday of February for Fall placements and the first Tuesday in September for Spring placements. Other prerequisites to student teaching that must have been successfully addressed are:
- Admittance to Teacher Education
- An overall UNK grade point average of 2.75 or higher (2.5 for students who started prior to 2013-2014 catalog)
- A grade of "C" or higher in all TE courses
- Satisfactory performance on the Individual Lesson Plan Case Study Common Assessment
- Satisfactory performance in all pre-student teaching (school-based activity) field experiences and an assessment of teaching dispositions
- If you will be receiving a Bachelor Degree or Initial Certification, you do not have to attend a pre-student teaching workshop. However, you will be required by the Educator Certification Office to attend a student teaching seminar on campus in January for those student teaching in the spring or in September for those student teaching in the fall.
- No late student teaching applications will be accepted. It is very important your materials are in the Educator Certification Office by the deadline or your student teaching will be postponed a semester.
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