The Elementary Teacher Education program at Illinois State will prepare you for a type 03 certification to teach grades K-9. The program is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education and nationally recognized as a model of standards-based and performance-based teacher education. Throughout your course work, you will gain the professional knowledge, skills, and experiences needed to become a highly effective elementary classroom teacher and informed decision-maker about elementary curriculum and instruction.

Program features

Program objectives are the national standards for elementary education designed by Association of Childhood International (ACEI) International, making the program well-aligned with current research and the established needs of schools and new teachers.
Middle School Endorsement requirements are built into the program, so you earn middle level endorsement in addition to the elementary certification.
Diversity training is included in every course in the program, so you move well beyond awareness to learn how to actually apply this critical knowledge base.
Technology skills are embedded directly into our methods courses, so you gain immediate practice using appropriate technology in your teaching.
Multiple clinical experiences throughout the program prepare you to assume your professional responsibilities. Prior to student teaching, elementary education candidates will spend more than 155 hours in clinical experiences in K-8 classrooms as a part of their program, including teacher institutes and parent-teacher conferences.
A variety of student teaching options are available. You may choose an on-campus program with its varied clinical placement settings and its one-semester student teaching in a multitude of Illinois school districts as well as in Texas and in Great Britain. Alternatively, you can opt to spend your entire final year at one of Illinois State University's Professional Development Schools.
A high degree of professional readiness and satisfaction with our program is reported by our graduates. Performance on state certification tests is superior. Many principals and school districts across the state express a preference for our program graduates, telling us they come into classrooms well prepared to assume professional responsibilities.

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