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Academic Catalog 2020-2021 | Early Childhood Education (A.A.) – SPS

Early Childhood Education (A.A.)

Faculty

Dr. Marie Celeste, Director and Chair of Early Childhood Education and Associate Professor of Education
Faculty in the School of Education support Trinity’s early childhood education program.

Description

In conjunction with the School of Education, the School of Professional Studies offers an A.A. in Early Childhood Education.

This education degree prepares candidates to meet eligibility requirements as teaching assistants in early childhood education (ages 3-8) programs in the District of Columbia. Graduates of this program can, if they so choose, glide seamlessly into Trinity’s Bachelor of Arts in early childhood education degree program.

Trinity’s education programs are state approved and nationally recognized by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (N.A.E.Y.C.), by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (N.C.A.T.E.), and the Council for Professional Recognition as a Gold Standard. Course syllabi and classroom activities reflect the standards of the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (I.N.T.A.S.C.).

Program Requirements

Early childhood education students must complete the following set of required courses (22 credits):

  • EDCC 205
  • EDCC 207
  • EDCC 211
  • EDCC 213
  • EDCC 220
  • EDCC 292
  • EDTE 290

Students must meet these requirements as part of their program:

  • A minimum grade of “C” (2.0) or better in all EDCC and EDTE courses.
  • Overall GPA of at least 2.0.

Field-Based Instruction

Teacher preparation at Trinity emphasizes field-based instruction that includes a series of mandated integrated field experiences and practicum experiences at different grade/age levels in a variety of school settings.

School districts, individual schools, and other service providers vary in their requirements for entering their site and observing students. Most schools and service providers require a Tuberculosis test (TB), fingerprinting, and a criminal background check prior to activities that bring the university candidate into working contact with clients/students.

Prior to observing or working with individuals or groups as required by courses (course assignments, field experience, practicum), a Trinity candidate must have communicated with the site, prior to their arrival, to ensure the candidate will have met any specific site prerequisites .

A sample course requiring field experience:

AA Main Campus EDCC 220- Foundations of Education Requires each candidate to meet at a predetermined early childhood center/school for classroom observations and a teacher interview.  Students should plan to spend approximately 10 hours in the field.

Program Policies

Fingerprinting and Nationwide Criminal Background Check: School districts, individual schools, and other service providers vary in their requirements for entering their site and observing students. Most schools and service providers require a Tuberculosis test (TB), fingerprinting, and a criminal background check prior to activities that bring the university candidate into working contact with clients/students.  Additionally, in order to be licensed, professionals in the field of teaching must undergo fingerprinting and a nationwide criminal background within a year of application for licensure.

Advanced Placement: Credits earned through Advanced Placement Examinations may fulfill core curriculum course requirements in cases where the student has earned a 4 or 5 on the examination and the credits have been reviewed by education faculty members.

CLEP Policy: Credits earned through C.L.E.P. Examinations may fulfill core curriculum course requirements in cases where the student has earned a score that confers credit following the guidelines of the A.C.E. and the credits have been reviewed by education faculty members.

Attendance Policy: In all 300- and 400-level EDCC/EDTE courses, two late arrivals or early departures of 20 minutes or more constitute a single class absence, and any student with class absences or the equivalent that total more than 2 weeks’ worth of class meetings automatically fail the course. Faculty teaching EDCC/EDTE courses at the 200-level may adopt this policy in their syllabi as well, and faculty teaching EDCC/EDTE courses at any level may adopt a stricter policy in their syllabi.

Grades in Education Courses: Undergraduate students are required to earn a minimum grade of “C” (2.0) or better in all EDCC and EDTE courses.

Pass/No Pass: EDCC and EDTE courses may not be taken Pass/No Pass.

Student Assessment: Assessments of student proficiencies required of students in the program are further described on the School of Education page concerning the Student Assessment System.

Study Abroad: Courses taken through a study abroad program approved by Trinity may count toward general core curriculum course requirements, pending review and approval by education faculty and the faculty of the appropriate academic program. In general, education courses taken abroad will not count toward the degree.

Experiential Credit Policy: Credits earned through experience may count toward core curriculum course requirements, pending review and approval by education faculty and the faculty of the appropriate academic program. In general, experiential credits may not substitute for education courses counted toward the degree.

Transfer Credits: Transfer credits may be awarded only after appropriate program review. EDCC and EDTE courses  must be taken at Trinity.

Course Descriptions

Explanation of Course Prefixes and Numbers
Courses designated “EDCC” are education core and common courses across various programs in the School of Education. Courses designated “EDTE” are largely specific to teacher education programs.

EDCC - Education Core and Common Courses

EDCC 205
EDCC 207
EDCC 211
EDCC 213
EDCC 215
EDCC 220
EDCC 292

EDTE -Teacher Education Courses

EDTE 290


Trinity reserves the right to change, without prior notice, any policy or procedure, tuition or fee, curricular requirements, or any other information found on this web site or in its printed materials.

Questions may be directed to the Office of Academic Affairs at academicaffairs@trinitydc.edu.

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