CI 295 A - Pre-K to 4th Grade

CI 295 A - Pre-K to 4th Grade

CI 295A is required for teacher candidates seeking admission to the PK-4 certification program

CI 295 is a three-credit course that consists of two major components:

• a  two-hour weekly seminar consisting of reading, discussion, lecture and reflective writing assignments
• six hours per week spent observing and working with individual children or small groups of children in an early childhood setting for a period of 10 weeks

Weekly Seminars

Seminars are held on Thursday evenings. These seminars engage teacher candidates in reading, thinking, talking and writing about a wide range of issues and topics that are pertinent for individuals considering becoming PK- 4 educators.

Weekly Pre-School Observations

Teacher candidates will be placed for their observation experience for either 3 hours twice a week or for one six-hour period once per week. All placements will be within walking distance of the University Park campus or will be accessible on bus routes. For those who have their own transportation, placements in other early childhood settings might be possible. Teacher candidates will be observing in both infant and toddler settings as well as in pre-kindergarten settings in order to help them gain a deeper understanding of the childhood development continuum.

Required Clearances for CI 295A

The following clearances are required in order to participate in  CI 295A

1. State Health Appraisal and TB Test
2. FBI Fingerprints - www.pa.cogentid.com/index.htm or Certification of No Offense Form. MUST BE DONE IN PA.
   
3. PA Child Abuse - www.dpw.state.pa.us/ucmprd/groups/webcontent/documents/form/s_001762.pdf
4. PA Criminal Record -www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt
5. Two letters of reference that can speak to your good charcater, relaibility, dependability, and interest in working with children.

Please note: All required clearances must be valid at the beginning of each field experience. This means that the clearances must be less than one year old at the beginning of the field experience. It is also possible that some early childhood settings will require that the clearances be valid for the entire length of the field experience. Your supervisor will inform you if that is the case.

For more information on the required clearances, visit the Clearance Section of the website

Assessment of Student Performance in the Field Site

Student performance in the field site is assessed using the CI 295A and B Preservice Teacher Assessment Form

Hours Log

Preservice teachers keep a log of hours in the field experience that is signed by the mentor teacher.