Elementary Education Teacher Certification (PreK-4)

The School of Education's PreK-4 elementary education teacher certification programs are designed for individuals who seek to qualify for state teacher certification to teach at the elementary level.

All coursework and clearances noted below are required to obtain a recommendation for Pennsylvania certification to teach Elementary (grades PreK-4).

Please note: The PA Graduate Intern Certification (GIC is NOT available for ELEM—grades PreK–4. The Sequence of Procedures (see revised Sequence of Procedures PreK–4) document outlines the steps needed to be recommended for the PA Instructional I Teaching Certification.

Preliminary Information about the program:

• Mandatory field-based experiences (20 hours or less) required in each core pedagogy course, EDUC 520, 542, 544, 546, and 565. (Clearances required.)
• A combined pre-student teaching experience (40 hours or less) is required for EDUC 517 and EDUC 529. (Clearances required.)
• EDUC 540 Student teaching/ field experience is a 12-week full-time, unpaid experience. (Clearances required.)
• Successful completion of the requirements allows for recommendation for PA Instructional certification.
• Visit the Sequence of Procedures (see revised Sequence of Procedures PreK–4) on the Teacher Certification Forms page for more information.

I. Undergraduate Content Courses

PA State required undergraduate content courses - minimum 3.0 GPA required

English Composition, Literature, U.S. History/PA History, Linear Math/ Precalculus, Economics, Intro to Probability/Statistics, Environmental Issues, Chemistry/Physics/Astronomy, General Biology I, Health/Wellness/Nutrition and Psychology.

II. PA Educator Certification Tests (PECT) Required for Grades PreK-4 Students who began Spring 2011-12 or later

April 2012, the Pa Department of Education (PDE) changed the required Teacher Examinations from the Praxis Series to the PA Educator Certification Tests (PECT) for Grades PreK–4. These new tests will be administered by Pearson Evaluation Systems. The PECT exams are available as Computer-based tests taken at testing centers located throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Canada only. The Praxis Series will eventually be phased out; however during the switch to the new system, PDE will accept the Praxis I & II series for Grades PreK–4 for a while since many pre-service teachers already began taking the Praxis series.

Please be advised that if you have already taken the Praxis I: PPST in Reading, Writing, & Mathematics, you must complete the Praxis II exams series required for Grades PreK-4 certification (see Praxis Information below).

If you begin Drexel’s program during the Spring 2012 term or later you should take the PECT series for PreK–4. Registration for the PECT series will begin Feb 2012.

For more information about the PECT examinations and registration please go to: http://www.pa.nesinc.com/

For PECT exam Preparation Materials: (Study Guides, Practices Test, Videos, and Tutorials) go to http://www.pa.nesinc.com/prep_materials.asp

PreK–4: PA Educator Certification Tests (PECT) (after April 2012)
You should plan to complete your PAPA Exams (Pre-service Performance Assessment) as soon as you feel prepared.  For some, this will be during their first term at Drexel, while others may need to first complete their content courses, particularly in the area of mathematics and science.  Required PECT exams are listed below and also on your curriculum sheet.  All students must pass the PAPA—Pre-service Academic Performance Assessment exams (Modules 1, 2, & 3) prior to applying for their Student Teaching Field Placement, however it is strongly suggested to take and pass the PAPA prior to attending Drexel (if applicable) or within your first term. 

The PA (PECT) exams, test codes, and qualifying scores required for Post-bac or MS TLC students seeking Grades PreK–4 Certification:

Please have your PECT scores sent directly to Drexel and PDE by including Drexel's school recipient code, 2194, and the Pa Department of Education's code # 8033 on your score sheet at the time of exam.

III. Praxis Exams (only for ELEM PreK–4 Students who began program before Spring 2012)

You should plan to complete your Praxis Exams (national teacher exams) as soon as you feel prepared. For some, this will be during their first term at Drexel, while others may need to first complete their content courses, particularly in the area of mathematics and science. Required Praxis exams are listed below and also on your curriculum sheet. All students must pass the PPST Praxis I exams prior to applying for their Field Placement, however it is strongly suggested to take and pass the PPST prior to attending Drexel or within your first term. Please visit the Praxis website at http://www.ets.org/praxis for test preparation, testing sites and dates, and registration.

The PA Praxis exams, test codes, and qualifying scores required for Grades PreK–4:

Please list Drexel University (recipient code: 2194) as a school recipient for the Praxis I exam results when registering for these exams through ETS. If seeking certification in PA, please be sure to list PA Department of Education (recipient code: 8033) as a score recipient of Praxis II exam results.

III. Core Pedagogy Courses (42 graduate credits)
Minimum “B” grade in all core pedagogy required for certification.

Code	Name	Credits
EDUC 506	Assessment of Young Learners	3.0
EDUC 513	Science Teaching Methods: PK4	3.0
EDUC 517	Math Methods & Content: PK4	3.0
EDUC 520	Professional Studies in Instruction	3.0
EDUC 521	Typical and Atypical Child Development	3.0
EDUC 525	Multimedia in Instructional Design	3.0
EDUC 529	Early Literacy	3.0
EDUC 539	Expressive Arts	3.0
EDUC 540	Graduate Student Teaching and Online Seminar	3.0
EDUC 542	Fundamentals of Special Education	3.0
EDUC 544	The Inclusive Classroom	3.0
EDUC 546	Literacy & Content Skill Development	3.0
EDUC 555	Social Studies Teaching Methods: PK4	3.0
EDUC 565	Foundations in Instructing English Language Learners	3.0

Completion of ALL of the above requirements allows for recommendation for PA Instructional I certification in Elementary grades PreK–4.

Required Clearances
All PA candidates seeking teacher certification are required to obtain the following clearances in order to participate in classroom observations and student teaching. Non-PA candidates may need similar clearances to do so in their state and should contact their state's department of education or school district office for a list of clearances required in their state.

- Child Abuse
- Criminal History
- FBI Clearance
- Tuberculosis (TB) test (required by some school districts)

Master of Science in the Teaching Learning & Curriculum (initial Certification track) Program
Students who wish to complete a M.S. degree (45 graduate credits) have an opportunity to explore interests in areas outside of the required pedagogy courses for certification. In addition to 42 credits in core pedagogy, students must complete a minimum of 3 graduate credits in professional electives. For more information, please contact a School of Education academic advisor at 215-895-6770 or education@drexel.edu.

Master of Science in the Teaching Learning & Curriculum (initial Certification track) degree is awarded for successful completion of 45 graduate credits (revised 7/2011).

More information on the Elementary Education Teacher Certification in is available on the Teacher Education website.