Early Childhood Education FAQ
Q: When do we have to fill out graduation paperwork?
A: Graduation paperwork must be submitted by midterm of the semester prior to graduation.
Q: What is the Beginning of the Year Experience?
A: The Beginning of the Year Experience is a planned field experience where you spend time with a practicing teacher at the beginning of the school year. You learn about the start up of school and the first days of school. August Experience consists of the first ten days of school including pre-planning.
Q: I have to miss part of my Beginning of the Year Experience for a family vacation. Can I make up the time?
A: No - You can not miss this experience. You are given the information about this at least a year in advance. Plan accordingly.
Q: Why can't we select the schools where we do our field experiences?
A: We are required to provide a variety of field experiences for you. In order to assure that you have experienced diverse field experience placements, your field experience placements are made through our Partner School network. For a list of schools we use, see the Partner School Network link on our website.
Q: How long is apprenticeship?
A: Apprenticeship consists of 75 days including any staff development days.
Q: How can I find out who my advisor is?
A: A current list of advisors can be found on the Department of Teacher Education website.
Q: Which GACE test should I take for certification?
A: If a student is majoring in Early Childhood education, the GACE tests which are required for initial certification are: GACE test 001 and 002. Once you are certified in Early Childhood, you can add additional fields by taking additional GACE tests. Students who are majoring in Early Childhood at GRU can not apply for initial certification by taking the Early Childhood Special General Curriculum GACE tests. (Test 003 and 004).
Q: Which GACE content areas should I take?
A: Early Childhood majors should take GACE Test 001 and GACE Test 002. You CANNOT apply for initial certification by taking the Early Childhood Special General Curriculum GACE tests (Test 003 and Test 004).
Q: When should I take the GACE content area test?
A: We strongly recommend that you not take this test until you have almost completed Block III.
Q: Are courtesy placements (students from another institution completing their apprenticeship under the supervision of ASU faculty) accepted at GRU? If so, what is the cost associated with this service?
A: Yes, courtesy placements are sometimes accepted at GRU. However, these placements must be approved by the chair and are approved based on our ability to place a student in a Partner School and our ability to supervise extra students that semester. The charge for a courtesy placement is $500 (which covers travel reimbursement and supervision fees for the University Supervisor and Mentor Teacher).
