Elementary Education BS
Program Purpose
In the Elementary Education program at BYU, you will prepare to teach and serve with a Christ-centered commitment to compassion, equity, and civic engagement.
Guided by the example of Jesus Christ and the principles of the BYU-Public School Partnership, you will strive for academic excellence while inspiring others through service, integrity, and a sincere love for God and neighbors.
Throughout the program, you will develop the capacity to:
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Ensure that all learners have access to meaningful educational opportunities.
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Help students understand their roles and responsibilities as informed citizens in a diverse society.
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Teach with high expectations while fostering caring relationships by creating a supportive and stimulating learning environment for every child.
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Encourage students to become compassionate, engaged members of their communities.
Grounded in reflective practice, hands-on field experiences, and spiritual growth, you will become a steward deeply committed to the well-being of each learner, school, and community. Upon graduation, you will be prepared to uplift and strengthen others through a lifelong pursuit of knowledge, empathy, and service.
Connections between University and Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Aims.
- Spiritually strengthening. We understand that to serve others and to collaborate well with others requires spiritual strength, which can be gained through faith, prayer, personal sacrifice, service, and worship. We seek to create an environment that encourages candidates to explore and strengthen their spirituality. Our hope is that our candidates will be able to use their spiritual strength to engage in nurturing pedagogy and to create supportive learning environments that take into consideration the unique and varied needs of all learners.
- Intellectually enlarging. We understand that teachers must first seek knowledge, understanding, and wisdom in preparation for helping others to learn and grow. Thus we seek to create environments that are intellectually enlarging and support the academic excellence of our candidates. Indeed, we endeavor to support teacher candidates' development as inquiring and knowledgeable problem solvers who strive for personal and professional distinction. Furthermore, we expect our candidates to create opportunities for all students to access knowledge through high quality teaching.
- Character building. We understand that in order for our candidates to teach and collaborate well they must develop moral character that underpins social competence. Furthermore, we seek to help our candidates understand that teaching is a "moral endeavor" (Goodlad, 1990). We embrace and strive to help our candidates understand and embrace the moral dimensions of teaching as outlined by John I. Goodlad and others. Finally, we hope that our candidates will prepare youth for participation in a social and political democracy.
- Lifelong learning and service. We understand that teaching is a profession that requires lifelong learning and service; indeed, every teacher is continually in the service of children, schools, and communities. Furthermore, any teacher is capable of becoming a better teacher. Therefore, we seek to foster in candidates habits of reflective practitioners and to help them understand their responsibility to support, improve, and defend the principles of public education and to advocate for children. As our candidates embrace the notions of lifelong learning and service, they will be in a better position to serve as stewards of public education.
Career Opportunities
This program is designed to prepare undergraduate students (teacher candidates) for licensure in Grades K-6 from the Utah State Office of Education. Many states have reciprocal agreements with Utah, where few or no additional courses, tests, or other requirements are necessary for the license to be recognized.
Curricular Structure
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Elementary Education Program, teacher candidates meet the needs of elementary students through competencies related to the Utah Effective Teaching Standards (UETS)and the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI). The four primary learning outcomes of this program include:
1. Learner Development and DifferencesTeacher candidates will honor the divine worth and potential of each child by recognizing learner development and individual differences, and by ensuring equitable access to meaningful academic learning.
BYU aims: Spiritual Strengthening, Character Building
Partnership Commitment: Equitable Access to Knowledge, Stewardship
Teacher candidates will create and sustain effective, nurturing learning environments that reflect Christlike love and prepare students to participate in a diverse and just civic society.
BYU aims: Spiritual Strengthening, Character Building, Lifelong Learning and Service
Partnership Commitment: Engaged Learning Through Nurturing Pedagogy, Civic Preparation and Engagement.
Teacher candidates will cultivate a lifelong love of learning in their students by facilitating inspiring, engaged instruction that integrates content knowledge, social-emotional understanding, assessment, planning, and responsive teaching strategies to ensure equitable access to academic opportunities.
BYU aims: Spiritual Strengthening, Character Building, Lifelong Learning and Service, Intellectually Enlightening
Partnership Commitment: Engaged Learning Through Nurturing Pedagogy, Stewardship, Simultaneous Renewal
Teacher candidates will stand for truth and act as stewards within schools and communities, demonstrating professionalism, collaboration, and reflective practice in pursuit of continuous improvement and educational renewal.
BYU aims: Spiritual Strengthening, Character Building, Lifelong Learning and Service
Partnership Commitment: Stewardship, Simultaneous Renewal
Evidence of Learning
Assessment Tools
The Elementary Education program has established four transition points (admission to the program, preclinical phase, post-clinical phase, and alumni) for assessing teacher candidates. At each of these transition points, teacher candidates are evaluated on multiple, common assessments developed and established by the faculty. These assessments include, but are not limited to, evaluations of academic performance (lesson plans, cases studies, teacher performance assessment, etc.), professional and interpersonal behavior measures, dispositional measures, and clinical practice measures, all of which are linked and tied to the program aims and UETS standards.
Data for major assessments are collected through the use of Educator as the unit data management system, which facilitates the creation, sharing, saving, and storing of information, assignments, assessments and other artifacts to be used as evidence of candidate performance. Data are exportable to display software such as FileMaker Pro and Excel for program and unit reports.
Direct Measures
BYU Professional Teacher Candidate Assessment (TCA)
PRAXIS II Subject Assessment: Elementary Education
Utah Foundations of Reading Assessment (UFORA)
1. Learner Development
- During early practicum experiences and student teaching/internship, the University Supervisor and Mentor Teacher evaluate the teacher candidate using the PAES, Standard 1.
- During student teaching/internship, the Department evaluates the teacher candidate's RTWS, Competencies 1, 2 and 3.
2. Learning Differences
- During early practicum experiences and student teaching/internship, the University Supervisor and Mentor Teacher evaluate the teacher candidate using the PAES, Standard 2.
- During student teaching/internship, the Department evaluates the teacher candidate's RTWS , Competencies 1, 2, 3 and 4.
3. Learning Environments
- During early practicum experiences and student teaching/internship, the University Supervisor and Mentor Teacher evaluate the teacher candidate using the PAES, Standard 3.
- During student teaching/internship the Department evaluates the teacher candidate's RTWS, Competency 4. Prior to admission, candidates successfully complete the Technology Skills Assessment (TSA).
4. Content Knowledge
- During early practicum experiences and student teaching/internship, the University Supervisor and Mentor Teacher evaluate the teacher candidate using the PAES, Standard 4.
- Prior to or during student teaching/internship, the teacher candidate will successfully complete the PRAXIS II test.
5. Assessment
- During early practicum experiences and student teaching/internship, the University Supervisor and Mentor Teacher evaluate the teacher candidate using the PAES, Standard 5.
- During student teaching/internship, the Department evaluates the teacher candidate's RTWS, Competencies 3, 5 and 6.
6. Instructional Planning
- During early practicum experiences and student teaching/internship, the University Supervisor and Mentor Teacher evaluate the teacher candidate using the PAES, Standard 6.
- During student teaching/internship, the Department evaluates the teacher candidate's RTWS, Competencies 1, 2 and 4.
7. Instructional Strategies
- During early practicum experiences and student teaching/internship, the University Supervisor and Mentor Teacher evaluate the teacher candidate using the PAES, Standard 7.
- During student teaching/internship the Department evaluates the teacher candidate's RTWS, Competencies 4 and 5.
8. Reflection and Continuous Growth
- During early practicum experiences and student teaching/internship, the University Supervisor and Mentor Teacher evaluate the teacher candidate using the PAES, Standard 8.
- During student teaching/internship, the Department evaluates the teacher candidate's RTWS, Competencies 6 and 7.
9. Leadership and Collaboration
- During early practicum experiences and student teaching/internship, the University Supervisor and Mentor Teacher evaluate the teacher candidate using the PAES, Standard 9.
10. Professional and Ethical Behavior
- During early practicum experiences and student teaching/internship, the University Supervisor and Mentor Teacher evaluate the teacher candidate using the PAES, Standard 10.
Indirect Measures
Current syllabi for these courses can be found at syllabi.byu.edu.
1. Learner Development
Successful completion of: SFL 210, El Ed 333, El Ed 443, El Ed 447, El Ed 446, CPSE 300, El Ed 203, PETE 212, TMA 352, Music 378, VAEdu 326.
2. Learning Differences
Successful completion of: CPSE 300, El Ed 203, El Ed 333, El Ed 443, El Ed 447, El Ed 446, El Ed 445, PETE 212, TMA 352, Music 378, VAEdu 326.
3. Learning Environments
Successful completion of: El Ed 324, El Ed 333, El Ed 443, El Ed 447, El Ed 446, El Ed 445, CPSE 300, El Ed 203, PETE 212, TMA 352, Music 378, VAEdu 326.
4. Content Knowledge
Successful completion of all program courses.
5. Assessment
Successful completion of: El Ed 213, El Ed 333, El Ed 443, El Ed 447, El Ed 446, El Ed 445, PETE 212, TMA 352, Music 378, VAEdu 326.
6. Instructional Planning
Successful completion of: El Ed 324, El Ed 333, El Ed 443, El Ed 447, El Ed 446, El Ed 445, CPSE 300, El Ed 203, IP&T 372, IP&T 373, PETE 212, TMA 352, Music 378, VAEdu 326.
7. Instructional Strategies
Successful completion of: El Ed213, El Ed 340, El Ed 333, El Ed 443, El Ed 447, El Ed 446, El Ed 445, Dance 326, PETE 212, Music 378, TMA 352, VAEdu 326, Engl 313, CPSE 300, El Ed 203, IP&T 372, IP&T 373.
8. Reflection and Continuous Growth
Successful completion of: El Ed 324, El Ed 213, El Ed 333, El Ed 443, El Ed 447, EDLF 201, PETE 212, TMA 352, Music 378, VAEdu 326.
9. Leadership and Collaboration
Successful completion of: El Ed 324, El Ed 213, CPSE 300, El Ed 445, PETE 212, TMA 352, Music 378, VAEdu 326.
10. Professional and Ethical Behavior
Successful completion of: (add courses here)
The following surveys are used to gather data for program evaluation:
- BYU Senior Survey
- BYU Alumni Survey
- Employer Survey by Educational Benchmarks Inc (EBI)
Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement
Faculty members and administrative leaders in the Department of Teacher Education analyze and evaluate the generated data and assessment outcomes at regular intervals associated with the four major transition points. This analysis takes place with reports generated by and through the Assessment Team. These reports are prepared at the end of each semester, providing summaries of student performance as well as access to the artifacts and assessments that produced the data. These summaries are reviewed by administrative leaders and the faculty at large in identifying program strengths and weaknesses. Through thoughtful discussion and debate, consensus is reached, targets/goals for change are identified, and procedures are put in place to achieve the goals. When and if necessary, proposals are forwarded to the University Council on Teacher Education and the University Curriculum Committee for approval.
Unit level analysis, evaluation, and improvement occur on a systematic basis. Under the direction of the Educator Preparation Program Executive Committee, assessment instruments are developed, tested, implemented, evaluated, and revised for the EPP. Data are aggregated and reported to the respective programs. Comparisons are made within and between programs.
Assessment Scales
TCA Competency Scale (0-3): 3-Exceptional, 2-Demonstrates Competancy, 1-Beginning, 0-Not Effective
UFORA Scale (240+)
EL ED GPA Scale: 4.0