Elementary Level Core ESL
Our program provides future teachers the critical thinking skills and approaches to teaching that cultivate the development of the whole student. Faculty members are dedicated to providing future teachers opportunities to engage with community-school stakeholders, implement practice-informed experiences, and implement a curriculum and pedagogical practices that are relevant to the students of Texas. Future teachers gain strategies that work toward the academic success of all students.
-
Four Reasons to Become an Elementary Teacher
-
The opportunity to profoundly impact the lives of children
Research indicates that teacher quality is the most important factor in students' academic success. And there is tremendous satisfiaction in watching a child discover new learning. As the poet William Butler Yeats said, "Education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire."
-
The satisfaction of contributing to your community
By preparing students for lives as informed and engaged citizens, you can benefit your community, your country, and the world.
-
The chance to change the future
As the author Henry B. Adams once said, "A teacher affects eternity: he can never tell where his influence stops." Or, as teacher and astronaut Christa McAuliffe put it, "I touch the future: I teach."
-
An outlet for your creativity
The need to engage all students in learning calls upon a teacher to be creative in adapting and developing learning activities. New technologies allow teachers to bring the world - even the universie - into their classrooms.
-
Career Opportunities
After successful completion of the degree and passing scores on the required certification exams, graduates can apply for EC-6 ESL Core Subjects teacher certification. The EC-6 Core Subjects certification makes you eligible to teach in an Elementary School setting in Texas, as the teacher of record for all core subjects. Any teacher who holds an initial valid Texas classroom teaching certificate and a bachelor's degree can later add additional classroom certification areas by completing the appropriate examination(s).
Considering Graduate School?
Texas State's Curriculum and Instruction Department offers several programs specifically geared toward students who have earned teacher certification but want to further their education and qualifications. These include The Teacher Fellows Program and the Master's in Elementary Education.
The Department of Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education and School Psychology offers a Specialist in School Psychology program, where students with or without teaching experience can choose specializations in autism or bilingual school psychology and apply for licensure as a School Psychologist.
For some general guidance about all the available programs Texas State has to offer, visit the Graduate College web page.
While our office assists students seeking undergraduate degrees, Ross Wood is a career educator and the liaison to the College of Education in Career Services. He is available to review resumes, provide interview preparation, discuss search strategies, and more. To schedule an appointment, e-mail Ross [rossw@txstate.edu] with the following information: major, classification, reason for appointment, and 2-3 different dates/times that work best for your schedule.
Declaring This Major
Schedule an appointment with a College of Education Advisor by calling 512.245.3050 or by stopping by the College of Education Advising Center in the Education building, suite 2143.
To ensure thorough understanding of degree and graduation requirements, students are required to meet with an Advisor before their record will be updated. In this appointment, an advisor can answer questions about the degree program, update the student's curriculum record in the student information system, and assist with degree planning based on the new declaration.
Round Rock Campus
This program is offered at the Round Rock campus (RRC).
Admittance to the Educator Preparation Program
In addition to declaration of the major, students must apply and be admitted to the Educator Preparation Program in order to enroll in Block coursework beyond the Education Core.
The application and criteria for admittance are available through the Office of Educator Preparation on their website.
Statements of Understanding
Students wanting to declare into this degree program will be required to review and sign the Statement of Understanding form below during their advising appointment. This form is intended to provide helpful degree planning information to students early in their program to pave the way for successful planning and degree progress.
NOTE: Information included on checksheets is subject to change.
For the most updated information for each degree plan, students should refer to the appropriate Undergraduate Catalog and track their progress using a Degree Audit. Additionally, we encourage all students to meet on a semester basis with their Academic Advisor.
While students may continue following a catalog year degree plan for six years, other planning factors such as course offerings or rotations and prerequisite sequencing are subject to change each year. For that reason, the most current degree plan sequencing guide is available below; students with questions about navigating older degree plans are encouraged to meet with an advisor.
2024 Catalog
Main Campus (San Marcos)
Round Rock Campus
Transfer Planning
NOTE: These resources are intended to help you PLAN AHEAD, so be sure to check these before taking transfer coursework whenever possible.
Students planning to earn college credit at another institution for eventual transfer to Texas State should refer to the Transfer Planning Guide for confirmation of which lower-level transfer coursework may be applied toward degree requirements in this specific program.
Additionally, the Transfer Equivalency Guide can be used to determine how any transfer course will be evaluated, regardless of specific degree program.
If you'd like assistance with credit evaluation or admission applications, contact the Transfer Center to schedule a Transfer Navigation Appointment.
Did you earn credits toward an AAT? [Associate of Arts in Teaching]
'C's or better in EDUC 1301 and EDUC 2301 satisfy the requirements for CI 2311 and RDG 4320 in this degree plan.
To explore student organizations specifically related to the teaching profession, visit the Department of Curriculum and Instruction website.
You can also view a more comprehensive list of all the student organizations available across the University through the Student Organizations Council website.
Course Substitution Requests
You may request evaluation of a course taken previously or that you plan to take to confirm whether it is equivalent to a degree requirement in your program.
If approved, provide documentation of that approval to the College of Education Advising Center for the course substitution to be reflected on your Degree Audit.
The instructions below are specific to the EC-6 ESL Core Subjects degree plan.
To request a substitution in a different College of Education program, select from our Majors and Programs list and scroll to the substitutions section at the bottom of that specific program page.
-
Core Curriculum for EC-6 ESL Core Subjects
EXAMPLES: ENG 1310, ENG 1320; MATH 1315*; PHYS 1365*; GS 2310*; PHIL 1305 or 1320; ART or DAN or MU or TH 2313; HIST 1320, HIST 1320; POSI 2310, POSI 2320; GEO 1310*; ANTH 1312*, COMM 1310; ENG 2310 - 2360
Submit: Transfer Evaluation Request
*If initially approved above, the following require a second approval:
MATH 1315 - submit to College of Science
PHYS 1365, GS 2310, GEO 1310, ANTH 1312 - submit Substitution Request - Core -
Other EC-6 ESL Core Subjects Courses
EXAMPLES:
Major, Certification, Support
Submit: Elementary Level ESL - Major, Certification, Support
For the courses below, instead follow these instructions:
MATH 2311 - submit to College of Science -
Minor (if declared)
- Minors outside of the College of Education (Psychology, Biology, etc)
- Special Education minor
- Coaching minor
- Exercise and Sports Science minor
- Public Health minor
- Recreation Studies minor