Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education - Elementary Education

Return to: Academic Programs Offered at Pacific Oaks College

Locations: Pasadena, Online 

Total Credit Hours Required: 122 

Maximum Allowable Transfer Credits: 60 

Program Admissions Requirements: Program-specific admissions requirements can be found here: Admissions Policies 

Tuition and Fees: Tuition and fees for the College and individual programs can be found here: Financial Aid and Student Accounts Policies 

Number of Admit Terms per Year:

(Credential coursework is offered online only) 

Online (2) 

• Fall Session I 
• Spring Session I 

*Dependent upon enrollment 

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Arts degree program in Early Childhood Education - Elementary Education includes 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. 

The program’s 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.

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

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. Employ 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 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 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 maintain 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 Requirements

Credit Requirements

General Education: 40 credits 
Early Childhood Education: 55 credits 
Concentration: 12 credits 
General Elective: 15 credits 
Total: 122 credits 

This is a year-round program, including enrollment in summer. On-ground attendance includes fall and spring 16-week semesters and a 12-week summer semester. Online attendance includes two 8-week terms in fall and spring, and two 6-week terms in summer. A full-time student entering with no transfer credits and successfully completing 12 credits per semester would have a time- to- completion of ten semesters, which is equivalent to 3- 1/3 years, or 40 months. 

Students must complete a minimum of 40 credits through courses offered at Pacific Oaks College. Recommendation for credential will be submitted to CTC upon completion of all credential requirements. 

All on-ground courses are considered Blended as each course has an online component. 

Graduation Requirements

Students must submit the Petition for Degree Completion and fee to the Office of the Registrar during the semester before they anticipate completing their degree requirements. Students must also settle all outstanding fees with the Student Accounts Office, satisfy any deficiencies, and be in good standing in their program for the bachelor’s degree to be awarded. Recommendation for credential will be submitted to CTC upon completion of all credential requirements. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above is required for the credential coursework.

Portfolio

Candidates in credential programs will complete an electronic portfolio in the designated portfolio platform. 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 for degree conferral. A bachelor’s degree is a requirement for the Preliminary Multiple Subject Teaching Credential.

Program Advising

Each student will be assigned a faculty advisor to provide program-specific guidance. These advisors are a resource for specific questions that students may have about classes and curriculum.

Students should meet with the Credential Analyst for help with navigating the specifics of 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 important for candidates to work closely with the Credential Analyst to understand and educate themselves on the specifics of their credentialing requirements.

Graduation Requirements 

Students must 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 also settle all outstanding fees with the Student Accounts Office, satisfy any deficiencies, and be in good standing in their program for the bachelor’s degree to be awarded. Recommendation for credential will be submitted to CTC upon completion of all credential requirements. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above is required for credential coursework.   

Fieldwork and Clinical Practice 

Fieldwork consists of practicum observation and supervised clinical practice/student teaching. A negative TB test and Certificate of Clearance or other CTC-issued permit are requirements for both experiences. Credential candidates must complete 75 hours of practicum prior to student teaching. These hours are distributed in five- to fifteen-hour increments across seven core credential courses. 

Student teaching is the culminating clinical practice experience and is undertaken during a candidate’s final semester. Student teaching is full-time, typically unpaid, and performed under the guidance of a seasoned mentor teacher. The Credential Office coordinates all student teaching placements and mentor teacher assignments in conjunction with districts and/or school sites. The following prerequisites must be met by March 1 for fall semester placement or October 1 for spring semester placement: 

• Receive faculty advisor approval to student teach; 
• Obtain a valid Certificate of Clearance or any other California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC)-issued permit; 
• Obtain a valid negative TB Test; 
• Demonstrate subject-matter competence with passing CSET: Multiple Subjects scores (Subtest I, II, III); 
• Maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in credential coursework; 
• Submit a Student Teaching Application by the appropriate deadline; and 
• Complete a Student Teaching Interview. 

The above requirements will be verified by the Credential Office prior to approving a candidate’s Student Teaching application. Once a candidate’s placement is confirmed, the candidate and mentor teacher will be required to attend a mandatory Student Teaching Orientation. 

Recommendation for a Preliminary Teaching California Credential 

Students must have the following credential items completed and on file with the Credential Office in order to be recommended to the State of California for a Preliminary Teaching Credential: 

• Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited institution with an official transcript on file; 
• Certificate of Clearance or any other valid California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC)‐issued permit; 
• A valid negative TB test; 
• Completion of U.S. Constitution requirement; 
• Passing CSET: Multiple Subjects scores; 
• Passing scores for CalTPA Instructional Cycle 1: Learning About Students and Planning Instruction and CalTPA Instructional Cycle 2: Assessment-Driven Instruction; 
• Certification of infant, child, and adult CPR training; and 
• Passing RICA scores. 

All credential items must be valid at the time of credential recommendation. 

At the end of the student teaching semester, the teacher candidate’s faculty advisor and the Credential Analyst will evaluate the candidate’s degree and credential requirements. If all requirements have been met, the Credential Analyst will recommend the candidate to the CTC for their credential. If there are outstanding credential requirements that have not been met, the Credential Analyst will notify the teacher candidate. Upon credential recommendation, the CTC will send the teacher candidate an email prompting payment. Payments are made directly to the CTC. Teacher candidates cannot receive their credential until they have paid for it on the CTC website. Once completed, candidates will be in the CTC database and listed publicly as a preliminary credential holder. All initial California teaching credentials are known as “preliminary.” Candidates have five years to clear their credential. Some school districts will provide support, but it is the candidate’s responsibility to fulfill the requirements to clear their credential within the allotted time. 

Teaching Performance Assessments Assessment (CalTPAs) 

The California Teaching Performance Assessment (CalTPA) is one of several assessments required for earning a Preliminary Multiple or Single Subject Teaching Credential, and is designed to measure a candidate’s knowledge, skills, and ability in relation to the TPEs. As of July 1, 2008, all candidates in a Commission-approved multiple and single subject teacher preparation program must meet the TPA requirement. 

In Fall 2018, California implemented a revised Teaching Performance Assessment model that meets the revised Teaching Performance Expectations (TPE) adopted in June 2016. Per the CTC, any candidate starting a program after July 1, 2018, is required to take the revised CalTPA. 

The revised CalTPA is structured around two instructional cycles based on the pedagogical sequence of plan, teach, and assess, reflect, and apply. Candidates are expected to respond to the instructional cycles within the context of their teaching assignments; therefore, both TPA cycles must be completed during student teaching. 

Student Assistance, Notice of Need to Improve, and Dismissal from Education Programs 

Pacific Oaks is committed to maintaining quality standards throughout its Credential programs and to graduating competent professional educators. As required by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), Pacific Oaks identifies and assists candidates who need special assistance and retains in its programs only those candidates who are suited for entry to or advancement in the Education profession. The CTC is charged by the state with evaluating the moral character and fitness of all persons who wish to teach or perform certified services in California public schools. Every person who is an applicant for, or who now holds any credential, certificate, permit, or license authorizing service in California public schools is answerable to the CTC and the Committee on Credentials for their fitness-related conduct. California’s Laws and Rules Pertaining to the Discipline of Professional Certificated Personnel (2002), available on the CTC website at www.ctc.ca.gov, address legal, ethical, and behavioral Standards to which all such persons must adhere. 

If a candidate is identified as being deficient or needing assistance to meet program standards at any point during their program, the candidate’s instructor of record during coursework or fieldwork supervisor during a fieldwork assignment will issue the candidate a Need for Improvement Plan. The plan will indicate one of the following possible actions that the instructor/supervisor intends to recommend to the lead faculty in the program: 

• The candidate is identified as needing improvement in designated areas. A plan of improvement, with an expected date of completion, is attached to the form. The candidate will be permitted to continue taking classes or continue in their fieldwork assignment while completing the plan. 
• The candidate is identified as needing improvement in designated areas. A plan of improvement, with an expected date of completion, is attached to the form. 
• The candidate receives a failing grade in the class or an unsatisfactory grade in the fieldwork assignment. The candidate will not be permitted to continue taking classes or continue in their fieldwork assignment until the plan is completed and the class or fieldwork assignment is re-taken, at the candidate’s expense. 
• The candidate is identified as being unsuited for the Education profession and is recommended for dismissal from the program. 
• Upon receiving a Candidate Assistance Plan, the candidate will meet with their instructor of record, fieldwork supervisor, and/or other faculty or administration. This Candidate Assistance Team will discuss any recommended plan of improvement with the candidate and will later meet with the candidate to evaluate the candidate’s performance of the expectations listed on the plan. 

If the candidate is allowed to continue in the program and receives a second unsatisfactory grade in a practicum or student teaching assignment, the candidate will be recommended for dismissal from the program. The process for a hearing and appeal upon recommendation for dismissal from a program is outlined in the Policies and Procedures section of this catalog. 

Student Agreement 

To ensure that graduates of Pacific Oaks’ teacher credentialing programs can meet the legal requirements of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), all applicants for Admission to Credential programs must enter into a student agreement. 

The student agreement gives Pacific Oaks the right to suspend or terminate the candidate’s participation in the Credential program upon showing that the candidate has: 

• Committed acts or engaged in conduct that could constitute Grounds for denial of a Credential; 
• Failed to demonstrate the requisite skills and qualifications to satisfy the requirements for a Credential; 

or 

• Demonstrated other qualities or behaviors enumerated in the student agreement that are inconsistent with Pacific Oaks’ recommendation of the candidate for an Education Credential. The student agreement also authorizes Pacific Oaks to release to the Commission all pertinent information pertaining to the candidate’s qualification or fitness for a Credential.