Elementary Education (BS)
Competency-Based
This innovative pathway prepares you to step confidently into a certified elementary education teaching role while balancing your professional and personal commitments.
- Offered 100% Online in our Competency-Based Online format.
- 3 years
- 120 credit hours
- No foreign language credits required
A Flexible, Mastery-Driven Path to Teacher Certification
The Competency-Based Elementary Education program prepares candidates to become highly skilled teachers for children from Pre-K through 6th Grade. This program emphasizes the whole-child approach to support optimal outcomes for elementary learners.
What is Competency-Based Education
At East Texas A&M University, Competency-Based Education (CBE) puts you in control of your learning. Instead of logging hours in a classroom, you’ll move forward by showing what you know and can do. With personalized guidance from your instructor and advisor, you set the paceālearning when and how it fits your schedule. And because CBE is fully online and built for flexibility, it’s designed to fit around your busy life, helping you earn your degree on your terms.
Program Details
You will have opportunities to make an immediate impact ā and are positioned for professional growth once you graduate.
What You Will Learn
Graduates of the Elementary Education (EC-6) Competency-Based Program will be able to:
Apply Developmental Knowledge
Design and implement developmentally appropriate, standards-aligned instruction that supports learning and development across domains.
Implement Data-Driven Instruction
Use assessment literacy to analyze student learning data, monitor progress, and adjust instruction to meet all academic, linguistic, and developmental needs.
Create Positive Learning Environments
Establish safe, supportive, and engaging learning spaces that foster belonging, strong family partnerships, and meaningful learning opportunities for all students.
Curriculum
This degree is built around four key components designed to guide you from foundational learning to real-world classroom success.
- The general education coursework helps strengthen essential skills and allows you to move forward by demonstrating mastery.
- The education core introduces you to the teaching profession and provides the foundation for effective instructional practice, with admission to the Educator Preparation Program (EPP) required before enrolling in select courses.
- The professional development courses deepen your knowledge of early childhood best practices and Texas educator standards, helping prepare you for the demands of today's classrooms.
- The professional practice brings everything together through hands-on experience and applied teaching strategies, culminating in clinical teaching where you'll work alongside a certified Texas teacher while receiving coaching and support from a university field supervisor.
Note: Transfer credits may also be applied to help you stay on track toward graduation.
Taking Courses
You begin each term by registering for up to two courses. When you complete all of your current courses before the end of a term, you have the opportunity to take and complete another course by the end of the term. You can accelerate an unlimited number of times in a given term. Using this method, you can shorten the time needed to complete a degree. You are not allowed to add courses during the final week of the term.
Did you miss the registration window? Don't worry! You have two available registration opportunities each semester!
For specific dates and more information about the degree plan, email our advising office at [email protected].
*A total of 36 semester credit hours must be upper-level courses.
Why This Pathway Stands Out
Most teacher preparation programs are time-based. This one is performance-based.
Flexible pacing allows you to move efficiently through areas of strength while receiving structured support in areas that require deeper growth. You move forward when you prove competency through authentic, performance-based assessments.
This innovative model allows you to progress by demonstrating what you know and can do, not by how long you sit in class. You’ll have the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of clearly defined competencies aligned to the Texas Educator Standards and curriculum standards through:
- Authentic, performance-based assessments
- Data-informed decision-making
- Field experiences in a variety of settings
- Structured coaching and feedback cycles
- Demonstration of readiness before progression
Certification Outcome
Upon completion of the program and passing all TExES exams, you'll be certified to teach Early Childhood-6th grade in Texas.
Terms
All competency-based programs are offered in two seven-week terms per traditional semester, with a break between each term.
2026
Program Costs
Earning a degree is more affordable than ever. Our competency-based undergraduate programs offer quality education at an affordable price. These rates include all required course materials.
| Residency Status | Tuition Per Term |
|---|---|
In-State (Texas resident) | $1,000 |
Bordering County This includes bordering counties in Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico and Arkansas | $1,000 |
Neighboring state This includes interior counties in Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico and Arkansas) | in-state + $30/hour |
Out of state (e.g., Florida) | $2,000 |
Employee Scholarship | $300 |
- Tuition exemption limited to state residents
- Students can only receive ONE exemption (example: you cannot stack senior citizen and active-duty law enforcement exemptions.)
Admission
Your academic advisor is here to guide you through every step of the admissions process.
I’m Here to Help
College is the next big step in your academic journey! Let’s connect! Complete a request for information to receive important updates!
Consider the field of study and degree program you want to pursue at East Texas A&M. Take some time to review our competency-based degree programs and learn more about how competency-based education works!
Our onboarding specialists are eager to help you learn about East Texas A&M and guide your academic journey! Once you have filled out a request for information, an onboarding specialist will contact you.
East Texas A&M is committed to making the transfer process as smooth as possible.
To meet automatic admission requirements as a transfer student, you must have:
- At least 12 transferable hours, excluding developmental coursework.
- A 2.0 or higher grade point average (GPA) on all transferable coursework.
Applicants who do not meet the standards for full admission may be considered through the multi-tiered admission review process.
Automatic admission to East Texas A&M is based on the Foundation High School Program with at least one endorsement. You are strongly recommended to complete one or more available endorsement(s) that include Algebra II or its equivalent and one science course from biology, chemistry or physics. Students applying for top 10% automatic admission must complete the foundation curriculum with a distinguished level of achievement.
Standards for full admission to East Texas A&M are based on the required high school curriculum (Foundation Plan). Entering freshmen must have successfully completed the following courses in high school:
- English Language Arts (4 credits)
- Mathematics (3 credits)
- Science (3 credits)
- Social Studies (3 credits)
- Language other than English (2 credits)
Any one of the following:
- Rank in the top 30% of graduating class or
- If submitting scores, use the East Texas A&M codes 4088 (ACT) and 6188 (SAT) from encoura.org or collegeboard.org.
Study and take as many competency-based courses as you like for just $1000 per term. Because these programs are fully online, you can plan your study schedule around the rest of your day to complete the coursework.
- Nursing (RN-to-BSN) applicants: use the undergraduate application.
- Alternative Teacher Certification applicants: use the graduate ApplyTexas application.
You may also apply for any of our programs through ApplyTexas.
Send your school transcript via our secure document upload or request that your official high school transcript and transcripts for any college credit you have completed be sent to [email protected].
If your institution is unable to submit a digital copy, hard copies may be mailed to:
East Texas A&M University
Attn: College of Innovation and Design
PO Box 3011
Commerce, Texas 75429-3011We will need official/original documents.
ACT or SAT scores are optional for admission. If submitting scores, use the East Texas A&M codes 4088 (ACT) and 6188 (SAT) from encoura.org or collegeboard.org.
Your myLEO username is your CWID and your default password is your date of birth beginning with the three-letter abbreviated month (MonDDYYYY). You may refer to our guide for first-time login instructions.
- Username: CWID
- Password: Date of Birth (MonDDYYYY)
- Within myLeo, check out the APPS tab for LeoMail, LeoPay and D2L Brightspace, where you will access your online classes, and more.
- Check out the Student Resources tab for student information, including Undergrad DegreeWorks, your interactive degree audit, class schedules, financial aid status and awards, and more.
When you sign in to myLEO, the Financial Agreement will pop up. You’ll need to read over the agreement, select the checkbox and select “Continue.”
If you missed it or accidentally closed the window, you can get the agreement to pop up again by following these steps.
- Sign in to myLEO.
- Go to the Student Resources Tab.
- Scroll to Student Information,
- Click on Registration Menu. If you have not already completed the Financial Responsibility, it will appear here.
If you are not a self-pay student, you may qualify for financial aid to help pay for your classes.
Apply for financial aid by submitting a FAFSA and sending it to school code 003565.
You do not have to complete theĀ Texas Success Initiative (TSI) if you have met one of the following:
- Met minimum college readiness standard on the SAT or ACT
- Obtained the minimum required score(s) on the statewide high school STAAR EOCs Algebra II and English III exams (these are optional for high schools)
- Met a veteran or active military waiver (must meet specific requirements for each category)
- Received exemption based on earning a prior degree
- Received a transfer exemption (declaration by another institution)
- Completed prior college-level coursework
Students are responsible for providing proof of exemption and will be considered assessment required until documentation is provided of state exemption. For more information, please contact the Testing Center at [email protected].
To access your Undergrad DegreeWorks online degree plan:
- Log into myLEO.
- Select the Student Resources tab from the home screen.
- Scroll to Student Information
- Select Undergrad DegreeWorks.
Contact Us
- College of Education and Human Services and College of Innovation and Design
- 903.886.5437
- [email protected]
- P.O. Box 3011
- Commerce, TX 75429-3011