INDIANA PROGRAM REVIEW
Elementary Education (Earl Childhood & Middle Childhood)
Indiana University – Purdue University at Fort Wayne
Document # 1
A. UNIT SUMMARY
Program Description
The Elementary Education Program at Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne
was established to provide excellence in higher education reflecting the rich traditions of both
Indiana University and Purdue University to the residents of northeastern Indiana. The
department offers a four year degree program leading to the bachelor’s degree in elementary
education and a two year associate’s degree program in Early Childhood Education. The core
mission of IPFW and the School of Education is “to offer a broad range of high-quality
undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs that meet regional needs; to
support excellence in teaching and learning; to advance and share knowledge through research
and creative endeavor; and to work with the community to develop intellectual, cultural,
economic, and human resources.”
Within the department, the curriculum and field experiences offer candidates the opportunity
to develop entry level skills and knowledge that will allow them to successfully teach students
from a variety of diverse backgrounds and abilities. Program experiences in both the university
classroom and the field assist candidates to identify knowledge that aligns with elementary
education standards while providing practical and applied opportunities to reflect upon their
own learning and growth experiences.
Candidates traditionally are accepted to the Elementary Education Program at the end of
their sophomore year after the accumulation of 45 credit hours, establishing a minimum grade
point average and having passed the Praxis I exam at the state specified proficiency required for
teaching licensing. The General Education component includes the exploration of a cross
section of courses in specific subject related areas relevant to the elementary education
standards. The Professional Education component includes a series of education professional
courses, subject-specific methods courses and a cluster of increasingly demanding field
experiences with the culmination of a semester-long student teaching experience and seminar.
IPFW School of Education Conceptual Framework
In support of our School of Education Conceptual Framework, the Elementary Education
Program in the Department of Educational Studies emphasizes the interrelated aspect of each of
the six core components within its curriculum and program delivery. While individual courses
may focus on some aspects of the framework more than others, we are confident that our
courses and programs as a whole, embrace this central core of teacher training and development.
Due to the current national testing and assessment movement, content Knowledge is critical for
effective educators to comprehend. Educators need to understand how knowledge is
constructed, how the processes of inquiry are applied, how domains of knowledge are
established, how disciplines can be integrated, and how this information can effectively be
communicated to students. Understanding content knowledge is critical however, it cannot be
viewed in isolation from the other five components. Democracy and Community is the second
key component that we encourage in the Department of Educational Studies. Educators need an
understanding of the moral, cultural, social, political, and economic foundations of our
community and society in order to foster democratic concepts within the school community.
Effective educators understand that knowledge alone is not sufficient. Within the third
component, Habits of Mind, our students practice critical reflection within the context of a
compassionate, caring community with the goal of fostering these habits to engage learners in
the critical aspects of the learning process. Without an understanding of Pedagogy, our students
would not understand the multiple roles of the teaching such as facilitator, guide, role model,
scholar, and motivator. Without an understanding of pedagogy, educators would not understand
the diverse perspectives of learning and understanding and the social circumstances that they
and their students bring to the educational setting. Without rich Experiences both in and out of
the traditional classroom, candidate skills would lie dormant and unrefined. The last
component, Leadership, provides our candidates the educational and social vision necessary to
inspire others, both students and colleagues, to accept the educational challenges of the twentyfirst century.
The Elementary Education Unit Assessment System
The Unit Assessment System (UAS) in the School of Education at Indiana University –
Purdue University at Fort Wayne was created in response to a professional responsibility to
ensure that our programs are of the highest quality. This dynamic assessment system is
continually evaluated to insure that 1) instruction and curriculum are aligned with professional,
state, and institutional standards (e.g., the Conceptual Framework and Mission Statement); 2)
courses, field experiences, and programs are efficient; and 3) content knowledge and the
demonstration of teaching that leads to a student teaching experience that reflects the attainment
of core concepts.
A key component of the UAS within the Elementary Education Program is the systematic
review of the on-going teacher candidate portfolio. This portfolio is introduced in our Invitation
to Teaching course (F300) and students are provided a copy of the Guidelines for Preparing a
Portfolio that they continually refer to as they progress through our program. Instruction in the
Elementary Education Program professional course sequence is a faculty team effort. Methods
course are currently offered in three clusters of 4 courses each (Block I, Block II and Block III)
with each block having a coordinator along with coordination of the school field experiences.
Faculty teaching in these block courses normally meet at the beginning and end of each
semester to discuss levels of organization and changes that need to address emerging issues and
improvement of the program. Portfolio checkpoints are located at five distinct locations within
the program: F300, at the conclusion of Blocks I, II and III, and at the exit portfolio during the
student teaching semester. At each portfolio checkpoint, candidates are provided feedback to
allow them to continually build and revise their portfolios up to their student teaching
experience. The Elementary Education Program engages in a continuous review process and
the School of Education Unit Assessment Taskforce receives data from the unit assessment
system on an annual basis for review.
The School of Education Assessment System
A candidate record or file is established for all applicants to the School of Education teacher
education programs. This school-wide assessment system is structured around several data
gathering components. All candidates are assessed at several benchmark points 1) admission to
teacher education with minimum grades in specific course, minimum completion hours,
minimum grade point average, and passing scores on the Praxis I exam, 2) retention in teacher
education based on minimum grade point average, 3) eligibility to student teach, 4) eligibility to
graduate and/or complete requirements for licensure (including passing scores on the Praxis II
exam), 5) completion of a successful student teaching experience, and 6) the completion of a
passing exit portfolio discussed above.
Teacher Education Courses
Below is a list of teacher education courses required of all Elementary Education candidates.
Required content specific pedagogy courses are located in Document # 2. See the following
link for campus course descriptions. http://bulletin.ipfw.edu/content.php?catoid=1&navoid=5.
EDUC E325
EDUC E333
EDUC E336
EDUC E337
EDUC E339
EDUC E340
EDUA F300
EDUC H340
EDUC K201
EDUC K206
EDUC M101
EDUC M201
EDUC M323
EDUC M333
EDUC M425
EDUC M470
EDUC M501
EDUC P249
EDUC P250
EDUC P251
EDUC Q200
EDUC W200
Program Field Experiences Chart
Course Number/Title or
Program Requirement
Purpose of Field Experience
Number of
required hours in
P-12 classroom
15
F300 Invitation to
Teaching/M101
Initial introduction to field of
education; complete observational
assignments.
W200 Microcomputers in
Education/M101
Facilitate the use of technology
hardware and software with
children.
3
P249 Growth and
Development in EC/M101
Gain and refine observational skills
for assessing all areas of
development.
20
E337 Classroom Learning
Environments/M101
Supervised field experience during
which candidates apply knowledge
gained in the college classroom.
For example, they hone
observational skills for collecting
30+
Candidate required tasks
Become familiar with the
teaching profession through
observing, participating, and
reflecting on classroom
experiences. Connect those
experiences to INTASC
standards.
Plan, implement, and reflect on
using technology (internet
activities and software) with
children.
Gather observational data
covering all areas of
development and analyze them
using theories/research.
Examine how contextual
variables (e.g., family, school,
community) might be impacting
development.
Use observational data to design
responsive, meaningful
curricular experiences which
reflect a constructivist, emergent
curriculum. These experience
data, informing educational
decisions, and documenting
learning.
M201 Field Experience
(TEAM I)
Supervised field experience during
which candidates apply knowledge
gained in the college classroom.
70
M201 Field Experience
(TEAM II)
Supervised field experience during
which candidates apply knowledge
gained in the college classroom.
70
M425 Student Teaching
Demonstrate the knowledge, skills,
and dispositions of a beginning
teacher as outlined by the INTASC
Standards.
12 weeks (FT)
M470 Practicum (Optional
for additional endorsement
area)
Demonstrate the knowledge, skills,
and dispositions of a beginning
teacher as outlined by the INTASC
Standards.
4 weeks (FT)
plans must also address the
candidates’ understanding of the
physical, social, and intellectual
environments of early childhood
classrooms.
Plan and implement reading and
language art experiences;
observe the presence of
educational psychology concepts
in classrooms; other tasks as
assigned by Cooperating
Teacher.
Plan and implement
mathematics, social studies, and
science experiences; perform
formal and informal literacy
assessments; other tasks as
assigned by Cooperating
Teacher.
Candidates engage fully in the
planning, implementing,
assessing (e.g., student learning),
and evaluating of the
effectiveness of their teaching.
Demonstrate evidence of
applying INTASC standards as
well as all information gained in
coursework.
Candidates engage fully in the
planning, implementing,
assessing (e.g., student learning),
and evaluating of the
effectiveness of their teaching.
Demonstrate evidence of
applying INTASC standards as
well as all information gained in
coursework.