"CSU Bilingual Education Program Makes National News"

The Department of Special Education, Early Childhood Education, and Bilingual
Education (SEB) offers two programs leading to (1) a Bachelor of Science in Education
degree in Bilingual Elementary Education and (2) a Master of Science in Education degree in Bilingual Education.

(1) Bachelor of Science in Education degree in Bilingual Elementary Education

The primary objective of the program is to prepare teachers who can effectively teach all children, including limited English proficient children. Completion of the Bilingual Elementary Education program qualifies students for an Initial Type 03 (K-9) Illinois Elementary Certificate and a Type 29 (K-12) Illinois Transitional Bilingual Certificate in Spanish. Completion of the program also qualifies students for State of Illinois Bilingual and ESL approvals for grades K-9, and for a middle grade (6-8) endorsement in language arts. Certification requires successful completion of the State of Illinois certification examinations in (1) Basic Skills, (2) Language Proficiency, (3) Elementary Education and (4) Professional Teaching. The Bilingual Education Program is accredited by the Association for Childhood Education International.

(2) Master of Science in Education degree in Bilingual Education

The purpose of this program is to prepare reflective practitioners to work with limited English proficient children in multicultural environments. The program is designed to prepare teachers for bilingual elementary or secondary classrooms to

• Continually evaluate the effects of their choices and actions on others who actively seek out opportunities to grow professionally.
  


• Understand and use a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students' development of critical thinking, problem solving and performance skills.
  


• Understand how students differ in their approaches to learning and create instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.
  


• Understand and use formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the intellectual and social development of the learner.
  


• Foster relationships with colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support students' learning and well-being.