The Elementary Education credential program is a one year course of study that begins in the fall each year. Students can obtain a Multiple Subjects Preliminary Credential by taking a 44-unit professional education program to qualify for teaching positions in grades K-8.
Holders of a preliminary credential are eligible to complete requirements for a professional clear credential within five years through an Induction Program.
Program Admission Requirements
The credential program application and admission requirements are available at the Education & Credentialing Office (HGH 202) or on the Credential Program Requirements webpage. Orientation sessions that explain the application process are offered each fall, beginning in late September.
Program Requirements
Credential requirements are subject to change due to action by the state legislature, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, or the CSU Office of the Chancellor. The elementary education coordinator has the most current information on changes and how they affect student programs.
Elementary education preliminary-credential courses and field experiences ensure that all candidates completing the program will have been introduced to concepts and strategies for working effectively with English language learners. The program implements the edTPA for the state-mandated teacher performance assessment that candidates must pass to be recommended for a credential.
Preliminary credential courses are sequential, beginning in the fall semester. Candidates observe/participate at their field sites full time on the opening day of school. For the first eight weeks, they have courses three afternoons and evenings per week (Tuesday-Thursday and all day Friday) and participate at their field site a minimum of 16 hours per week. The last seven weeks of the semester, candidates student-teach full time and complete a minimum of five days’ solo teaching.
The spring semester follows a similar pattern: intersession (first week of January) full-time observation/participation in the second fieldwork placement; seven weeks of coursework (Tuesday-Thursday and all day Friday) with a minimum of 16 hours per week in the placement; and 13 weeks of full-time student teaching, culminating in a two-week (minimum) solo.
One of the fieldwork placements, either fall or spring, will be in primary grades (TK-3); the other placement will be in upper elementary grades (4-8). Candidates enroll in the following courses.
Candidates must maintain a 3.00 GPA (B average) in preliminary credential coursework to remain in the program. To be recommended for a credential, candidates must earn a C- or better in all preliminary credential courses. For additional information, please read the Elementary Education Handbook, available online.