Elementary Teacher Licensure

(a minimum 120 credit hours) Requirements are subject to change.

The goal of the Education Department is to prepare undergraduate students for teacher licensure in one of the following areas: early childhood (PreK–2); elementary (1–6); or secondary (5–8 and/or 8–12) in biology, English, history, or mathematics. Additional teacher licensure programs offered by the College include health/family and consumer sciences (all grades), physical education (PreK–8 and/or 5–12), and visual arts (PreK–8 and/or 5–12). Students seeking teacher licensure should begin their program upon their admission to the College, but in order to be considered teacher candidates and to complete the professional preparation requirements, they must apply for official admission to the teacher preparation program and be accepted. Application to the teacher preparation program typically occurs prior to the junior year. More information about requirements for admittance to the teacher preparation program can be found below.

To comply with Massachusetts Department of Education regulations, students seeking elementary licensure must earn a bachelor’s degree that includes an arts and sciences major, at least 36 hours of upper and lower-level arts and sciences coursework covering specific content, additional coursework to meet the subject matter knowledge requirements, and coursework to meet the professional standards for all teachers.

In order to facilitate completion of the elementary licensure program, it is recommended that students major in one of the following:

More information on requirements for those majors can be found in the major specific sections. Professional courses required for licensure are listed below and will ensure successful completion of the Education major.. Elementary licensure students are advised by a faculty member from their major department and by an advisor from the Education Department.

For more information about education programs or the majors available to choose from, contact Dr. Robert Barkman, department chair, at (413) 748-3734 or the Admissions Office at (800) 343-1257.

II. Major Requirements

See the following pages for more information on major requirements.

A. Arts and Sciences Requirements for Elementary Licensure

Per Massachusetts Department of Education regulations, upper-and lower-level arts and sciences coursework covering the following topics is required for elementary licensure: composition; American literature; world literature, including British literature; U.S. history from colonial times to the present; world history, including European history from ancient times to the present; geography; economics; U.S. government, including founding documents; child development; science laboratory work; and mathematics and science coursework appropriate for the elementary school teacher. To meet those regulations, the courses listed below are required for all elementary licensure students (some of these courses also satisfy a General Education category and/or a requirement for the major). Additional coursework to meet elementary subject matter knowledge requirements is also included in the list of requirements below.

In addition to the requirements, elementary licensure students must fulfill the Computer Science, Physical Education, Second Language/Culture, Philosophy, and Religion General Education categories. Selected courses which fulfill General Education categories are marked with an asterisk; selected WAC courses are marked with a “W”.

ENGL 113 - College Writing I Credits: 3
ENGL 114 - College Writing II Credits: 3
ENGL 209 - World Literature Credits: 3
ENGL 220 - Grammar and Usage Credits: 3
ENGL 241 - Survey of American Literature I Credits: 3
or
ENGL 242 - Survey of American Literature II Credits: 3
ENGL 309 - Children’s Literature Credits: 3
HIST 103 - World History Credits: 3
HIST 105 - Colonial America to the Civil War Credits: 3
HIST 106 - The Civil War to Modern America Credits: 3
HLTH 100 - Wellness: A Way of Life Credits: 3
MATH 101 - Mathematics for Early Childhood and Elementary Education Credits: 3
MATH 105 - Survey of Mathematics Credits: 3
PHSC 105 - Physical Science and the Environment Credits: 4
or
PHSC 110 - Earth Science Credits: 4
PSYC 250 - Childhood and Adolescent Development Credits: 3
SCIE 144 - Best Practices in Learning and Teaching Science Credits: 4

Recommended, but not required:

MOSK 140 - Skill Themes and Movement Concepts Credits: 1

B. Elementary Teacher Professional Preparation Requirements

EDUC 100 - Introduction to Education Credits: 2
EDUC 162 - Introduction to Special Education Credits: 3
EDUC 232 - Teaching Elementary Mathematics through the MA Curriculum Frameworks Credits: 3
EDUC 237 - Foundations of Multicultural Education Credits: 3
EDUC 305 - Teaching Social Studies through the MA Curriculum Frameworks Credits: 2
EDUC 327 - Methods of Teaching Reading and Language Arts in Early Childhood and Elementary Classrooms Credits: 6
EDUC 463 - Practicum Seminar Credits: 2
EDUC 468 - Elementary Practicum Credits: 10

Admission to Teacher Preparation Program

Once admitted to Springfield College, the student must meet the following requirements for admission to undergraduate teacher preparation programs:

Follow the appropriate course of study based on the field the student is interested in teaching. This includes majoring in an acceptable major for that licensure area and taking the required teacher preparation courses. This enables the student to fulfill the prerequisites needed to gain admission to a teacher preparation program. Examples of acceptable majors and licensure areas are psychology for early childhood; American studies, English, or mathematics and computer technology for elementary; biology, English, history or mathematics for secondary; movement and sports studies for physical education; art/studio art concentration or art therapy for art; and health studies.
Complete, or be in the process of completing, all prerequisites identified for the specific program.
Earn a minimum 2.750 cumulative grade point average for all designated licensure courses. See educator preparation handbook for a list of these courses for each licensure program.
Earn a minimum 2.500 cumulative grade point average.
Receive a score of 70 or higher on the Communication and Literacy Skills Tests (reading and writing) of the Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure (MTEL).
Earn minimum grades specified for designated courses.
Demonstrate the personal characteristics needed to become a teacher (for example, responsible, dependable, hard working, professional, committed to the teaching profession, etc.).
Be recommended for admission into a teacher licensure program by the appropriate major department and the Education Department. (For students in physical education and health, the only recommendation required is from the Physical Education and Health Education Department.)

Note: Students who have been admitted to a teacher preparation program must maintain all the admissions requirements listed above through the semester preceding the practicum (student teaching) in order to be eligible to begin the practicum experience.

Once all admissions requirements have been met, the student must:

Fill out the top portion of the application for admission into a teacher licensure program. Applications are available from advisors, departments, or the Educator Preparation Office. Bring the application to the appropriate department(s) for recommendation(s)/signature(s) and attachment of required documents.
Completed applications must be returned to the Office of Educator Preparation & Licensure (Administration Building, room 209). Applications are complete once they have all necessary signatures and have required documentation attached. This typically occurs prior to the student’ s junior year (or the equivalent for transfer students).