Offered in: Chicago

Offered in: Chicago

The purpose of the Middle School Education program is to prepare capable, dedicated, and concerned teachers who are committed to the intellectual, emotional, social, and physical growth of adolescents enrolled in middle school classrooms. Students are encouraged to develop communication skills, content knowledge, observational skills, and sound teaching practices that they can apply to their work with diverse learners. Over the duration of the program, students develop a sense of themselves as professional educators who can act as change agents in their schools. Students who successfully complete the program earn a State of Illinois Professional Educator License to teach in grades 5-8.

Prerequisites

Two introductory courses (6 credit hours) are required of all undergraduate majors in the Department of Education. These courses provide students with the opportunity to explore a variety of educational careers and foundational concepts and practices. All courses must be passed with grades of C- or higher to advance into the major. 

In addition, all Middle School Education majors are required to successfully complete 21 credit hours of content courses in a selected content area. The content area choices are English language arts, social studies, math, and science. Interested students must consult with the professional advisor in the Department of Education before enrolling in Arts and Sciences courses to ensure that all licensure requirements are successfully completed. With careful planning, students can add one or more of the following endorsements to their teaching license: Bilingual/ESL, Special Education (LBS1).

Requirements

Students may begin major CORE courses in the Middle School Education program so long as they have a minimum 2.7 GPA in all undergraduate courses. All methods courses must be passed with a C- or higher. Student teaching must be passed with a C or higher. 

Students must maintain an overall GPA of at least 2.7 while enrolled in the education program. Should a student fall below a 2.7 GPA, the program's faculty will review the student's eligibility to continue moving forward in the licensure program.

Field Experience & Student Teaching

Field experiences in Middle School Education involve urban and suburban placements and must include culturally diverse learners. Experiences take place in middle school grades 5-8 and involve teacher candidates in individual, small group, and whole-class instruction, observation, and participation in community-based activities. A minimum of 100-150 hours of field experiences is required prior to student teaching.

Placement in student teaching is planned with consideration for each student's needs and interests. A Department of Education faculty member, as well as a resident, experienced teacher supervises each student. A formal application is required approximately two semesters in advance of student teaching. To earn admission to student teaching, a student must have passed the appropriate Content Test. In addition, all students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.7 in their undergraduate courses and a 3.0 GPA, respectively in their concentration and Middle School Education courses.  All general education, academic content, and professional education course requirements must be completed with grades of C- or higher. The edTPA test is taken during student teaching. This test is required for licensure. No other course may be taken, nor may a student be employed during student teaching outside of an approved clinical partnership. 

In addition to the requirements outlined in this academic catalog, students in the Middle School Education program are obligated to become familiar with and comply with, all requirements outlined in the Initial Licensure Field Experience & Student Teaching Handbook in order to receive a passing grade for field experience and student teaching courses proceeding to licensure. Students enrolled in field experience and student teaching courses will receive the handbook from the Director of Field Placement.

Content Requirements

Students who would like to earn a license to teach Middle School Education must choose one of the following content areas; English, General Science, Mathematics, and Social Science. Each content area has a specific set of courses students must enroll in to meet the state standards to earn licensure. Please consult with the Department of Education advisor for further information.

Licensure requirements

In order to qualify for Roosevelt University’s recommendation for the Illinois teaching license in Middle School Education, students must meet all professional and general education course requirements that are in effect at the time of their application. Students must have also completed 21 semester hours of specific course content in their concentration and all required licensure exams and assessments.

Students must consult with their education advisor to determine which content and general education courses are acceptable toward fulfillment of licensure requirements. Because requirements for licensure, graduation, and continuing enrollment are subject to change, undergraduates must consult frequently with their education advisors. The advising plan developed at program admission provides the most up-to-date and authoritative information with respect to all program and licensure requirements.

Before issuing a license, the Illinois State Board of Education also requires satisfactory scores on the appropriate content exam and the edTPA.

CORE Requirements (General Education)

1. Content courses are related to the student's concentration. Courses in the concentration are identified with the student at the time of advising by the College of Education Advisor.

2. General Elective courses may be any social science/humanities, or any course of interest the student would like to enroll. Students may also, in consultation with the College of Education Advisor enroll in courses that will result in earing multiple endorsements in Middle School.

3. Experiential Learning Course.