Elementary Education, B.A.
The Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education provides undergraduate students with a solid foundation in child development, methods of teaching and significant concepts in ELE necessary for supporting the education of students in grades 1-6. Students who pursue this major are interested in working in a classroom setting with children. Topics in this major include best practices in curriculum, a variety of assessment techniques, culturally relevant pedagogy, methods of teaching in literacy, math, science and social studies, equity-informed practice, and other relevant topics in Elementary Education.
The Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education is offered in two formats; a fully online and blended program.
For more information on state licensure and certification information please visit NLU’s Public Disclosures page.
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):
At the completion of the Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education program, students will be able to:
PLO1. Apply knowledge of self, students, curriculum content, and effective instruction to develop appropriate learning outcomes and design activities to meet diverse learner needs including students with special needs and diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
PLO2. Develop a variety of assessments and explain how they will use them to anticipate varied ways students might perform, make accommodations, monitor student progress, and adjust and evaluate instruction.
PLO3. Demonstrate respectful and responsive interactions with students that motivate, support, and advance students’ development and learning.
PLO4. Establish a culture of appropriately high expectations for student learning and behavior and design a classroom environment that supports all students to be successful.
PLO5. Persist in their efforts to engage all students in content learning through effective instructional discourse, use of appropriate technologies, ongoing performance monitoring, flexibility, and adaptability to support students’ behavior and advance their learning.
PLO6. Apply knowledge of human development and learning to interpret a variety of assessments to inform their instruction and provide meaningful feedback.
PLO7. Use feedback from a variety of stakeholders to develop meaningful professional learning goals and identify appropriate professional activities to continuously improve their practice.
PLO8. Demonstrate the capacity to collaborate effectively and ethically with colleagues, families, and community members to promote positive and inclusive learning for all students.
Admissions Requirements:
Admission to the Elementary Education program is a two step process. In the first step, students are admitted to National Louis University with a preliminary status. In the second step, students must be admitted to the licensure program which updates the admission to full status in the B.A. Elementary Education program. Students must be admitted to the licensure program before beginning their Elementary Education Student Teaching course (ELE 470).
Full Admission requirements for students beginning Elementary Education licensure program:
- Successful completion of all general education courses with a grade of "C" or better
- Successful completion of EDU 200, EDU 210, EDU 290, and EDU 299 with a grade of "C" or better
- Achieve a GPA of 2.5 or better on all previous coursework, with grade of "C" or better in all courses
- Creation of account in the Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS)
Program Details:
- Requires 180 QH including 70 QH of General Education for completion
- Requires completion of all courses in the program with a grade of "C" or better, with the exception of ELE 470, which must be completed with a grade of "B" or better
- Requires completion of the following courses at NLU: EAL 312, EDU 305, EDU 420, EDU 477, EDU 480, EDU 483, ELE 470, and SPE 435
- Requires completion of field hours built into courses across the entire program, taken each term. They are mapped to the following ISBE Credentials and Endorsements:
- Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Elementary Education Endorsement;
- ISBE ESL/Bilingual Endorsement (for students who choose to pursue the ESL/Bilingual Concentration);
- ISBE Learning Behavior Specialist 1 (LBS1) Endorsement (for students who choose to pursue the Special Education Concentration).
- Requires completion of coursework that addresses the following:
- At least three areas of sciences:
- Life Science (e.g. Biology, Botany, Ecology, Infectious Diseases, Human Physiology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Zoology, Environmental Science)
- Physical Science (e.g. Chemistry, Physics)
- Earth and Space (e.g. Geology, Oceanography, Meteorology, Astronomy, Environmental, Ecology)
- At least four areas of the social sciences:
- History
- Cultural Geography
- Civics and Government
- Economics
- Requires student teaching. Student teachers spend a minimum of 11 weeks in the classroom at an assigned school.
- Demonstrate a 2.5 GPA or greater on a 4.0 scale prior to EDU 305 and a 2.75 GPA or greater on a 4.0 scale prior to beginning methods coursework
- Requires that all courses in the major, concentration and educator preparation core must be completed within 15 years of graduation
- Candidates may complete one of the concentrations listed below:
Required Courses
Communications- 15 QH
| ENG 101 | Beginning English Composition | 5 |
| ENG 201 | Intermediate English | 5 |
| ENG 203 | Effective Speaking for the Undergraduate | 5 |
Humanities and Fine Arts - 15 QH
ART 101 Note: Students transferring coursework from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use other coursework in Introductory Art, Music, or Theater including any Fine Arts History or Appreciation courses as well as studio arts and performance.
EDU 220 Note: Students transferring credit from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may only use another English or Education course as long as children's literature is being covered.
HIS 103 Note: Students transferring coursework from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use another Literature or Humanities course as long as the ISBE general education requirements are being met by another course.
Quantitative Reasoning- 5 QH
Note: Students transferring coursework from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use any coursework that is considered College level mathematics.
Physical and Life Sciences- 10 QH
One course must have a lab.
| SCI 101 | Physical Science | 5 |
| SCI 102 | Survey of Biological Science with Lab | 5 |
SCI 101 Note: Students transferring coursework from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use other coursework in Survey of Physical Science, General Chemistry, Chemistry and Society, General Physics, Physics and Society, or Earth Science, which covers at least four areas of physical science.
SCI 102 Note: Students transferring coursework from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use other coursework in general biology or other life science.
Social and Behavioral Sciences- 15 QH
| HIS 102 | Civics and American Government | 5 |
| HIS 212 | Think Global: Movements in US History and its Impact on Society and School | 5 |
| PSY 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 5 |
HIS 102 and HIS 212 Notes: Students transferring coursework from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use other coursework in Politics or Government and coursework in U.S. History to fulfill the licensure program requirements.
PSY 101 Note: Students transferring coursework from other institutions or applying coursework previously completed at NLU may use any coursework in social or behavioral sciences.
Additional General Education Requirements - 10 QH
Note: GEN 103 may be waived for transfer students who (1) enter NLU with an associate's degree or 90 or more quarter hours of transfer credit; and (2) have maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above in their previous undergraduate studies. For MTH 115, transfer or returning students may use any coursework that is considered College level mathematics.
Educator Preparation Core - 40 QH
| EAL 300 | Educational Foundations for Learning English as an Additional Language | 5 |
| EAL 331 | Cross Cultural Studies for Working with English Language Learners | 5 |
| ECE 334 | Language and Early Literacy Development | 5 |
| EDU 200 | Applied Educational Psychology | 5 |
| EDU 210 | Educational Philosophy- A Historical Account | 5 |
| EDU 290 | Professionalism and Ethical Engagement with Children, Families and the Community | 5 |
| EDU 299 | Practicum I Child Development | 5 |
| EDU 305 | Equity in Education | 5 |
Elementary Education Major - 55 QH
| EAL 312 | Linguistic Considerations for Learning to Read in a New Language | 5 |
| EDU 350 | Teacher Preparation Curriculum and Assessment | 5 |
| EDU 420 | Practicum II: Professional Practices and Classroom Contexts | 5 |
| EDU 477 | Literacy Teaching Methods | 5 |
| EDU 480 | Methods of Teaching Mathematics | 5 |
| EDU 483 | Inquiry Based Teaching Methods: Science and Social Studies | 5 |
| ELE 470 | Elementary Education: Student Teaching | 10 |
| SPE 300 | Introduction to Special Education and Methods of Teaching Students with Disabilities | 5 |
| SPE 435 | Autism-Spectrum Disorders and Characteristics of Children With Disabilities | 5 |
| STEM 300 | Inquiry and Thinking in STEM for Teachers | 5 |
Concentration- 15 QH
See links to concentrations above
Elementary Education Student Teaching Enrollment Requirements
Admission to and continuance in student teaching are contingent on the following actions.
Candidates must:
- Be accepted into the Undergraduate College of Education Licensure Program (see above).
- File, by the designated deadline, the application form for student teaching.
- Submit to the Undergraduate Office of Field Experience a report of a TB test taken within 90 days of the student teaching placement, results of criminal background check and acknowledgement of Mandated Reporter status form.
- Pass the Elementary Education (Grades 1-6) Content Area Test (305) prior to EDU 420, per ISBE requirements.
- Complete all of the licensure courses except for ELE 470 (Student Teaching) with a grade of "C" or better.
- Successfully complete necessary program assessments, including the professional disposition assessment.
Graduation and Licensure Requirements:
Completion of the degree requires the following be met:
- All courses leading to licensure must have a grade of C or better, except for ELE 470: Elementary Education Student Teaching.
- Pass ELE 470: Elementary Education Student Teaching with a B or better.
- Have an overall program GPA of 3.0.
- Achieve a satisfactory rating on all field assessments during student teaching demonstrating knowledge, skills and dispositions to teach the elementary grades.
Completion of the Professional Educator License, awarded by ISBE, requires the above, as well as the following:
- Earn a passing score on the appropriate content test.
- Earn a passing score on the edTPA.