Elementary Education, BAE

Department of Early Childhood, Elementary, and Multilingual Education, Woodring College of Education

105 credits

Introduction

This major centers an anti-bias, anti-racist, social justice philosophy and leads to a recommendation to the state of Washington for a teaching certificate with an Elementary Education endorsement.

Why Consider an Elementary Education Major?

Elementary teachers have a unique opportunity to make a difference in the lives of their students, families and communities by laying the foundation for both future academic learning and for future participation in democratic society. The Elementary Education major was designed to foster the dispositions, knowledge, and skills needed to recognize and build on the assets that linguistically and culturally diverse students bring to schools. 

How to Declare (Admission and Declaration Process):

Admission to Western Washington University and admission to the Elementary Education Program are required before a student may begin taking courses in the Elementary Education major. Please receive advisement for information about courses that may be taken before admission. See the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Multilingual Education  section of this catalog for program admission, completion, and teacher certification requirements. Requirements for consideration of an application include:

• completion of a minimum of 75 credits.
• 2.75 GPA (cumulative or last 45-plus graded credits).
• Meet the basic skills requirement. This may be met by: a) Taking the West-B exam, b) SAT scores, c) ACT scores. There is no minimum score requirement for admission. See the Woodring admissions website at wce.wwu.edu/admissions/basic-skills and the West-B website at west.nesinc.com.
• completion of an English composition course with grade of B- or higher
• completed application (see website for dates)

Enrollment restrictions apply in all teacher education programs. Meeting the above criteria makes the applicant eligible for admission, but does not guarantee admission. For further information, visit Teacher Education Admissions, 360-650-6161 or visit the website at wce.wwu.edu/admissions/contact.

Retention in the program requires continuous demonstration of competence in standard oral and written English in all coursework. Retention also requires maintenance of a 2.75 quarterly GPA for each quarter upon admission to Elementary Education. Courses required for a state teaching endorsement and for the professional education sequence must be completed with a grading of C (2.0) or better.

Student Advisement

Prospective elementary education students are invited to meet with an advisor for more information about the program. The main office is in Miller Hall 300 and the phone number is 360-650-3336. Once admitted to the program, students are assigned a faculty advisor with whom they will stay in contact throughout their program.

Grade Requirements

Students must earn a grade of C (2.0) or better in the elementary education professional program and in all courses required for the endorsement.