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UW-Madison > School of Ed > EAS > Programs > Elem Ed > Admissions

Application and Admission: Elementary Education

Admission to the School of Education as a Pre-Professional Student

New freshmen and transfer students are admitted directly to the School of Education as Pre-Elementary Education students (PRE classification). On-campus students wishing to be admitted as Pre-Elementary Education students must formally apply for admission to the School of Education. Click here for a pre-professional application form. Contact EAS, B117 Education, 608-262-1651, for more details.

Admission to the Professional Program for Fall 2009

Resources limit the number of students who can be served by many UW-Madison teacher education programs; thus, admission to the Elementary Education program is limited and may be competitive. Obtaining or exceeding the minimum criteria for eligibility does not guarantee admission. Requirements and admission criteria may be modified from one admission period to the next.

Applicants who are not already enrolled on the UW-Madison campus must be admissible to the University to enroll in a School of Education professional program. Thus, program admission is contingent upon admission to the campus. Admission to UW-Madison requires a separate application and admission process. See the UW-Madison Undergraduate Admissions website--http://www.wisc.edu/admissions--for application information.

Students will be admitted to the program only once a year, effective in the fall. Selection is made in the spring and students will be notified of their status in April. Half of the admitted students are assigned to begin the professional sequence in the fall and half are assigned to begin in the spring semester. Determination of the start semester is based on cumulative credits earned. Students are notified of their semester start assignments at the time of program admission.

Click here to see a video of a recent presentation on admissions by Elementary Education Program chair Professor Mary Louise Gomez.

Program Admission Eligibility Requirements for Fall 2009

To be eligible for admission to the professional program, applicants must

  1. File a completed program application form and all related application materials by February 1, 2009. Program application deadlines are strictly enforced and applications will not be accepted after the deadline.
  2. Successfully complete at least 40 transferable college-level credits by the end of the fall semester directly preceding the February 1, 2009 deadline.
  3. Submit Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST)/Praxis I scores by March 1, 2009. The PPST is a basic skills test offered by Educational Testing Service (ETS) and required for admission to all state teacher preparation programs by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Designed to measure reading, writing, and mathematics skills, the PPST is available in two formats, paper-based and computer-based. The paper-based format is currently given on the UW-Madison campus. A fee is required of the student. Find important registration information at the ETS website (http://ets.org/praxis/index.html) and additional details at the "More Information for Undergraduates > Praxis I/PPST" page on this website. Note that the UW-Madison School of Education’s institutional recipient code is 1846; use of another code will prevent Education Academic Services from receiving scores.
  4. Earn either
    • a minimum 2.5 grade-point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale on all transferable college-level course work attempted. Note: Both the cumulative GPA and the cumulative GPA based on the last 60 credits will be calculated. The higher of the two will be used for program selection; see “Last 60 Credits Rule” below. Grade-point averages are based on all college-level course work and calculated from all course work attempted, OR
    • the following minimum scores on the Pre-Professional Skills Test/Praxis I: Reading, 175; Mathematics, 173; Writing, 174.
    Applicants will be considered who have met either the minimum GPA or all minimum PPST scores, but will not be eligible if both GPA and PPST scores are below the minimum. Students must take all three sections of the PPST (reading, writing, mathematics) to be eligible for consideration.

Program Admission Selection Criteria for Fall 2009

The Elementary Education program admissions procedures are intended to result in an academically qualified student body that is diverse in terms of both academic strengths and life experiences and has a commitment to providing the best possible education to elementary and middle school students. Having students with diverse life experiences, backgrounds and attitudes is critical if faculty are to prepare students to teach in schools that themselves have diverse enrollments. A diverse student body enriches the Elementary Teacher Certification Program as well as the profession in order that all public school students are afforded an education that is both intellectually rich and accepting of their diverse backgrounds.

Faculty will accept only those students judged to have the potential to be successful in the academically challenging Elementary Education Certification Program. In making admissions decisions, no factor will outweigh judgment that a particular applicant’s credentials, taken as a whole, represent unacceptably high academic risk.

Because admissions to the Elementary Education program is competitive, faculty realize that applicants are interested in knowing how best to present their applications–and whether they will have reasonable possibility of acceptance. The Admissions Committee will take the following into consideration when making admissions decisions: Academic Competence, Multicultural Competence, and Reflective Competence. Applicants will provide evidence of these competencies in the materials that they submit–academic transcripts from all campuses where course work has been completed, an admissions essay, an autobiographical sketch, and letters of recommendation.

Academic Competence
The Mission Statement of the Elementary Education Area points to the role that our graduates have in creating academically rigorous classrooms that lead to high academic achievement in all students. For elementary and middle schools to promote academic achievement, elementary and middle school teachers must have demonstrated high levels of success in core disciplines throughout their university studies. Therefore, program faculty expect that students admitted to the program will have demonstrated high levels of academic preparation.

Academic achievement is, in part, reflected in an applicant’s grade-point average; however, GPA alone does not provide an adequate picture of academic performance. Therefore, the Elementary Education Admissions Committee will also closely examine the unique academic strengths of each candidate in comparison to others. The types of evidence that will be taken into account will include:

  • trends in grades over the course of an applicant’s university career;
  • the course-taking pattern of each applicant, looking for evidence that the applicant challenged herself or himself by taking advanced-level courses, especially in fields that are uncommon in the applicant pool.
  • evidence of academic accomplishment or potential. A careful, thoughtful letter of recommendation from an instructor or employer may provide additional information about an applicant’s intellect, imagination, or diligence and potential for success in the program–information that is not easily identified from GPA;
  • evidence of overcoming academic challenges such as being a first-generation university student, having a diagnosed learning difficulty, or not having English as a first language.

Multicultural and Interpersonal Competencies
The Elementary Education program’s mission is to prepare teachers who are able to promote academic achievement in all elementary-school and middle-school students. This includes those from diverse races, cultures, language backgrounds, family forms, and sexual orientations, as well as those from diverse economic, gender, and ability groups. The program faculty seek prospective teachers who will demonstrate both commitment to this mission and the prospect of contributing to it. The Admissions Committee will therefore examine the materials from each candidate for evidence of such commitment and prospect. A person’s life experiences are a significant part of what she or he will contribute to fellow students and to teaching. Faculty are therefore interested in information about applicants’ life experiences so that admissions decisions will result in a cohort that will contain reflection-provoking and mutually instructive diversity. Such evidence is likely to be found in the candidate’s admission statement, autobiographical sketch, and the letters of recommendation. When examining the evidence submitted, the Admissions Committee will be looking for evidence of Multicultural and Interpersonal Competencies as reflected in:

  • proficiencies in languages other than English;
  • work (volunteer or paid) with individuals or groups who are linguistically, racially, or ethnically diverse;
  • work (volunteer or paid) with individuals or groups who face physical or cognitive challenges not faced by the applicant;
  • work (volunteer or paid) with groups whose members include a diversity of languages, races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, physical challenges, and/or cognitive challenges;
  • work experience, life experience, college activity, political activity, or other cultural or personal background that adds a unique perspective or ability to the Elementary Education student body.

Reflective Competence
To have performed at high academic levels or to have had diverse life experiences is not adequate for admissions purposes unless these are accompanied by evidence that the applicant has been able to reflect on and learn from them. Demonstration of reflective competence is important as it likely contributes to one’s interpersonal skills as well as to the qualities such as integrity, social awareness, and cultural sensitiveness that are qualities of a well-rounded human being who will be an excellent elementary or middle school teacher. The ability to reflect on one’s life experiences is one factor that will allow the Admissions Committee to look for evidence that our students will be reflective practitioners who evaluate the effects of their assumptions, choices, and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community) and who will actively seek out opportunities to grow professionally. Evidence of reflective competence is likely to be found in the candidate’s admissions essay, autobiographical sketch, and in letters of recommendation.

Alternative Academic Options

Regrettably, nearly every year some students are denied admission to this program. Students are encouraged to develop alternative academic options for this possibility. Confer with your EAS advisor for recommended academic programs and additional advising resources. Consult "More Information for Undergraduates > What if I don't get admitted?" on this website for more information.

Criminal Background Investigation and Disclosure Statement

Criminal background checks will be run on all students at admission. Results of these checks will be reviewed by School of Education faculty and staff. Positive results will result in additional information requests and may be shared with staff at field placement sites. Criminal background checks may also be run on students by school districts. Field site staff have the authority to determine the appropriateness of a student placement. Applicants must also complete a disclosure statement indicating (1) whether they have been admitted to, then withdrawn from, asked to withdraw from, or been dropped from a student teaching, clinical experience, or other intern/practicum program, and (2) if they have ever been placed on probation or disciplined by any college or university for academic dishonesty. See Associate Dean Jeffrey Hamm at EAS if you have questions about these processes.

Last 60 Credits Rule

Two grade point averages will be calculated to determine candidates' eligibility and selection to programs. GPAs will be calculated using (1) all transferable college level course work attempted, and (2) the last 60 credits attempted. The higher GPA of these two will be used for purposes of admission. If fewer than 60 credits have been attempted, all credits will be used to calculate the GPA. Graded graduate course work will also be used in all GPA calculations. ("Attempted" course work indicates course work for which a grade has been earned.)

The use of the last 60 credits does not supersede other eligibility requirements. For example, when a minimum GPA on prerequisite courses is required, or a minimum major GPA is required to be eligible for admission, all required courses will be used in calculating this GPA. This will include courses taken prior to the last 60 credits. A cumulative GPA, however, will still be calculated based on the last 60 college credits attempted.

Currently, retention and graduation GPAs are based on all credits attempted at UW-Madison as an undergraduate student. If each semester's GPA after admission to the program meets the required GPA for retention, the student will be allowed to continue and complete the program.

Contact EAS for additional information regarding the interpretation of this policy.

Students with a Previous Degree

Persons who already hold an undergraduate degree are admitted to the School of Education as either an Education Special student or a Second Degree student, depending on their interests and academic background. The term Special student indicates that the student has an interest in pursuing certification in a subject area studied during the initial degree; the student does not receive a degree for this "certification only" course work. Second Degree students are seeking a second, unrelated degree from the School of Education, which may, or may not, include teacher certification. Candidates for limited enrollment programs must meet all admission eligibility requirements for the program and must compete with the eligible applicants for program admission.

Special students. Applicants must file an undergraduate application with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Education Special students not yet admitted to a professional program are given an EDS classification, are not eligible for financial aid, and enroll last with the other special students on campus. Candidates seeking Special student status in open enrollment programs must obtain written permission for admission from the relevant program coordinator and must submit a professional program application to Education Academic Services. Candidates seeking admission to a limited enrollment program must meet all admission eligibility requirements for the program and must compete with other eligible candidates for program admission. Applicants admitted to a certification professional program become Education Certification Special students (EDCS classification) to distinguish them from Special students not so admitted. Students with an EDCS classification may be eligible for financial aid. Continuing EDCS students may register with undergraduates having junior status.

Second degree candidates. Students who wish to earn a second baccalaureate degree in the School of Education must file an undergraduate application with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and must file a professional program application with Education Academic Services. Second Degree students not yet admitted to a professional program are given a pre-professional classification. Second degree candidates must:

  • be seeking a new major that is substantially different from their previous degree work;
  • complete at least 15 upper-level credits in the new major;
  • complete at least 30 credits beyond their previous course work.

The determination of whether a student should be admitted as a second degree candidate or Education Special student is made by the faculty advisor after analyzing the student's remaining requirements. The faculty advisor will determine the specific remaining requirements for students admitted to a program. In addition to completing the requirements specific to the program(s) of interest, returning students must also complete any relevant campus-wide requirements, complete the requirements specific to individual program areas such as the Environmental Education, Multicultural and Human Relations, and Cooperatives requirements, and satisfy any high school deficiencies identified at the time of admission to UW-Madison. Students are strongly encouraged to discuss their academic plans with the faculty advisor.