Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education - Elementary Education

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122 Credits

This degree option integrates the preparation for the Preliminary Multiple Subject Teaching Credential.

Maximum 60 approved transfer credits

Licensure Disclosure: For information on where Pacific Oaks College’s meets, does not meet, or has not determined if the program meets licensure eligibility requirements for the state in which you wish to be licensed, please visit: https://www.pacificoaks.edu/admissions/admissions-requirements/licensure/

Locations

Pasadena, Online

Program Overview

The bachelor’s degree program in Early Childhood Education - Elementary Education integrates the preparation for the Preliminary Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and provides students with a fundamental knowledge base for educating and developing learning environments for young children from TK through eighth grade in self-contained classrooms. Candidates in this program may transfer in up to 60 approved credits.

The curriculum is based on a constructivist framework that is responsive to multiple sources of diversity in early childhood education. As actively engaged participants, candidates in this program learn about essential principles and theories of pedagogy and child development and engage in supervised learning experiences to integrate and apply their knowledge. Learning experiences throughout the curriculum are characterized by inquiry, self-reflection, collaboration with others, and problem-solving. Acknowledging multiple influences on child development and learning, the program emphasizes the importance of developing respectful and reciprocal relationships to create supportive and challenging learning environments. Coursework focuses on strategies of inclusion, issues of equity, social justice, and cultural competence.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Define early childhood national trends and recall theories and research-based educational and administrative practices in education and educational leadership.
2. Conduct observations for typically and atypically developing children in an early childhood setting. Utilize various assessments tools and inquiry strategies to assess potential cultural bias and stereotypes.
3. Generate, implement and evaluate educational curriculums for the cognitive, social, and emotional needs of students in an early childhood environment.
4. Design and implement outcome-based learning experiences using action research for the teaching and learning of students in an early childhood classroom.
5. Apply critical thinking and creative processes through an ethical and professional decision-making working with children, families, communities and educational leadership in the early childhood field.
6. Examine and demonstrate research-based practices through the use of technology, instructional strategies, and standards-aligned curriculum to construct comprehensible subject-matter content for the teaching and learning of our diverse student populations.
7. Identify, formulate, and apply formative and summative assessments to monitor and assess the learning of students through direct and indirect evidence.
8. Examine and integrate a culturally responsive pedagogy through best practices for the connecting, engaging and supporting of students’ cognitive, emotional, social, and physical aspect for the sustainment of educational equity with our diverse student populations.
9. Design curricula and plan instruction through the immersion of a culture-centered learning framework utilizing the students’ background knowledge to teach, adapt, and support the teaching and learning of all student learners.
10. Demonstrate the use of effective strategies to create and maintaining effective environments to connect meaningful subject-matter and promote students’ life experiences for teaching and learning of diverse student populations. 
11. Reflect and articulate through effective communication, collaboration, and engagement with parents/caregivers, teachers, administrators, and community members for the continued development as a professional educator.

Program-Specific Admission Requirements

Application Requirements and Standards:

Admission to the B.A. program is open to any person who meets entrance requirements as outlined below. Applicants will be judged on their overall ability to successfully complete an undergraduate degree program. Generally, a high school cumulative GPA of a 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale is required for admission. However, applicants with a cumulative high school GPA below 2.0 will be considered for admission with the submission of additional required documents (see below). Applicants with college level studies will be expected to demonstrate an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher upon admissions. Candidates must pass all credential coursework with a C or better and maintain a minimum 3.0 grade point average. It is required that transcripts are submitted from all undergraduate schools where credit was received to support the application and request for transfer credit. (See Undergraduate Transfer Credit Policy).

Factors and materials to be considered for admission will include:  

• Completed application and $55 application fee  
• Applicants must provide proof of the qualifying conferral of high school graduation (or the equivalent) or proof of successful completion of a minimum of 24 semester credits at a regionally accredited post-secondary institution. Proof of qualifying academic history must be provided in one of the following ways:  
  • Official high school transcript recognized by the U.S. Department of Education showing an earned high school diploma, 2.0 GPA or higher, and date of graduation. A copy of a high school diploma, if transcripts are not immediately available, can be submitted with a contingency that original transcripts will be on file prior to day 5 of the term/semester of entry. Financial aid will not be disbursed until the compliant documentation is received.  
  • Official college transcript with 24 credits of transferable credits with a grade of C or better.
  • Official Associate degree transcript from an Institutionally accredited institution showing degree earned and date conferred  
  • Official college transcript from an Institutionally accredited institution that contains the high school name and date of graduation  
  • Official NACES, ACREVS or AICE evaluation of an international diploma that contains the high school name and date of graduation. For additional options for evaluations of international transcripts, please contact POinternational@pacificoaks.edu
  • High school equivalency completed through home schooling as defined by state law  
  • Official General Educational Development (GED) document. A copy of the student’s GED Certificate, or unofficial GED score issued by the state, can be submitted with a contingency that the Official GED document will be on file prior to day 5 of the term/semester of entry. Financial aid will not be disbursed until the compliant documentation is received.  
  • Official Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) document  
  • Official High School Equivalency Test (HiSET) document  
  • Official documentation showing a passing score on a state-authorized exam that the state recognizes as equivalent to high school graduation  

• Applicants must submit a resume showing three or more years of significant professional or life experience or an official transcript confirming 24 transferrable credits from an Instituionally accredited university.
• Personal statement

Applicants with a cumulative high school or undergraduate GPA below 2.0, or with less than 24 transferrable college credits and/or those without three years of significant professional or life experience, are required to submit additional documentation:  

• One letter of support from someone (a non-relative) familiar with your ability to be successful in this program

• An additional essay three pages, double spaced typed (approximately 500-750 words). In your essay, please answer the following question:  
  • What life and professional experience do you possess that would enable you to be successful in the Pacific Oaks classroom focused on application of experience to course content.  
  • Why it is important to you to study this discipline at a school that emphasizes social justice, cultural humility and respect for every individual (refer to the Mission and Vision statement of Pacific Oaks College).  

• Interview with a member of the Admissions Committee
• Demonstrated commitment to the mission and values of Pacific Oaks College
• Successfully meet the Basic Skills Requirement (e.g., California Basic Education Skills Test or CBEST)*

* Students whose admissions files are incomplete (e.g., exam registrations, missing test scores, transcripts, etc.) may be provisionally admitted and must take steps to ensure that their files are completed within one  term. The time limit may be extended with the approval of the Dean.

Subject matter proficiency may be demonstrated through one of the following options:

• Passing subject matter examinations (Subtests I, II, III) on the CSET (California Subject Examinations for Teachers).
• Completion of Subject Matter Review (i.e. Degree completion in the approved academic subject areas, Completion of a combination of coursework and examination(s) that meets or exceeds the subject matter domains).
• Successful completion of coursework at one or more regionally accredited institutions of higher education that address each of the domains of the subject matter requirements.
• Show proof of CSET Registration with test dates.

*   For students transferring 40 or more credits at point of admissions

Please note: Prior coursework will be evaluated as part of the Admissions process.

Graduation Requirements

Students are required to submit the Petition for Degree Completion and fee to the Office of the Registrar the semester before they anticipate completing their degree requirements. Students must submit the application, settle all outstanding fees with the Student Finance Office, satisfy any deficiencies, and be in good standing in their program for the bachelor’s degree to be awarded. Degree will be conferred upon successful completion of academic coursework. Recommendation for credential will be submitted to CTC upon completion of all credential requirements.

Note: A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above is required for the credential coursework.

Number of Admit Terms per Year:

(Credential coursework is offered online only)

Online (2)

• Fall Session I
• Spring Session I

*Dependent upon enrollment

Credential Program Admissions Process

In addition to the Admission requirements listed in the Admissions sections of this catalog, applicants to all of Pacific Oaks’ Credential programs must comply with the following Admissions procedures by the end of the first semester of enrollment in order to be fully admitted to the program and able to register for subsequent classes:

• Candidates must obtain and submit verification of a Certificate of Clearance, or hold a valid CTC-issued permit or Credential. The Certificate of Clearance is a document that verifies the candidate has completed the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing fingerprint, character, and identification process. Candidates are required to obtain a Certificate of Clearance or other CTC-issued permit prior to scheduling any coursework with a field experience component and/or prior to clinical practice.
• Candidates are also required to submit a negative TB test (skin tests are valid for four years) prior to scheduling any coursework with a practicum observation component and/or prior to clinical practice/student teaching.
• Candidates who have coursework from other colleges/universities that may meet coursework requirements at Pacific Oaks should contact their faculty advisor for transcript review and approval by the Dean of the School of Education.
• Candidates with international degrees who do not hold a U.S.-approved bachelor’s degree or higher except in professional education must receive an evaluation from a CTC-approved international evaluation agency before being admitted to the College and starting the first course.

Program Requirements

A minimum of 122 semester credits is required to earn the Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education - Elementary Education. Applicants can have 62 credits of approved course work towards the 122 semester credits required to complete this B.A. degree. It is expected that students will fulfill a minimum of 40 credits through courses offered at Pacific Oaks College. Degree will be conferred upon successful completion of academic coursework. Recommendation for credential will be submitted to CTC upon completion of all credential requirements.

Candidates in this program will complete all Signature Assignments from each course in Task Stream. The portfolio is comprised of signature assignments and other assignments completed and or collected by the candidate throughout their credential program coursework.

Prior to registering for classes, it is recommended that students meet with their Faculty Advisor to identify the appropriate classes to take and to review their progress towards degree completion.

All ground courses are considered Blended as each has an online component (Canvas and a designated platform Portfolium).

Portfolio

Candidates in Credential programs will complete an electronic portfolio on a designated platform Portfolium. The portfolio is comprised of signature assignments and other assignments completed by the candidate throughout their program coursework. Satisfactory evaluation of the portfolio is required in order for degree conferral. A bachelor’s degree is a requirement for the Preliminary Multiple Subject Teaching Credential.

Program Advising

Every student has an assigned faculty advisor who is available to provide program specific advisement related to a specific program field. These advisors are a resource for specific questions candidates may have about classes and curriculum.

Every student has access to the Credential Analyst to help navigate the specifics of the state credentialing requirements. These requirements can vary and are in constant flux due to changing legislation and the dynamic nature of public Education. It is very important for candidates to work closely with the Credential Analyst to understand and educate themselves on the specifics of their particular credentialing requirements.