Academic Programs - Early Childhood Education
The comprehensive assessment process in the MAT in Early Childhood Education program:
There are five phases in the comprehensive assessment process used in the MAT in Early Childhood Education program:
Phase 1: Admission to ECCO
Phase 2: Review of the Initial Portfolio in EDEC 7020
Phase 3: Exhibition of Readiness for Student Teaching
Phase 4: Review of the Certification Portfolio
Phase 5: Review of the Exit Letter
Applicants are initially assessed as part of the admission process, Phase 1. Those with the requisite requirements are admitted to the program.
Phase 2: Review of the Initial Portfolio in EDEC 7020. Phase 2 of the comprehensive assessment process occurs during EDEC 7020. In this course, students explore narratives about teaching, study epistemological and political issues relevant to teaching and research, consider ways of accessing and assessing children’s thinking and feeling, and develop an attitude of professional inquiry within the context of a supportive, collaborative class community. Each student initiates a portfolio process to provide a means to document his or her learning about teaching in the context of the four thematic threads of ECCO: reflection, scholarship and research, collaboration, and appreciation of diversity.
1. Reflection. The course is designed to encourage you to take an integrated approach to reflective practice. You will seek to understand how your prior experiences have influenced your view of teaching and learning, and you will critically examine that view in the context of readings and discussions in this course. During each class meeting, the group will systemically pause for written reflection in order to establish reflection as a professional habit of mind.
2. Scholarship and Research. The group will build a shared base of understanding about scholarship and research by reading and responding to various texts. In addition, you will identify your own area of professional focus (on the basis of both need and interest), develop an action plan for ongoing study in this area, and begin the development of your professional expertise in the area.
3. Collaboration. Learning to learn with others is a key aspect of building productive professional relationships in schools. The course will be organized around the basic tenet that the intelligence of the many is greater than that of the one, and time will be given for you to come to know and learn from your colleagues. The group will construct a set of class norms that will support the group’s work as a learning community. You are expected to thoughtfully and consistently honor these norms in support of professional collaboration.
4. Diversity. To support the reflective activity described in Item 1 above, you will compose autobiographical text on teaching and learning by responding to a series of writing prompts. The memoir you create through this process will allow you to analyze how your own cultural history might influence your professional decision making.
Reflection, scholarship and research, collaboration, and appreciation for diversity are significant to the degree they contribute to informed professional action in support of student learning. In this course, the group will consider conceptualizations of teaching and models of curriculum, as well as specific instructional programs and teaching strategies. Participants will be expected to articulate a personal and professional stance toward teaching and learning and to consider how such a stance might be reflected in the way they organize their classroom and plan instructional activities for children. During each class meeting, the group will attend to a specific aspect of the planning process. On the basis of these activities, students will create their own planning template that reflects their research-based beliefs about teaching and learning. That template will continue to be revised and assessed as students progress through the program.
Phase 3: Exhibition of Readiness for Student Teaching. The purpose of the comprehensive assessment process is to document the candidate’s learning about teaching in the context of the four thematic threads of ECCO: reflection, scholarship and research, collaboration, and appreciation of diversity. In Phase 3 of that process, candidates provide evidence of their learning both in the materials they submit to the committee before the exhibition and in the exhibition itself.
The Exhibition of Readiness for Student Teaching must include the following five items:
1. Cover page. The cover page must include a title (Exhibition of Readiness for Student Teaching); name, e-mail address, and telephone number; the date of the exhibition; and the advisor’s name.
2. ECCO courses. For each course you have completed or are enrolled in, list the course prefix, number, title, term, and instructor. For each ECCO course you hope to take in the future, list the course prefix, number, title, and anticipated term.
3. Area of focus. In a 1–2 page overview (single-spaced, with 12-point type and 1-inch margins), the candidate will identify (a) the area of focus is and why it was selected, (b) what has been learned thus far, and (c) plan for further learning, including what the candidate wants to learn and how she or he intends to carry out the learning process. Following this text, provide a list of what you have read to learn about your area of focus, what you are currently reading, and what you intend to read.
4. Field experiences. The general expectation for ECCO candidates is that they have some experience working with children in an organized setting each term before student teaching. In order for an ECCO candidate to receive a student teaching placement, the candidate must document experiences working with children, and the ECCO committee must approve those experiences as qualifying the candidate for student teaching. The criteria to be used by the committee are the following:
A. The Georgia Professional Standards Commission expects that candidates recommended for certification have had field experiences in Pre-Kindergarten–Kindergarten, Grades 1–3, and Grades 4–5. Candidates must have experience in at least two of these three grade bands before student teaching;
B. Candidates must have at least 30 hours of experience in a tutorial capacity with 1–3 students;
C. Candidates must have at least 60 hours of experience in teaching a group of 12 or more children;
D. Candidates must have worked with children from diverse ethnic, linguistic, racial, gender, and socioeconomic groups, as well as with children with exceptionalities; and
E. Candidates must have experience in preparing lesson plans, teaching the lessons you planned, assessing children, and managing a classroom-like environment. INCLUDE EXAMPLES OF THESE LESSONS WITH YOUR WRITTEN MATERIAL.
The documentation of the “exhibition of readiness for student teaching” should include three parts:
A. A 1-page table or list summarizing the candidate’s experiences according to the five criteria;
B. For each experience, a description of the experience that does not exceed 1 page (single-spaced, with 12-point type and 1-inch margins). Each description should include the type of school or program, responsibilities undertaken, the ages or grade levels of the children, the beginning and ending dates of the experience, the number of hours of face-to-face contact with the children, and a brief reflection about what the candidate learned from the experience. Attach to each description a supervisor’s statement of verification and evaluation of the work. The verification and evaluation can be in the form of a letter or the Field Experience Verification and Evaluation Form (see the end of this document);
C. A 1-page conclusion that discusses the candidate’s readiness to begin student teaching, including an outline of areas the candidate wishes to focus on for further learning during student teaching.
5. Planning template. It is expected that candidates will have revised the planning template they created in EDEC 7020. The planning template should not be a simple schedule of classroom activities. It should (a) reflect the candidate’s developing philosophy of teaching and (b) be a functioning document that the candidate can use to write plans for the daily learning experiences of the candidate’s students. The template may include a 1-page introduction that gives the committee a context for understanding the form and function of the template.
The materials for the Exhibition of Readiness for Student Teaching will typically be due to the committee one week before the scheduled exhibition. Submit one copy for each member of the committee. These materials are important, but they do not constitute the exhibition. The exhibition is a 45 minute presentation to the committee during which candidates present and discuss their area of focus, their field experiences, and their planning template (about 12 minutes for each of the three parts to provide time for questions from the committee members who attend the exhibition). The presentation will provide an opportunity for candidates to demonstrate their developing proficiency in the use of instructional technology. Most important, the exhibition will give the committee the opportunity to determine if the candidate has developed the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to begin the student teaching experience.
After candidates receive the results of their exhibition, they should schedule a meeting with their advisor to discuss the results and to plan for continuing professional development.
Phase 4: Review of the Certification Portfolio. In Phase 4 of the comprehensive assessment process, candidates create a Certification Portfolio. This portfolio will provide evidence of candidate learning through the following artifacts:
1. A reflective narrative that:
A. demonstrates the candidate’s philosophical understanding of democratic principles of education (introduced in EDEC 7020 and other courses) by discussing the candidate’s experiences in the field, particularly the student teaching experience, in the context of those principles;
B. presents the candidate’s philosophical stance toward teaching by describing the planning template (revised as necessary from the template presented in the Exhibition of Readiness for Student Teaching, with some explanation of how and why it was revised), the general organizational approach, and the management strategies the candidate plans to use in her or his own classroom. Pay particular attention to issues of diversity and differentiation of instruction;
C. describes the candidate’s plan for continued professional inquiry (from the end of student teaching through the induction to teaching that will take place when you have a classroom of your own). The plan should reflect the importance of learning with others and should build on work related to your area of focus
Each of the above sections is to be between five and ten pages, double-spaced, not counting references.
2. Representative term papers or projects from each course, including student teaching, completed in the program. The candidate will provide an introduction that explains why the candidate chose each item, including a statement of how the paper or project represents what she or he learned in the course. Each explanation should be a paragraph no more than half a double-spaced page in length.
The Certification Portfolio will be submitted to the candidate’s advisor after completing the student teaching experience but before the last day of university classes in the semester in which the candidate completed student teaching.
Candidates must apply for certification. Forms are available in the Office of Student Services in 122 Aderhold Hall and online on their website http://www.coe.uga.edu/student-services/certificationendorsement/. Students must also register for the GACE Early Childhood Education Assessment (Tests I and II); registration forms are available in the Office of Student Services in 122 Aderhold. Passing scores are required before the application for certification is submitted to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.
Phase 5: Review of the Exit Letter. In Phase 5 of the comprehensive assessment process, candidates formally request, in a letter to the ECCO committee, that they be awarded a master’s degree. The letter must convince the committee that the candidate’s work in the program makes her or him worthy of that degree. The letter must be graded with a passing grade before a student can be recommended for graduation in the final semester when she or he is enrolled in the EDEC 6040 course.
The letter should be at least five double-spaced pages in length. In the letter, you must clearly demonstrate (a) that you understand and have integrated the four themes of reflection, scholarship and research, collaboration, and appreciation of diversity and (b) that you are able, in your classroom, to link principles of democratic education with your goals for student learning and your goals for continued professional development and inquiry. Do not structure the letter according to these two criteria; that is, do not respond to (a) and then to (b). Instead, provide a coherent response that will allow the committee to see that you have met the two criteria. Use specific examples from your teaching and stories about your work with students, their families, and your colleagues to provide evidence and to bring the necessary coherence to the letter.
COURSES
* course that will satisfy the diversity requirement; choose at least one
Any course with an EDEC, EDMS, or ESSE prefix (approved by the advisor) may count in Area A. With the approval of the advisor, courses other than those listed below may be included in an area and on the program of study.
AREA A: Curriculum and Teaching in Early Childhood Environments (4-5 courses/12-15 credit hours)
Required courses:
EDEC 7010 Trends and Issues in Early Childhood Education
EDEC 7020 Theory and Curriculum in Early Childhood Education
EDEC 7040 Induction to Teaching
Elective courses:
EDEC 7050 Problems of Teaching in Early Childhood Education
EDEC 7060 Academic Community Learning
EDEC 7130 Teaching Styles in the Elementary Classroom
EDEC 7160 Instructional Strategies for Early Childhood Education
EDEC 7190 Educational Environments for Young Children: Birth–Eight
EDEC 7420 Organization of Early Childhood Classrooms
AREA B: Historical, Philosophical, and Social Foundations (2 courses/6 credit hours)
CHFD 7150 Families, Schools, and Communities
*EDEC 7120 Children’s Social Lives*
*EDEC 7180 Understanding Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Schools (corequisite: EDEC 7180L) *
ESSE 8120 Social Constructivist Approaches to Understanding Classroom Motivation
EDEC 8140 Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Learning Environments for Children and Young Adolescents
*EDEC 8150 Research and Theory in Family-School-Community Interactions *
*EDEC 8200 Early Educational Intervention for Young Children Placed At-Risk *
EDEC 8201 Social, Economic, and Political Perspectives in the Education of Young Children: Birth to 8 Years
EFND 7040 History of Education in the United States
*EFND 7100 Gender and Education *
*EFND 7110 Race, Class, and Education *
EFND 7120 Sociological Theories of Education
*EFND 7140 Social and Cultural Context of Teaching *
*EFND 7200 Multicultural Education in the United States *
EFND 8010 Philosophy of Education
EFND 8040 Pragmatism and Education
EFND 8060 Social and Political Philosophies of Education
EFND 8070 Ethics and Education
EFND 8130 Education as Democracy
*LLED 7040 Language and Culture in the Classroom *
SOCI 6060 Sociology of Education
AREA C: Psychological Foundations (1 course/3 credit hours)
CHFD 8920 Behavior Problems in Children
EDEC 7110 The Educational Role of Play in Early Childhood Education
EDEC 7200 Developmental Issues of Elementary School Learners
EDEC 8020 Self-Instruction for Classroom Processes
EDEC 8110 Methods for Observing Children in Schools
EDEC 8120 Social Constructivist Approaches to Understanding Classroom Motivation
EDEC 8140 Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Learning Environments for Children and Young Adolescents
EPSY 6010 Foundations of Human Development for Education
EPSY 6060 Foundations of Motivation for Education
EPSY 6800 Foundations of Cognition for Education
EPSY 8180 Psychology of Learning and Instruction
SPED 6020
AREA D: School Subject Areas (4-5 courses/12-15 credit hours)
*ARED 7310 Multicultural and Cross-Cultural Study in Art Education *
ARED 7350 Teaching Arts in the Elementary School
CHFD 7130 Creative Activities for Young Children
EDIT 6150 Introduction to Computer-Based Education
LLED 6100 Whole Language Teaching in Early Childhood Education
LLED 6310 Survey of Children’s Literature, Grades P–8
CHFD 7130 Creative Activities for Young Children
EDIT 6150 Introduction to Computer-Based Education
LLED 6100 Whole Language Teaching in Early Childhood Education
LLED 6310 Survey of Children’s Literature, Grades P–8
*LLED 6631 Teaching Language-Minority Students *
*LLED 7040 Language and Culture in the Classroom *
LLED 7310 Children’s Literature in the Curriculum, Grades P–8
*LLED 7318 Culturally Diverse Children’s Literature *
LLED 7320 Writing Pedagogy, Grades P–8
LLED 7330 Storytelling and the Oral Tradition, Grades P–8
LLED 7600 Reading and Writing in a Non-Native Language
*LLED 7630 ESOL, Grades P–12 *
LLED 8040 Languages, Cultures, and Literacies
EMAT 6410 Mathematical Learning in PreK–Grade 5
EMAT 6420 Mathematics Methods for Early Childhood
ESCI 6200 Science, Technology, and Society
ESCI 6230 Environmental Science Education
ESCI 6420 Science for Early Childhood Education
ESOC 7420 Social Studies for the Young Child
HPRB 6420 Health in Early Childhood
PEDS 6300 Physical Education for the Elementary School
*PEDS 7060 Human Diversity in Curriculum and Instruction *
LLED 6010 Foundations of Reading Instruction
LLED 6020 Children with Reading Problems
LLED 6420 Literacy Development and Instruction in Early Childhood
LLED 7110 Computer-Based Instruction in Reading Education
*LLED 7800 Sociopolitical Perspectives in Literacy Education *
*LLED 8300 Culture, Literacy, and the Classroom *
LLED 6050 Materials for Reading Instruction
AREA E: Research and Evaluation (1 course/3 credit hours)
EDEC 7170 Evaluation of the Elementary School
ESSE 7500 Teacher Action Research
EDEC 8110 Methods for Observing Children in Schools
EPSY 7100 Individual Assessment of Development
ERSH 6200 Methods of Research in Education
A TOTAL OF 12 COURSES are required for the Program of Study for the MAT degree (more courses may be required for certification)
4-5 in AREA A
1 in AREA B
1 in AREA C
4-5 in AREA D
1 in AREA E
Required Courses that do not “count” in the 12 course program of study as outlined above-they are requirements for certification but not for the MAT degree program of study.
EDEC 7460 Student Teaching in Early Childhood Education (15 credit hours)
Students are not admitted to EDEC 7460 until they have successfully completed the Exhibition of Readiness for Student Teaching.
SPED 2000 Survey of Special Education (3 credit hours)
Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education
The Masters of Arts in Early Childhood Education, Pre-K to Grade 5 – ECCO
Field Experience Verification and Evaluation Form
____________________________ has submitted work conducted under your supervision as part of an application for student teaching to the Department of Elementary and Social Studies Education of the University of Georgia. The department would appreciate your verification that the work was performed and your judgment about the quality of the candidate’s performance.
Please respond to the following items.
1. What is the name and purpose of the organization for which the work was done?
2. What was the nature of the work done?
3. Over what time period and for approximately how many hours was the work done?
4. How many children were involved, how old were they, and what were their demographic and educational characteristics?
5. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best possible rating, how would you rate the quality of the candidate’s performance? Please feel free to comment as well.
Signature of supervisor: _________________________________________
Typed or printed name: __________________________________________
Position: _________________________________________
Phone number and e-mail address: _________________________________________
Date: _________________________________________
Advisement Check Sheet
The Master of Arts in Teaching: Early Childhood (Pre-K to Grade 5–ECCO)
Students progress through the MAT in Early Childhood Education program in phases. Each phase of the Comprehensive Assessment Process must be completed successfully before the subsequent phase can be started. The guidelines below outline the phases and provide a means to document progress. All planning must be done in collaboration with the ECCO graduate advisor.
PHASE 1 OF THE COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT PROCESS: Initial Advisement
Initial advisement begins with an assessment of candidates’ prior coursework. Some additional coursework beyond the usual course of study may be required.
Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE): Basic Skills Assessment
Students with an SAT score of at least1000, an ACT score of at least 43, or a GRE score of at least 1030 (verbal and quantitative) are exempt from the Basic Skills Assessment. Those not exempt must submit passing scores on the GACE Basic Skills Assessment (Test I–Reading, Test II–Mathematics, Test III– Writing) as soon as possible after admission. Students taking the Basic Skills Assessment must identify the University of Georgia as an institution to which the scores should be sent and give a copy of the
scores to the ECCO advisor.
Basic Skills Assessment scores or qualifying exemption score: _________
Content-Area Knowledge
If a candidate’s knowledge of the communication arts (English and the humanities), mathematics, biological and physical sciences, social sciences, fine arts, or health and physical education is deemed insufficient by the ECCO advisor, the candidate must complete the courses listed or experiences described below.
Communication Arts ____________________________________________
Mathematics ___________________________________________________
Biological and Physical Sciences ___________________________________
Social Sciences _________________________________________________
Fine Arts ______________________________________________________
Health and Physical Education _____________________________________
PHASE 2 OF THE COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT PROCESS: Review of the Initial Portfolio in EDEC 7020
Date initial portfolio approved by EDEC 7020 instructor: __________
PHASE 3 OF THE COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT PROCESS: Exhibition of Readiness for Student Teaching
Register for exhibition with the ECCO committee by the beginning of the semester before the student teaching semester.
Date of Exhibition of Readiness for Student Teaching: __________
Recommendations: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Application for Student Teaching
Submit application to the Office of Educational Field Experiences in 122 Aderhold by the beginning of the semester before the student teaching semester.
Date application for student teaching submitted: __________
All courses except EDEC 7040 must be completed before the student teaching semester.
Documentation of P–K, 1–3, 4–5 Field Experiences
List when, where, and under whose supervision each experience occurred.
P–K ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
1–3 ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4–5 ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE): Early Childhood
Education Assessment
Submit passing scores on the GACE Early Childhood Education Assessment (Tests I and II) to be eligible for certification. The candidate must identify, on the registration form, the University of Georgia and the Georgia Professional Standards Commission as places where the scores should be sent and give a copy of the scores to the ECCO advisor.
Early Childhood Education Assessment scores: ________________________________
PHASE 4 OF THE COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT PROCESS: Review of the Certification Portfolio
Submit portfolio to ECCO advisor within 2 weeks of the end of the student teaching
experience.
Date certification portfolio approved by ECCO advisor: __________
Application for Certification
Submit application and transcript through the Office of Student Services in 122 Aderhold after all courses have been passed with at least a C or S grade. After the college certification officer processes the application, the ECCO advisor will sign the application to verify that an approved program has been completed. The program has been completed if the candidate has completed all coursework and experiences required for certification, the candidate has given the advisor a copy of GACE Early Childhood Education Assessment scores, and the candidate has passed Phase 4 of the comprehensive
assessment process.
Date application for certification signed by ECCO advisor: __________
Application for Graduation and Program of Study
Submit Application for Graduation and Final Program of Study to the Graduate Coordinator by the beginning of the term in which degree requirements are completed.
Date submitted: __________
PHASE 5 OF THE COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT PROCESS: Review of the Exit Letter
Submit the exit letter to the ECCO committee during EDEC 7040. If the exit letter is not approved during the semester in which EDEC 7040 is completed, the candidate will need to register for a minimum of 3 graduate credit hours in a subsequent semester in order to resubmit the letter for approval. There is no guarantee that a resubmitted letter will be approved.
Date exit letter approved by ECCO committee: __________
Completing all courses listed in the program of study with at least a B (3.0) average and no grade below a C and successfully completing all five phases of the comprehensive assessment process are required for graduation.
Additional Requirements
Multicultural Education Exit Survey and College of Education Exit Survey
Complete department multicultural education exit survey (available at
http://www.coe.uga.edu/esse/multicultural/diversity.html ) and College of Education exit survey (distributed and collected during EDEC 7040).
Date multicultural education exit survey completed: __________
Date College of Education exit survey completed: __________
In addition, the department’s graduate coordinator will not approve a candidate for graduation until the department multicultural education exit survey has been completed.
COURSE PLANNING GUIDE
12 COURSES ARE INCLUDED IN YOUR PROGRAM OF STUDY
- At least 6 in the department (with and EDEC, EDMS, or ESSE prefix)
- EDEC 7010, EDEC 7020, and EDEC 7040 are required courses in AREA A
- At least 3 courses outside the department
- At least 1 course that fulfills the diversity requirement (noted with asterisk *)
- Although EDEC 7460 (student teaching) is REQUIRED FOR CERTIFICATION, it is NOT included on your program of study as one of the 12 courses for your degree. It can count as one of the 6 courses required in the department.
- SPED 2000 or another approved SPED course is required for certification by Georgia Professional Standards Commission. If the SPED 2000 course is selected, it cannot be included on the program of study (since it is not a graduate level course). An approved graduate level SPED course may be selected to satisfy this requirement and count on the program of study.
AREA A COURSES: Curriculum and Teaching in Early Childhood
(4-5 courses with an EDEC, EDMS, or ESSE prefix)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
AREA B COURSE: Historical, Philosophical, and Social Foundations
(1 course)
1.
AREA C COURSE: Psychological Foundations
(1 course)
1.
AREA D COURSES: School Subject Areas
(4-5 courses – typically an LLED, EMAT, ESOC, ESCI, or EDIT prefix)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
AREA E COURSE: Research and Evaluation
(1 course)
1.
