The B.A. in Elementary Education
The program is rooted in the liberal arts and is rigorous, field-centered and highly personalized. Students work in local schools all four years and finish with 16 weeks of student teaching on the licensure track.
The degree totals 128 credits, with 56 in the major.
Foundations and Field Experience
- Introduction to Teaching (EDU 1200). An overview of the K-12 teaching profession, with seminars and observations in elementary, middle and secondary schools.
- Critical Perspectives on Teaching and Learning (EDU 2200). Current and historical issues in the teaching profession, examined through an equity lens.
- Educational Technology for Teachers (EDU 3110). Digital citizenship, personalized learning and classroom technology for K-12 students.
- Integrated Practicum for the Elementary Classroom (EDU 3232). A supervised 30-hour field experience applying math and literacy strategies in an elementary classroom.
- Introduction to Student Teaching (EDU 4134). The first half of the supervised 16-week student teaching internship. Degree-only students take Internship in Education (EDU 4811).
- Student Teaching Continuation (EDU 4230). Completion of the 16-week internship under a cooperating teacher and university supervisor.
Literacy and Mathematics Methods
- Methods of Teaching Foundational Literacy (EDU 3130). Phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension instruction for emerging readers.
- Integration of Fiction and Nonfiction Texts in the Elementary Classroom (EDU 3131). Children’s literature across authors, illustrators and genres, used to build comprehension.
- Methods of Teaching Reading and Writing in the Intermediate Grades (EDU 3230). Literacy instruction and reading assessment for grades 3-6, with a required field experience.
- Methods of Teaching Mathematics I: Operation and Number (EDU 3133). Number, operations and algebraic reasoning, taught through the NCTM’s eight teaching practices.
- Methods of Teaching Mathematics II: Geometry, Measurement, and Data Analysis (EDU 3233). Designing rigorous lessons in geometry, measurement, data analysis and probability.
- Integrated Principles of Math and Science (EDU 4233). Inquiry-based STEM instruction aligned to North Carolina standards and the Next Generation Science Standards.
Classroom and Learner Courses
- Educational Psychology (EDU 2100). How the social, psychological and physical development of K-12 students shapes learning.
- Students with Disabilities: Characteristics and Service Delivery Models (EDU 3100). Multi-tiered supports, IEPs, special education law and co-teaching in inclusive classrooms.
- Behavioral Intervention and Supports in the Elementary Setting (EDU 3234). Class-wide and individual interventions, behavior plans and de-escalation.
- Classroom and Behavior Management: Elementary Focus (EDU 4130). Prevention and intervention approaches for common K-6 classroom management issues.
- Methods of Teaching Social Studies (EDU 4133). Culturally responsive K-6 social studies instruction that builds literacy and civic thinking.
- Integrated Arts in the Elementary School (EDU 4135). Bringing art, music, dance and drama into elementary lessons.
- Analyzing and Evaluating K-12 Assessment Data (EDU 4166). Rubric design, data literacy and value-added tools such as EVAAS.
- Diverse Learners and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (EDU 4200). Strategies for English language learners and culturally relevant teaching through SIOP.
- Instructional Technology for Elementary K-6 Classrooms (EDU 4110). Integrating technology into standards-based lessons and formative assessment.
Licensure and Degree-Only Tracks
Students can finish on the licensure track, with 16 weeks of student teaching, the required licensure tests and the edTPA portfolio, or on a degree-only track that replaces student teaching with a four-credit internship and electives. Both total 128 credits. Students can also continue straight into an M.Ed. through HPU’s B.A. to M.Ed. program.
The Stout School of Education Building
The 31,000-square-foot, LEED-certified building includes a Teacher Resource Center, a children’s resource library, methods labs that simulate elementary classrooms for literacy and STEM, and the Sheehy Specialized Curriculum Learning Lab.
Community Teaching
Students lead Literacy Nights and LEGO Education Workshops for local families and complete an Integrated Practicum in the Elementary Classroom before student teaching.
“The School of Education at HPU is special because it provides students with service learning opportunities and field placements throughout all four years in the program,” said Cecilie Holm, who went on to teach second grade at Maureen Joy Charter School.
STEM at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center
Education majors have traveled to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, to learn STEM teaching strategies they can bring to their own classrooms.
Undergraduate Research and Study Abroad
Students pursue undergraduate research with faculty, service learning and study abroad, and faculty include former superintendents, principals, classroom teachers, school psychologists and curriculum specialists. The Princeton Review gives High Point University a 95 out of 99 rating for professor accessibility, based on its student surveys.
EDU-Fellows
Qualified education majors can join EDU-Fellows, a four-year cohort program with special activities, trips and scholarship opportunities.
“The fact that I began working in classrooms as a freshman gave me a plethora of experiences to present to employers and administrators going forward,” said Carleigh Luck, a first-grade teacher at Shadybrook Elementary.
Field Experience in Practice
Elementary education coursework is built around time in real classrooms, and graduates point to it as the reason they felt ready. Ainsley Gompf met the faculty at Johnson Street Global Studies through a sophomore practicum and later joined the school to teach fifth and sixth grade science. Mary Owen Chapman interned as a literacy tutor at The Learning Collaborative, using the Orton-Gillingham approach with 4-year-olds. Carleigh Luck concentrated in literacy and now teaches first grade at Shadybrook Elementary School.
The sequence meets the standards of the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP), and every course is described in the Undergraduate Bulletin. Students who want to keep going can add the Master of Education in Elementary Education through the B.A. to M.Ed. path, and the Stout School of Education connects every major to its district partners and annual education career fair.
“Through tutoring and practicum experiences, I feel fully prepared to be a successful teacher.”
Kristin Salvatore, teacher, Millis Elementary School
Elementary Education in the News
Rosemarie Tarara
HPU Freshmen Share 500 Books with Local Elementary School Students
“This is the first chance they get to go into the schools, and I think it confirms to them that they do want to go into education,” said Rosemarie Tarara, instructor of health education and director of Education Fellows at the Stout School of Education.
HPU Students Host Holiday Food Drive, Provide for Local Families
The freshman Education Fellows volunteered at two service sites during the fall semester. They completed 25 service-learning hours between the Out of the Garden Project and the High Point Public Library Teaching Garden.
Explore Elementary Education at High Point University
See how HPU elementary education ranks and where its graduates teach.
Accreditation & Awards Careers & Organizations
Questions about the program? Email Dr. Amy Holcombe at [email protected].