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THIS IS A DELAWARE APPROVED LICENSURE/CERTIFICATION PROGRAM WITH CONTENT KNOWLEDGE AND PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS. Candidates taking courses to satisfy certification requirements are personally responsible for verifying with the Delaware Department of Education (or the appropriate licensure/certification authority in another state) that such course work is applicable and acceptable. Students are also responsible for meeting all state-mandated testing requirements and for applying for credentials. Wilmington University has not made determinations for licensure in states outside of Delaware. For state-by-state contact information for inquiring about individual state licensure requirements, please visit NC-SARA's Professional Licensure Directory.
State-approved degree programs contribute to eligibility for licensure/certification as an educator in Delaware public schools. As such, all applicants for a Delaware Initial Teaching License must meet the content and performance assessment requirements described in DE Administrative Code.
Content Assessment
By regulation, “Where a content readiness exam is applicable and available in area, subject, or category of specialization sought, the Candidate shall achieve a passing score on an examination as established by the Professional Standards Board, in consultation with the Department and with concurrence of the State Board.”
The assessments and minimum passing test score requirements established by the Delaware Department of Education for this degree program and for K-6 certification are:
Test
Score
ETS test #5024, Education of Young Children
160
Multiple Measures is also a pathway to certification for candidates who miss the required Praxis exam passing score by a small margin, but who have completed all other requirements.
Please note that state-mandated licensure/certification exams and minimum score requirements are subject to change by the Delaware Department of Education. Any changes mandated by the Department of Education will be implemented as required by state regulation.
Performance Assessment
The College of Education and Liberal Arts at Wilmington University requires students pursuing teacher preparation degrees to take the Praxis Performance Assessment for Teachers (PPAT) in order to qualify for program completion and degree conferral. The performance assessment is not scored by any employees of the University. It is scored by Nationally Certified ETS Reviewers not associated with Wilmington University. Completing this assessment is a student teaching requirement. Candidates must check with their supervisors, program advisors or program chairs to obtain current and accurate information related score expectations.
Program Requirements
Teacher Candidates must register for EDU 102 E-folio when enrolling as a student. EDU 102 will give candidates access to Watermark, which is a resource for students to create portfolios of professional work that will be used to collect data on student performance for accrediting agencies.
Teacher candidates must complete all requirements associated with the Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood, including all course work and clinical experiences. The College of Education and Liberal Arts sets a required minimum grade of “C-” for all Education core courses (ECE, EDU, RDG, and EPY) and an overall cumulative GPA (grade point average) of 3.0 or higher.
Teacher candidates must pass Praxis II, test #5024 (Education of Young Children), prior to receiving a student teaching/internship placement. The Praxis II Content Knowledge test must be taken by ECE 391, Practicum II and passed prior to ECE 451, Student Teaching/Teaching Internship as a condition of entry into ECE 450.
Teacher candidates must designate Wilmington University and the Delaware Department of Education as score recipients at the time the tests are taken, and also provide a paper copy of the ETS score report that includes all scores and sub-scores. COMPLETE score reports must be received by the College of Education and Liberal Arts main office, located in the Peoples Building at the New Castle site.
Fieldwork Requirements
Practicum Courses (Practicum I, II, III)
Each of these three courses require 60 hours of field experience in an approved school setting plus 30 hours of required seminars. Although Practicum courses only require candidates to register and pay for one (1) credit for each course, the courses are actually structured as three (3) credit courses. The reason for this approach is to keep the total credit hours required for the degree as low as possible and still meet state certification requirements. Otherwise, candidates would have to register and pay for an additional 6 credits. This benefit represents a tuition cost savings of more than $2,000.
All practicum placements are arranged by the Office of Clinical Studies in accordance with school district partnership agreements and placement protocols. Final placement decisions are made by school district officials. Candidates are not permitted to seek or make arrangements for their own placements. The 60 hours of field experience required for each practicum will usually take place in the county where the candidate attends the seminars, although this may vary depending on availability of practicum placement classrooms.
To be considered for placement in a Birth to Grade 2 setting, teacher candidates must complete the Practicum Fieldwork application in Taskstream/Watermark by the deadlines of February 1 for placement in Fall (September) and August 1 for placement in Spring (January). At the time of application, a sealed Federal and Delaware CBC (Criminal Background Check) Report, a recent TB/PPD (less than a year old) and a completed CPR (Child Protection Registry Form) are required.
Capstone Clinical Experience (Student Teaching/Internship)
The capstone clinical experience is a full-time, full-day, Monday through Friday placement of 80 school days in an approved setting and in a content area/grade level that corresponds to a candidate's program concentration. A full immersion, Yearlong Residency option may also be available. Check with a Program Advisor, Chair or Assistant Chair for more information.
Teacher candidates must apply to the Office of Clinical Studies for a Student Teaching/Internship placement for the Fall semester (September) by February 1 or for the Spring semester (January) by August 1. Student Teaching/Teaching Internship applications are to be submitted electronically in Taskstream/Watermark. Applications do NOT take the place of registering for Student Teaching/Internship. Registration and payment of all fees, including laboratory fees for Student Teaching/Internship, are still required. At the time of application, a new and sealed Federal and Delaware CBC (Criminal Background Check) Report, a new TB/PPD, a completed health form, and a completed CPR (Child Protection Registry Form) are required.
Placement and registration requirements include the following: Passing OR qualifying scores on the relevant PRAXIS II exam, a 3.0 grade point average, completion of all teacher preparation and content coursework, and a completed application in Taskstream/Watermark and all required clearance items. All placements are arranged by placement specialists in the WilmU Office of Clinical Studies in accordance with school district partnership agreements and protocols. However, final placement decisions are made by school district officials and are based on school and district needs and the availability of school-based mentors who are rated as highly-qualified and effective. Candidates are not permitted to seek or make arrangements for their own placements.
CTA 206 Computer Applications
OR
FYE 101 First Year Experience Seminar
ECO 105 Fundamentals of Economics
MAT 205 Introductory Survey of Mathematics
ENG 121 English Composition I
ENG 122 English Composition II
ENG 320 Advanced Composition
HIS 316 American History
PHI 100 Introduction to Critical Thinking
POL 300 American Politics
PSY 101 Introduction to Psychology
BIO 251 Biology I (with Lab)
Select 2 courses from:
ART 101 Art Appreciation 1
ART 203 Non-Western Art
ART 210 Basic Design
ART 301 Drawing and Painting
ART 302 Drawing
ART 304 Painting
ART 315 Watercolor Painting
COM 431 Media and Society
DRA 105 Introduction to the Theater
DRA 110 Acting
DSN 110 Fundamentals of Drawing
DSN 210 Basic Photoshop
HIS 230 History of Art and Design
MUS 101 Music Appreciation
SPA 301 Practical Spanish I
TEC 215 Basic Photography
PSY 330 Infant and Toddler Development
PSY 333 Psychology of the Exceptional Child
PSY 336 Child Development
PSY 420 Introduction to Trauma-Informed Approaches
PSY 421 Trauma and Self-Care
PSY 422 Practical Implications of Trauma-Informed Approaches
EDU 102 E-Folio
EDU 204 Leadership and Collaboration
ECE 105 Developmentally Appropriate Practice
ECE 201 Health, Safety, and Nutrition
ECE 202 Professional Issues in Early Childhood
ECE 207 Differentiated Methods of Teaching Infants and Toddlers
ECE 208 Differentiated Methods of Teaching Pre-Schoolers
ECE 209 Differentiated Methods of Teaching Kindergartners – Grade 2
ECE 217 Family, Community, and School Partnerships
ECE 301 Integrating the Arts into Early Childhood Education
ECE 302 Numeracy and the Acquisition of Number Fluency in Early Childhood Education
EPY 201 Development and Implementation of IEPs
ECE 315 Differentiation of Instruction for Young Children
EPY 316 Educating Preschoolers with Special Needs
EPY 317 Assessment of Young Children
EPY 402 Learning Differences and Assessment of Exceptional Children
RDG 203 Learner Development and Early Literacy
RDG 302 Literature for Children
ECE 390 Practicum I
ECE 391 Practicum II
ECE 392 Practicum III
ECE 450 Early Childhood Education Student Teaching
EDU 452 Performance Assessment
EDU 452 must be taken in conjunction with ECE 450 Student Teaching
Transfer Credits: Accreditation requires our program to collect data on student performance in a variety of courses. For that reason, students will not be able to transfer in courses to cover the following coursework.
EDU 203, EDU 204, ECE 207, ECE 208, ECE 209, ECE 315, EPY 316, EPY 317, EPY 201, EPY 402, ECE 390, ECE 391, ECE 392, ECE 450, EDU 452
Certification
This is a state-approved degree program which contributes to eligibility for a State of Delaware Initial Teaching License and Certification as an Early Childhood Education – Birth-Grade 2. The program also includes all the coursework necessary for Delaware certification as an Early Childhood Exceptional Children Special Education teacher (ECE 315, EPY 316, EPY 317, ECE 217, RDG 203).
It is highly recommended that candidates obtain certification in special education, as this is required by many schools and school districts
This information applies to students who enter this degree program during the 2023-2024 Academic Year. If you entered this degree program before the Fall 2022 semester, please refer to the academic catalog for the year you began your degree program.
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