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Middle School Endorsement

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MIDDLE SCHOOL ENDORSEMENT COURSES


MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR TEACHERS OF MIDDLE SCHOOLS
  • A middle grade teacher is a teacher in grades 5-8 where 50% or more of the teaching assignment is comprised of a single subject area of instruction.
  • A middle grade teacher must have 18 semester hours in the single subject area of the major teaching assignment (e.g., Math, Language Arts, Science, etc.) with the exception of foreign language, which requires 20 semester hours in a single subject area.
  • A middle grade teacher must have the equivalent of 3 semester hours of specific course work in middle school philosophy, curriculum and instruction and instructional methods for designing and teaching appropriate programs in middle schools including content area reading instruction. This is covered through CIE 484, Curriculum & Instruction in the Middle School.
  • A middle grade teacher must have the equivalent of 3 semester hours of specific course work in educational psychology. This is covered in the course EPSY 446, Characteristics of Early Adolescence.

Admission Requirements to take Middle School Courses

UIC graduate students who are currently in the Secondary or Elementary M.Ed./certification program may simply take the required coursework for the endorsement during their stay at UIC. Students who wish to pursue the endorsement and are already certified before entering UIC must be admitted to the Instructional Leadership-Educational Studies-Self Designed Option or take the courses as a non-degree student (please note: only 12 semester hours of non-degree credit are transferable into a degree program). If you are a new applicant for the secondary or elementary program you should follow the admission procesdures for that program (you would take the middle school courses while in your program).