Program Requirements

Students enrolled in the PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction Credential program must meet and maintain the following requirements during their program:

1. GPA Requirement
   Students must maintain a “C” or higher (2.75 cumulative GPA) in all credential courses.
2. RICA State Examination
   Students earning a California PK-3 ECE Specialist Instruction Credential must pass the RICA exam by the time they finish their credential program.
3. Subject Matter Competency
   Students must prove subject matter competency by completing 24 credits in early childhood or child development coursework. This requirement must be passed prior to applying for student teaching.
4. CPR Certification
   Students must earn their CPR certification during the course of their program (infant, child and adult). American Heart Association or American Red Cross guidelines must be met. No fully online courses accepted.
5. TB Test
   Students must submit documentation of tuberculosis (TB) test clearance administered prior to taking the SEED 535 course and may be required multiple times in order to participate in the required fieldwork and student teaching.
6. Teacher Preparation and Pedagogy Coursework
   All candidates for the PK-3 Early Childhood Education Specialist Instruction Credential must complete the following teacher preparation courses and subject-specific pedagogy course. Please meet with an academic advisor for course scheduling options:
   
   • LEDU 355 / SEED 534 (Introduction to Early Childhood Education)
   • LEDU 335 / SEED 535 (Child Development: Birth through Adolescence)
   • LEDU 347 / SEED 547 (Early Childhood Reading and Language Arts)
   • LEDU 356 / SEED 556 (Early Childhood Curriculum)
   • LEDU 357 / SEED 557 (School/Family/Community Partnerships in Early Childhood Urban Settings)
   • LEDU 358 / SEED 558 (Classroom Management in Early Childhood Settings)
   • LEDU 359 / SEED 559 (Observation and Assessment of Young Children)
   • LEDU 370 / SEED 587 (Language, Literacy and Biliteracy in Early Childhood)
   • LEDU 439 / SEED 639 (Early Childhood Mathematics Curriculum and Methods)
7. Field Experience Requirements
   The following credential courses have field experience requirements that must be met by students:
   
   • LEDU 355 / SEED 534 (Introduction to Early Childhood Education)
   • LEDU 335 / SEED 535 (Child Development: Birth through Adolescence)
   • LEDU 347 / SEED 547 (Early Childhood Reading and Language Arts)
   • LEDU 356 / SEED 556 (Early Childhood Curriculum)
   • LEDU 357 / SEED 557 (School/Family/Community Partnerships in Early Childhood Urban Settings)
   • LEDU 358 / SEED 558 (Classroom Management in Early Childhood Settings)
   • LEDU 359 / SEED 559 (Observation and Assessment of Young Children)
   • LEDU 370 / SEED 587 (Language, Literacy and Biliteracy in Early Childhood)
   • LEDU 439 / SEED 639 (Early Childhood Mathematics Curriculum and Methods)
   • LEDU 460 / SEED 660 (Early Childhood Student Teaching Seminar I)
   • LEDU 462 / SEED 662 (Early Childhood Student Teaching Seminar II)
   
   

   Each student’s fieldwork placements are determined by the Field Placement Coordinator. Students can request a specific school/teacher for the following semester's placement. In order to make this request, the Fieldwork Placement Request Appeal must be filled out and returned to the Field Placement Coordinator before the last day of class in the previous semester. A submission of this form does not guarantee a student’s request will be fulfilled. The decision to grant the request will be determined by the Chair of Early Childhood. Students will be notified by email whether or not their request was approved.
   
   Candidates who are already full-time teachers in public schools or WASC-accredited private schools may interview to student teach under contract. These candidates may be eligible to complete coursework and Student Teaching at their current school site. Interested candidates should contact the Chair of Early Childhood division prior to the student teaching application process for more information.
   
   Note: The PK-3 Professional Teacher Preparation Program leading to a California Teaching Credential at Biola University is subject to change in response to new legislation and for accreditation/reporting purposes. Please see a credential analyst for current information on completing the requirements for a teaching credential.

8. Student Teaching Requirement
   Student teaching is a whole-classroom instruction experience embedded within the required coursework (LEDU 460/SEED 660 and LEDU 462/SEED 662). Teacher candidates will immerse themselves for a total of 640 hours for 16 weeks in the PK-third grade public school settings. This immersive experience not only fulfills candidates’ needs for teaching practice, planning lessons, assessments of children’s academic performance, but it will also surpass the minimum requirement of 600 hours of clinical practice for the credential.
   
   All candidates will submit a student teaching application at the beginning of the semester prior to student teaching. The Biola Fieldwork Placement Coordinator will verify that all student teaching requirements have been met, including subject matter competence, before approving the candidate to move forward with student teaching. Placements will be secured by the field placement coordinator.
   
   Phase I: LEDU 460/SEED 660 Student Teaching I (6 credits)
   Duration: 8 weeks; full-time (320 hours)
   Candidates will co-teach alongside the classroom teacher, as responsibilities are gradually released to candidate subject by subject, until the candidate is permitted to solo-teach the entire class for at least two weeks. Candidates will serve in a kindergarten-third grade classroom during Phase I. Candidates will obtain principal and parent permission to video-record at least one lesson to submit to the California CTC for CalTPA Cycle II in the context of this classroom placement.
   
   Phase II: LEDU 462/SEED 662 Student Teaching II (6 credits)
   Duration: 8 weeks; full-time (320 hours)
   Candidates will co-teach alongside the classroom teacher, as responsibilities are gradually released to candidate subject by subject, until the candidate is permitted to solo-teach the entire class for at least two weeks. Candidates will serve in a PK-TK classroom during Phase II.
   
   
9. Applying for California Credential
   After successfully completing student teaching and the associated requirements, students must make an appointment with a credential analyst in the School of Education at Biola University and apply for the PK-3 Early Childhood Education (ECE) Specialist Instruction Credential from the State of California’s Commission on Teacher Credentialing.