The Academy of Education & Community Services
Teacher, Training, & Facilitation Pathway

Education & Training Exploratory
Humanities
Course Code:  8000
Credits: 0.25
Grade: 9
Weight: General
Schools: WCA
This exploratory course introduces students to all aspects of education pertaining to child development , teacher preparation and careers within the education industry.

Child Development 1
Humanities
Course Code: 821
Credits: 0.5
Grade: All (WCA Grade 10 Only)
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WCA, E
Child Development students will study the intellectual, social, emotional, moral, and physical development of children beginning with prenatal development and continuing through age three. The course emphasizes that development in all these areas are interrelated when dealing with the whole child. Other sections in the course will focus on brain development, communication, and the importance of providing quality learning experiences to children. Students will also be exposed to dealing with children’s disabilities, child abuse, safety and health issues, activities, the set-up of early childhood classrooms, and an introduction to child- related career options. This course will provide a basic groundwork for understanding how children develop within the context of a family and society, which can then be applied to a multitude of career opportunities. Please note:  Students at WCA may only take this course during Grade 10. 

Child Development 2
Humanities
Course Code: 825
Credits: 0.5
Grade: All (WCA Grade 10 Only)
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WCA
Prerequisite: Child Development 1
Child Development 2 students will continue the study of the intellectual, social, emotional, moral, and physical development of children up to age three.  Please note:  Students at WCA may only take this course during Grade 10. 

Child Development 3
Humanities
Course Code: 833
Credits: 1.0
Grade: 10-12 (WCA - 11 only)
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WCA
Prerequisite: Child Development 2
Students will study the intellectual, social, emotional, moral, and physical development of children from age three to adolescence. The course emphasizes that development in all these areas are interrelated when dealing with the whole child. Other sections in the course will focus on brain development, communication, and the importance of providing quality learning experiences to children. Students will also be exposed to dealing with children’s disabilities, child abuse, safety and health issues, activities, the set-up of early childhood classrooms, and an introduction to child- related career options. Topics also include exploring popular theorists such as the behaviorists Piaget, Erikson, Vygotsky, and Bronfenbrenner.  Using a holistic model, we will begin to explore the interconnection between physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development of a typical child continuing through adolescence.   This course will provide a basic groundwork for understanding how children develop within the context of a family and society, which can then be applied to a multitude of career opportunities.  Please note:  Students at WCA may only take this course during Grade 11.

Foundations of Education 1
Humanities
Course Code: 8011
Credits: 0.5
Grade: 11-12 (WCA Grade 10)
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WCA
This course engages students in Building Your Mindset focused on improvement by having a growth mindset, connecting with their students using an asset-based approach, and developing self-awareness by understanding equity, bias, and professionalism while unpacking the Educators Rising standards. This course also provides opportunities to learn how individuals inside institutions operate including how the Waterbury Public School system works, Teachers’ Unions, mapping resources available to support students, and engaging with a model code of ethics for educators. FE1 also engages students in classroom culture and classroom management. Topics focusing on the classroom include honoring the student experience, thoughtful classroom setup and structure, developing shared inquiry and dialogue, social and emotional safety, and values-based behavior management. Students may also begin to plan and prepare for their potential clinical experience. Please note:  Students at WCA may take this course during Grade 10. 

Foundations of Education 2
Humanities
Course Code: 8012
Credits: 0.5
Grade: 11-12 (WCA Grade 10)
Weight: General
Schools: C, K, W, WCA
Prerequisite: Foundations of Education 1
This course engages students in topics that are related to how educators think. Topics in this course include setting high personal standards, critically thinking about their experiences, accountable talk and meaningful praise, seeking feedback, mentoring, responsive classrooms, and cultural competence. FE2 students will also be introduced to curriculum, the importance of content knowledge, backwards planning, collaborative planning, supporting students facing trauma, special education and culturally responsive teaching. Students may also participate in clinical experiences by observing and assisting teachers in an internship setting.  Please note:  Students at WCA may take this course during Grade 10. 

Future Educators 3
Humanities
Course Code: 8013
Credits: 0.5
Grade: 11
Weight: General
Schools: WCA
Prerequisite: Foundations of Education 2
Future Educators 3 begins with enriching students' understanding of growth mindset, unpacking the Educators Rising standards, cultural competence, backward planning, collaborative planning, honoring student experience, understanding equity, and modeling a code of ethics for education. FE3 also provides opportunities to access what is inside skilled educators’ toolboxes. These topics include leading a group discussion, explaining and modeling content/practice/strategies, eliciting and interpreting students' thinking, specifying/reinforcing productive student behavior, and formative assessment. Students will also engage in anti-bias instruction, including student engagement, differentiated instruction, cooperative and collaborative learning, real-world connections, and values-based assessment, evaluation, and grading. Students may also participate in clinical experiences by observing and assisting teachers in an internship setting.

Future Educators 4
Humanities
Course Code: 8014
Credits: 0.5
Grade: 11
Weight: General
Schools: WCA
Prerequisite: Future Educators 3
Future Educators 4 culminates the career pathway by engaging students in before and after-class topics including setting long and short-term learning goals, designing single lessons and sequences of lessons, integrating technology into instruction, selecting/designing formal assessments, interpreting the results of student work, providing oral and written feedback to students and using data to inform instruction. FE4 also develops an All Means All mindset by including topics on inclusive learning environments, anti-bullying strategies, and experiential learning. Students may also participate in clinical experiences by observing and assisting teachers in an internship setting.

Human Relations
Humanities
Course Code: 828
Credits: 1.0
Grade: 12
Weight: General
Schools: WCA
Prerequisite: Child Development 3
Human Relations courses focus on the application of human development theories and stages of growth to the relationships among individuals at various stages of life, as well as provide an understanding of how people change across their lifespans. Course content may include the application of human development theories in family systems and community settings. Interactions of grandparents and their grandchildren, adult children and their aging parents, as well the similarities between caring for the elderly and caring for young children may also be explored.

Individual & Family Development UCONN
Humanities
Course Code: 860U
Credits: 1.0
Grade: 12
Weight: AP/Post Secondary
Schools: WCA
Prerequisite: Child Development 3
With successful completion of this course, students will receive 3 credits from the University of Connecticut. This is a required course for Family Studies, Nursing, and Education majors at UCONN and other colleges. Credits can also be transferred to other colleges as a Life-span Development Psychology course. This course is designed as an introduction to the field of Human Development and Family Relations. In particular, the course will focus on the developing individual within the context of the family system over the life-span from prenatal to old age and dying. Students will be required to do job shadowing and internships beyond the classroom. A college text will be used. Students must be in good standing academically to take this course.

If You Love It, Teach It UCONN
Humanities
Course Code: 8005U
Credits: 1.0 (1/2 year course)
Grade: 12
Weight: AP/Post Secondary
Schools: C, K, W, WCA
Prerequisite: Successful completion of three years of high school English.
This is an educational foundations survey course for those who are interested in learning more about the landscape of K-12 education and how to connect their passions to it. If You Love It, Teach It engages students interested in working in K-12 settings in studies about teaching, learning, and schooling in the United States. It explores teaching and learning as processes that can relate to personal passions as well as how those passions are shaped, cultivated, or denied in different educational contexts. Course topics will include introductions to historical, philosophical, and social foundations of education, as well as how those foundations and personal passions relate to teaching as a profession, school organization, educational reform, and the reimagining of educational futures.  Though this course is only a half year, students earn 3 UCONN credits and therefore will earn a full high school credit for successful completion of the course.  Please note:  This is a half-year course; however, a successful student can earn a full high school credit. 

Intro to Special Education UCONN
Humanities
Course Code: 8006U
Credits: 1.0 (1/2 Year Course)
Grade: 12
Weight: AP/Post Secondary
Schools: C, K, W, WCA
Prerequisite: Successful completion of three years of high school English.  
Students will become familiar with the history, laws, regulations, and concepts related to exceptional students and special education in American schools. Students will also gain an understanding of the characteristics of certain exceptionalities and how these characteristics might impact student learning while exploring their attitudes regarding exceptional students and people with disabilities. Students will also gain an understanding of the roles of various professionals in working with exceptional students in American schools.  Though this course is only a half year, students earn 3 UCONN credits and therefore will earn a full high school credit for successful completion of the course.  Please note:  This is a half-year course; however, a successful student can earn a full high school credit. 

Internship
Humanities
Course Code: 827
Credits: 1.0
Grade: 12
Weight: General
Schools: WCA
This is a work based learning course that engages students in real world experiences in both the Education and Social Work pathways. Students may be provided with opportunities to assist with planning and instruction with educational staff across the school district.