Certification Requirements: Middle Grades (215, 226, 229, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235)
1) A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
2) A minimum of 39 semester hours of college credit in general education including:
- A three-credit survey course in United States history
AND - Coursework in at least five of the following six areas
- natural science (biology, chemistry, earth science, physics)
- English
- social studies (psychology, sociology, economics, political science, anthropology)
- fine arts (visual art, music)
- mathematics
- foreign language
3) A subject area major - meet requirements in subdivision A, B, or C:
(See additional requirements noted below** pertaining to options A and B)A. A subject area majorin the corresponding subject area (i.e., English mathematics, biology, physics, chemistry, earth science, general science, social science, history, political science, economics, geography, anthropology, sociology)
B. An interdisciplinary major in humanities, history/social studies, or integrated science
C. 24 credits in one subject (English mathematics, biology, physics, chemistry, earth science, general science, social science, history, political science, economics, geography, anthropology, sociology)and either:
- 15 credits in a second subject (English mathematics, biology, physics, chemistry, earth science, general science, social science, history, political science, economics, geography, anthropology, sociology); or
- 15 credits in an all-level endorsement subject, specialeducation or related subjects
4) A minimum of 30 semester hours of college credit in professional education in a planned program of study and experience in middle grades education, including:
- foundations of education (e.g., philosophy of education, school effectiveness, history of education and comparative education)
- educational psychology (e.g., growth and development children from birth through the life span, psychology of learning, child-adolescent psychology)
- curriculum and methods of teaching including six credits in reading and writing across the middle grades curriculum, and methods for teaching in the middle grades
- student teaching in a middle grade school setting (minimum of six credits)
- an approved three-credit course of study in special education including gifted and talented.
5) A passing score on the applicable Praxis middle school subject area test
6) Additional coursework requirements corresponding to subject area major A and B**
- For English major (option A), coursework must include study in the evaluation and instruction of students in the area of language arts
- For mathematics major (option A), coursework must include study in calculus
- For history/social studies majoror history/social studies interdisciplinary major (option A and B), coursework must include study in U.S. history, western civilization or European history, and nonwestern history, as well as study in at least three of the social science areas (political science, sociology, economics, anthropology, geography, and psychology)
- For humanities major (option B), coursework must include 18 credits in language arts/English and coursework in at least three of the following areas: literature, philosophy, drama, fine arts, dance, theology or foreign language
- For integrated science interdisciplinary major (option B), coursework must include 18 credits in one area of science including a minimum of three lab courses, and coursework in each of the other three areas of science, for a minimum of seven credits each with at least one lab course in each area
A printable version of these requirements is also available.