ERIC Number: EJ1111401
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1090-1027
EISSN: N/A
Grade-Level Overlap and Standards Mismatch between Nationally Recognized Programs That Prepare Teachers for Grades PreK-3
Fowler, R. Clarke
Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, v37 n3 p203-215 2016
Two related questions are investigated regarding programs accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). First, to what extent do NCATE-recognized elementary teacher preparation programs, which have been approved by the Association for Child Education International (ACEI), prepare candidates to teach in grades PreK-3, grades that the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) considers part of early childhood education? The current results indicate extensive grade-level overlap: 10% of ACEI-accredited elementary programs have grade spans that begin in preschool (or below), 53% begin in kindergarten, 30% in first grade, and 6% in second grade. The second investigation employed a content analysis to compare ACEI's national standards for elementary teacher preparation with NAEYC's national standards for early childhood teacher preparation. This analysis indicates that ACEI's standards include far fewer references to terms that capture essential features of early instruction (e.g., family, community, and observation). Further, while the NAEYC's standards refer to "self-regulation" four times and "play" eight times, the elementary standards mention neither term. When referring to learners, the NAEYC almost always used "child" or "children," but the ACEI mostly used "student" or "students." These results support calls for both stand-alone early licensure and PreK-3 alignment.
Descriptors: Teacher Education, Teacher Education Programs, Content Analysis, Early Childhood Education, Preschool Children, Accreditation (Institutions), Teaching Methods, Comparative Analysis, National Standards, Preschool Education, Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 3, Grade 2, Teacher Certification
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education; Kindergarten; Primary Education; Grade 1; Elementary Education; Grade 3; Grade 2
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A