Inaugural class completes early childhood program with high marks

Spring 2008 marks the completion of the first group of students in the Department's five-year Unified Early Childhood Education (UEC) birth through 3rd grade teacher education program. The UEC program was approved as a new teacher education licensure program at KU by the Kansas State Department of Education in the spring of 2005. The first group of 12 students accepted into the program began taking classes in the fall of 2005 as juniors.

Inaugural 2008 UEC Program's Licensed Educators

Students who complete the five-year program have completed a bachelor of science in education, approximately 15 graduate credit hours and are licensed as both general and special educators who may serve children in a wide range of educational programs—for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, and in kindergarten, first, second, and third grade classrooms.

Created as a cooperative effort between the Departments of Special Education and Curriculum and Teaching and managed by the special education early childhood program area faculty, the UEC birth through 3rd grade program is in concert with the national impetus for preparing teachers of young children from birth through age 8 to implement developmentally appropriate practices and support educational environments that are natural, inclusive and offer young children with disabilities access to the general early education curriculum.

Ultimately 11 of the original 12 students will also complete a master’s degree at KU and the majority of this group will also obtain a second endorsement in special education. Other areas of educational interest among this group of talented young educators include working with English Language Learners, children in urban settings, emergent literacy, and international education.

Barb Thompson, early childhood professor, shared of the Department's pride in learning of the PRAXIS results of this inaugural class. "We were particularly proud to learn that all students in this first graduating class scored exceptionally high on their PRAXIS subjects assessments and that two actually passed with perfect scores!" said Thompson.

Early childhood Professor Eva Horn agreed, adding: "We look forward to following their careers and to the contributions they will make to high quality and inclusive early intervention, preschool and primary education in Kansas and nationwide."

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Special Education
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