Kindergarten Education Endorsement

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View of a young child in a classroom.

Program Coordinator/Contact

Heidi Sackreiter, Assistant Professor/ECE Coordinator
School of Education, Counseling and Human Development
Pugsley Hall 141
605-688-5039

Program Information

Students or graduates may seek additional certification to their primary teaching certificates authorizing them to teach in other age/grade spans and/or content areas. A Kindergarten Education endorsement may be added to the Birth through Age 8 Specialization.

Accreditation, Certification, and Licensure

Accreditation

National Association for the Education of Young Children
Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP)
South Dakota Department of Education

Certification and Licensure

Candidates who have completed the curriculum many apply for the Kindergarten Education endorsement on their teaching certificate. They are not required to take an additional PRAXIS test to add this endorsement in South Dakota. However, those educators seeking initial certification and licensure in their content area must complete the PRAXIS II content test, as well as the PRAXIS II Principles of Learning and Teaching test. The minimum score for the Praxis II PLT must be obtained for teaching licensure and varies by state.

Course Delivery Format

Courses in Early Childhood Education are delivered face to face, online and hybrid (face to face and online combination). All ECE courses have practical applications in field experience settings in childcare and Pre-K-Grade 3.

Requirements for Kindergarten Education Endorsement: 9 Credits

ECE 495 - Practicum (COM) Credits: 1-12 (1 Credit Required) *
ELED 412 Kindergarten Education Credits: 2 (Fall)
Additional Coursework in Early Childhood Education Credits: 6

*Verified teaching experience in kindergarten within the five-year period immediately preceding the application may be accepted in lieu of the above field experiences at the equivalency of one year’s teaching experience for one semester hour credit for a maximum of three semester hours of the total credit hours required.