Introduction

The Middle Grades Education Program is designed to prepare preservice educators for the teaching of students in grades four through eight, as consistent with the National Middle School Association and the Georgia Professional Standards Commission recommendations.

The major emphasis of the Middle Grades Education Program is to develop teachers who can assist students in bridging the gap from childhood to adolescence and who can provide instruction within a supportive environment, leading to students’ acquisition of facts, concepts, and generalizations in content areas.

The Middle Grades Education Program prepares professionals who understand the rationale for and the role of teachers in the middle school. Primarily, the middle grades program addresses such functions as interdisciplinary teams, flexible grouping, teaming with colleagues and working with families and community support organizations in order to provide developmentally appropriate content area instruction.

Standards

The assessment of students majoring in Middle Grades Education is aligned with the following performance-based standards set forth by the National Middle School Association (NMSA).

NOTE: The following definition is used for the term "all young adolescents" throughout this standards document:

The middle level standards interpret "all young adolescents" to be inclusive, comprising students of diverse ethnicity, race, language, religion, socioeconimic status, gender, sexual orgientation, regional or geographic origin, and those with exceptional learning needs.

Standard 1. Young Adolescent Development

Middle level teacher candidates understand the major concepts, principles, theories, and research related to young adolescent development, and they provide opportunities that support student development and learning.

Standard 2. Middle Level Philosophy and School Organization

Middle level teacher candidates understand the major concepts, principles, theories, and research underlying the philosophical foundations of developmentally responsive middle level programs and schools, and they work successfully within these organizational components.

Standard 3. Middle Level Curriculum and Assessment

Middle level teacher candidates understand the major concepts, principles, theories, standards, and research related to middle level curriculum and assessment, and they use this knowledge in their practice.

Standard 4. Middle Level Teaching Fields

Middle level teacher candidates understand and use the central concepts, tools of inquiry, standards, and structures of content in their chosen teaching fields, and they create meaningful learning experiences that develop all young adolescents' competence in subject matter and skills.

Standard 5. Middle Level Instruction and Assessment

Middle level teacher candidates understand and use the major concepts, principles, theories, and research related to effective instruction and assessment, and they employ a variety of strategies for a developmentally appropriate climate to meet the varying abilities and learning styles of all young adolescents.

Standard 6. Family and Community Involvement

Middle level teacher candidates understand the major concepts, principles, theories, and research related to working collaboratively with family and community members, and they use that knowledge to maximize the learning of all young adolescents.

Standard 7. Middle Level Professional Roles

Middle level teacher candidates understand the complexity of teaching young adolescents, and they engage in practices and behaviors that develop their competence as professionals.

For additional information, contact:   Dr. Toni Bellon   tbellon@ngcsu.edu