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The add-on credential in middle level education is attached to an elementary or secondary education certificate, which students pursue via our Elementary Education BA or our Secondary Education BA.

Programatic Basis and Foundation

The program is rooted in social justice principles and a clinical practice model. While working in middle schools across the state, teacher candidates focus on how to cultivate and sustain a more just and equitable world through their curriculum and critically reflective practice. 

Expected Outcomes

Ultimately, students come to understand the unique strengths of middle level education and leave the program not only with added field experiences but with increased employment opportunities and a deeper level of preparation to improve the educational experience of the students they will teach.

Curriculum

State requirements consist of three middle grade professional education courses and appropriate content preparation courses specific to intended subject of instruction. The three professional education courses should be taken in the following order: MLED 230, MLED 331 and MLED 332.

Professional Courses

• MLED 230: Young Adolescent Development in Social Contexts, 4 credits: addresses adolescent identity development as a time of exploration within the context of middle-level structures and policies, families and communities. 
• MLED 331: Disciplinary Literacies with Young Adolescents, 4 credits: addresses traditional, critical and digital literacy practices at the middle level. Students develop, implement and reflect on lessons grounded in CCSS disciplinary literacies and content area standards. 
• MLED 332: Curriculum and Assessment for the Young Adolescent, 4 credits: addresses curriculum and assessment at the middle level. This course challenges students to interrogate the curriculum and assessment choices they make and to cultivate their learners’ agency. 

Student Teaching

Because the required 45 hours of clinical field placement are completed throughout the MLED coursework, students do their student teaching in an elementary school (grades 1-6) or secondary school (grades 7-12), depending on which certification they are seeking.

Content Preparation Courses by Subject

Math 4-Credit Required Courses

• MATH 209: Precalculus
• MATH 212: Calculus I
• MATH 220: Formalizing Mathematical Thought
• MATH 240: Statistical Methods I
• MATH 324: College Geometry
• MATH 409: Problem Analysis

Math 4-Credit Recommended Courses

• MATH 213: Calculus II
• MATH 210: Trigonometry
• MATH 436: Discrete Math

Science Required Courses

• BIOL 111: Introductory Biology I
• BIOL 112: Introductory Biology II
• CHEM 103: General Chemistry I
• CHEM 104: General Chemistry II
• PHYS 101: General Physics I
• PHYS 102: General Physics II

Science Courses – Choice of 2

• PSCI 211: Intro to Astronomy
• PSCI 212: Intro to Geology
• PSCI 214: Intro to Meteorology
• PSCI 217: Introduction to Oceanography