Iowa Administrative Code
Agency 282 - Educational Examiners Board
Chapter 13 - Issuance of Teacher Licenses and Endorsements
Rule 282-13.26 - Requirements for Elementary Endorsements

1. Understand the nature of child growth and development for infants and toddlers (birth through age 2), preprimary (age 3 through age 5) and primary school children (age 6 through age 8), both typical and atypical, in areas of cognition, language development, physical motor, social-emotional, mental health, aesthetics, and adaptive behavior and how these impact development and learning in the first years of life, including the etiology, characteristics, and classifications of common disabilities in infants and young children and specific implications for development and learning.

2. Recognize that children are best understood in the contexts of family, culture and society and that cultural and linguistic diversity, stress, risk factors, biological and environmental factors, family strengths, and trauma influence development and learning at all stages, including pre-, peri-, and postnatal development and learning. Communicate the importance of responsive care to a child's development of identity and sense of self.

3. Use developmental knowledge to create learning environments and classroom procedures that promote positive social interaction, active engagement, high expectations for learning, mutual respect, and self-regulation through individually appropriate expectations and positive guidance techniques for each child to meet the child's optimum potential regardless of proficiency. Implement and evaluate preventative and reductive strategies to address challenging behaviors. Use motivational and instructional interventions to teach individuals with exceptionalities how to adapt to different environments. Know how to intervene safely and appropriately with individuals in crisis.

4. Use both child-initiated and teacher-facilitated instructional methods, including strategies such as small and large group projects, play, systematic instruction, group discussion and cooperative decision making. Organize space, time, materials, peers, and adults to maximize progress in natural and structured environments. Embed learning opportunities in everyday routines, relationships, activities, and places. Understand the impact of social and physical environments on development and learning.

5. Engage in intentional practices and implement learning experiences that value diversity and demonstrate understanding that bias and discrimination impact development. Understand how language, culture, and family background influence and support the learning of each child.

1. Build family and community relationships to include understanding that successful early childhood education depends upon reciprocal and respectful partnerships with families, communities, and agencies, that these partnerships have complex and diverse characteristics, and that all families should be involved in their children's development and learning.

2. Understand diverse family and community characteristics and how language, culture, and family background influence and support children's learning, and apply that knowledge to develop, implement, and evaluate learning experience and strategies that respect and reflect the diversity of children and their families.

3. Understand how to apply theories and knowledge of dynamic roles and relationships within and between families, schools, and communities. Recognize how to adapt consistently to the expressed and observed strengths and needs of the family, including two-way communication, and how to support families' choices and priorities in the development of goals and intervention strategies.

4. Understand how to coordinate with all (caregivers, professionals, and agencies) who provide care and learning opportunities for each child by developing a community of support for children and families through interagency collaboration to include agreements, referrals, and consultation.

1. Use technically sound formal and informal assessments that minimize bias and evaluation results to adapt and guide instruction. Demonstrate a range of appropriate assessment and evaluation strategies (e.g., family interview, observation, documentation, assessment instrument) to support individual strengths, interests, and needs.

2. Design curricula, assessments, and teaching and intervention strategies that align with learner and program goals, including the development of individualized family service plans (IFSPs) and individualized education plans (IEPs). Assist families in identifying resources, priorities, and concerns in relation to the child's development. Understand and utilize assessment partnerships with families and with professional colleagues to build effective learning environments. Understand the role of the families in the assessment process and support the choices they make (e.g., observer, participant). Participate as a team member to integrate assessment results in the development and implementation of individualized plans.

3. Understand and utilize observation, documentation, and other appropriate assessment tools and approaches, including the use of technology in documentation, assessment and data collection. Implement authentic assessment based on observation of spontaneous play. Demonstrate knowledge of alignment of assessment with curriculum, content standards, and local, state, and federal requirements. Assess progress in the developmental domains, play, and temperament.

4. Understand and utilize responsible assessments to promote positive outcomes for each child, including the use of assistive technology for children with disabilities. Use a variety of materials and contexts to maintain the interest of infants and young children in the assessment process.

5. Implement current educational, legal, and ethical guidelines when using assessment practices to support children's individual strengths, interests, and needs (e.g., cultural, linguistic, ability diversity).

1. Understand positive relationships and supportive interactions as the foundation of the teacher's work with young children. Reflect on the teacher's own practice to promote positive outcomes for each child and family.

2. Develop, implement, and evaluate individualized plans, including IFSPs and IEPs, as a team leader with families and other professionals. Demonstrate appropriate and effective supports for children and families transitioning into and out of programs or classrooms. Seek and use additional resources and agencies outside the program/school when needed to effectively facilitate the learning and social/emotional development of each child.

3. Plan, develop, implement, and evaluate integrated learning experiences for home-, center-and school-based environments for infants, toddlers, preprimary and primary children, their families, and other care providers based on knowledge of individual children, the family, and the community. Select, develop, and evaluate developmentally and functionally appropriate materials, equipment, and environments. Develop adaptations and accommodations for infants, toddlers, preprimary, and primary children to meet their individual needs. Use a broad repertoire of developmentally and individually appropriate teaching/learning approaches and effective strategies and tools for early education, including appropriate uses of technology. Facilitate child-initiated development and learning.

4. Consider an individual's abilities, interests, learning environments, and cultural and linguistic factors in the selection, development, and adaptation of learning experiences for individuals with exceptionalities. Use teacher-scaffolded and -initiated instruction to complement child-initiated learning. Link development, learning experiences, and instruction to promote educational transitions. Use individual and group guidance and problem-solving techniques to develop supportive relationships with and among children. Use strategies to teach social skills and conflict resolution.

5. Implement basic health, nutrition, and safety management procedures, including the design of physically and psychologically safe and healthy indoor and outdoor environments to promote development and learning. Recognize signs of emotional distress, physical and mental abuse and neglect in young children and understand mandatory reporting procedures. Demonstrate proficiency in infant-child cardiopulmonary resuscitation, emergency procedures and first aid.

6. Understand principles of administration, organization, and operation of programs for children from birth to age 8 and their families, including staff and program development, supervision, evaluation of staff, and continuing improvement of programs and services. Employ adult learning principles in consulting with and training family members and service providers.

7. Demonstrate the ability to collaborate with general educators and other colleagues to create safe, inclusive, culturally responsive learning environments to engage individuals with exceptionalities and diverse abilities in meaningful learning activities and social interactions.

1. Develop and implement appropriate current research-supported learning experiences with a focus on the developmental domains, play, temperament, language and literacy to include first (home) and second language acquisition, mathematics, science, the arts (music, visual art, and drama), physical activity, health and safety, social studies, social skills, higher-thinking skills, and developmentally and individually appropriate methodology. Methods courses are required for the following areas: literacy, mathematics, social studies, science, physical education and wellness, and visual and performing arts.

2. Use the Iowa Early Learning Standards and the Iowa core with information from ongoing child observations and assessments to plan, implement, and evaluate appropriate instruction that improves academic and developmental progress of each child, including those with IFSPs/IEPs.

3. Understand the central concepts, structures of the discipline, and tools of inquiry of content areas taught, and demonstrate the ability to organize this knowledge, integrate cross-disciplinary skills, and develop meaningful learning progressions for individuals with exceptionalities (diverse abilities).

4. Modify general and specialized curricula to make them accessible to individuals with exceptionalities (diverse abilities). Develop adaptations and accommodations for infants, toddlers, preprimary, and primary children to meet their individual needs.

1. Demonstrate awareness of early childhood program criteria, including the following: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Iowa Early Learning Standards, Head Start Performance Standards, and Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards (IQPPS).

2. Collaborate with supervisors, mentors, and colleagues to enhance professional growth within and across disciplines to inform practice, including the use of data for decision making, and understand how to design and implement a professional development plan based on student achievement, self, peer, and supervisory evaluations and recommended practices.

3. Understand the significance of lifelong learning and participate in professional activities and learning communities. Participate in activities of professional organizations relevant to early childhood regular education, special education, and early intervention.

4. Use relevant national and state professional guidelines (national, state, or local), state curriculum standards, and current trends for content and outcomes and to inform and improve practices for young children and their families.

5. Adhere to state and national professional and ethical principles, practices, and codes.

6. Advocate for developmentally and individually appropriate practice, demonstrate awareness of issues that affect the lives of each child, and demonstrate necessary communication skills.

7. Understand historical, philosophical and foundational knowledge and how current issues and the legal bases of services influence professional practice in early childhood, early intervention, early childhood special education, and general and regular education in the K-3 age groups. Understand trends and issues in early childhood education, early childhood special education, and early intervention.

8. Provide guidance and direction to paraeducators, tutors, and volunteers.

1. Pre-student teaching field experiences, which must comprise a minimum of 100 clock hours, to include at least 20 hours of working with each age group (infants and toddlers, preprimary, and primary).

2. Experiences working in at least three settings that offer early childhood education, such as approved child care centers and registered child development homes, school-based preschool, community agencies, or home visiting programs.

3. Experiences working with children who have a range of abilities and disabilities and who reflect diverse family systems and other differentiating factors, such as urban and rural, socioeconomic status, and cultural and linguistic diversity.

4. Completion of supervised student teaching experience in at least two different settings including registered child development homes, home visiting programs, state-accredited child care centers, or classrooms which include both children with and without disabilities in two of three age levels: infant and toddler, preprimary, and primary.

1. Content:

* Oral and written communication development; and linguistics, including phonology and phonological awareness, sound-symbol association, syllable types, morphology, syntax and semantics, and the relationship of these components to typical and atypical reading development and reading instruction;

* Phonemic awareness;

* Word identification, including phonics and orthography;

* Fluency;

* Vocabulary;

* Comprehension;

* Writing mechanics;

* Writing conventions;

* Writing process;

* Children's literature.

2. Methods:

* Assessment, diagnosis and evaluation of student learning in literacy, including the knowledge of the signs and symptoms of dyslexia and other reading difficulties;

* Integration of the language arts (to include reading, writing, speaking, viewing, and listening);

* Integration of technology in teaching and student learning in literacy;

* Current best-practice, research-based strategies and instructional technology for designing and delivering effective instruction, including appropriate interventions, groupings, remediation, assistive technology, and classroom accommodations for all students including students with dyslexia and other difficulties;

* Classroom management as it applies to literacy methods;

* Pre-student teaching clinical experience in teaching literacy.

1. Content:

* Numbers and operations;

* Algebra/number patterns;

* Geometry;

* Measurement;

* Data analysis/probability.

2. Methods:

* Assessment, diagnosis and evaluation of student learning in mathematics;

* Current best-practice, research-based instructional methods in mathematical processes (to include problem solving; reasoning; communication; the ability to recognize, make and apply connections; integration of manipulatives; the ability to construct and to apply multiple connected representations; and the application of content to real world experiences);

* Integration of technology in teaching and student learning in mathematics;

* Classroom management as it applies to mathematics methods;

* Pre-student teaching clinical experience in teaching mathematics.

1. Content:

* History;

* Geography;

* Political science/civic literacy;

* Economics;

* Behavioral sciences.

2. Methods:

* Current best-practice, research-based approaches to the teaching and learning of social sciences;

* Integration of technology in teaching and student learning in social sciences;

* Classroom management as it applies to social science methods.

1. Content:

* Physical science;

* Earth/space science;

* Life science.

2. Methods:

* Current best-practice, research-based methods of inquiry-based teaching and learning of science;

* Integration of technology in teaching and student learning in science;

* Classroom management as it applies to science methods.

1. Methods of teaching elementary physical education, health, and wellness;

2. Methods of teaching visual arts for the elementary classroom;

3. Methods of teaching performance arts for the elementary classroom.