Elementary Education (Educating Multilingual Learners)

The BAE program for elementary education with a concentration in educating multilingual learners prepares students for certification in grades K-8 as well as a preK-12 bilingual education or English as a second language endorsement in the state of Arizona.

This program offers students a firm grounding in current research and critical pedagogy for English language learners. Candidates take several courses that focus on language diversity, dialectal variation, funds of knowledge and practices that value cultural and community engagements. Students learn processes for developing and supporting the needs of students with individual language learning plans. Students also receive preparation in elementary academic content areas, including math, language arts, social studies and science with a specific focus on meeting the academic and linguistic needs of emergent bilinguals.

Students will learn about the foundations of second language acquisition, biliteracy, culturally relevant pedagogy and effective language instruction. Knowledge of these subjects prepares prospective educators to develop critical perspectives that will help them to advocate for bilingual children and families.

Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College has developed a team-based approach to teacher preparation, allowing students to participate in professional experiences (internships and teaching residencies) with a team of peers while receiving guidance and support from ASU faculty members and highly qualified certified teachers. Team-based professional experiences are designed to prepare students to work with mutually supportive colleagues to address the academic and social-emotional needs of learners. The primary goal of professional experiences is to provide students with multiple opportunities to apply knowledge learned in coursework to practice in the classroom.

Students complete a series of internships prior to a semester-long full-time teaching residency. With the support of a certified mentor teacher and ASU faculty, students are able to practice what is learned during coursework in learning environments.

Graduates earn an institutional recommendation from ASU for Arizona teacher certification in Elementary Education, K-8, as well as an endorsement in either bilingual education or English as a second language from the Arizona Department of Education. In order to teach in an Arizona public school, graduates must pass the appropriate Arizona educator exams: National Evaluation Series or Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessments. In addition, students must complete six credit hours of a foreign language or equivalent and pass an appropriate language proficiency test to be eligible for the bilingual education or English as a second language endorsement.

Academic requirements

First-year students must have a 3.00 grade point average (GPA) (a "B" or better where "A"=4.00) from a secondary school.

Some ASU programs may have higher admission or English proficiency requirements and may consider a minimum ACT or SAT score.

Must have three years of high school work (If you are currently in high school, ASU needs to see 9–11 grade work. If you have completed high school then ASU needs to see 10–12 grade work).

Must have and present a completed high school diploma or certificate.

Conditional admission

ASU may offer conditional undergraduate admission to international applicants to an on-campus program who meet the academic (aptitude) requirements but who are not proficient in English. This offer of conditional admission will give you time to improve your English proficiency before you start classes at ASU. Your conditional admission offer is good for up to three semesters, during which time you must meet one of these requirements to begin your ASU experience.

Competency requirements

International students who completed high school outside the U.S. are required to meet the following competency requirements:

• Math: four years (algebra I, geometry, algebra II and one course requiring algebra II as a prerequisite).

• Laboratory science: three years total (one year each from any of the following areas are accepted: biology, chemistry, earth science, integrated sciences and physics).

International students who attended four years of high school in the U.S. are required to meet the competency requirements.

Graduates of Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College are highly sought teachers in public, charter and private education institutions, including the increasing number of dual-language programs. Career examples include:

• bilingual-dual language K-8 classroom teacher
• K-8 classroom teacher
• language coach
• SEI classroom teacher