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Middle Grades Endorsement Online
In the state of Illinois, educators earn an Elementary, Secondary, or Special certificate for teaching at the elementary or secondary school level. To teach in a departmentalized middle grade setting (grades 5-8), educators also need a “middle grade endorsement” on their teaching certificate. The University of Illinois offers three online courses that meet the six credit-hour State Board course requirements for the middle grades endorsement: EPSY 430, EPS 427 and CI 410.
The Middle Grades Endorsement program is designed so that students can complete their coursework in just eight weeks.
*The College will be accepting a limited number of "entire endorsement (all three courses)" waivers on a competitive basis. Please see our Tuition Assistance page for more information.
Spring 2010 Offerings:
CI 410, 10-Week online course,
Jan 12 - Mar 23, 2 Credit Hours
Meets online Tuesdays 430-6pm. Instructor: Sheila Dean [CRN:
48987]
Summer 2010 Offerings:
EPSY 430, 4-Week online course,
May 31- June 28, 2 Credit Hours
Meets online Monday & Weds 430-6pm. Instructor: Brendesha Tynes [CRN: ]
EPS 427, 4-Week online course, May 31- June 28, 2 Credit Hours
Meets online Tuesday & Thurs 430-6pm. Instructor: Cris Mayo [CRN:
]
CI 410, 4-Week online course,
July 5 - Aug 2, 2 Credit Hours
Meets online Monday & Thurs 4-530pm. Instructor: Sheila Dean [CRN:
]
**Note: New to online? There will be online training/orientation for all registered students prior to the course start dates.
Registration Information If you are currently enrolled at Illinois as a degree-seeking student: If you are off-campus and currently not enrolled at Illinois: General Information: middlegrades@education.illinois.edu |
Middle School Instruction (CI 410) addresses the major concepts, principles, theories, and research related to effective middle level curriculum, instruction and assessment. An issue/controversy-based approach is used to structure the course; for each course topic students will critically read/consider varying perspectives on controversial aspects of the topic, and then develop/share their own personal perspective. The course assignments therefore include a sequence of short "opinion papers" shared and discussed with class members. In addition students select, read and review a relevant book of their choice; and write/present a final paper or unit. There are no exams/tests for the course. No text is required; online readings will be selected by the instructor and students. However, there is a recommended text for those who are not currently teaching at the middle school level and/or are unfamiliar with middle school curriculum and instruction. Students must attend--and are expected to participate in--the bi-weekly online discussion sessions. Prospective students are welcome to contact the instructor to view the syllabus prior to enrolling in the course: srdean@illinois.edu [2 Credit Hours] Offered: Spring 2010 & Summer 2010
Philosophy of Middle School (EPS 427) is an introduction to the philosophical, social, and cultural foundations of middle school education, with an emphasis on developing a philosophical analysis of key concepts related to middle schools. We will examine the philosophical underpinnings of the category of adolescent, the practice of collaboration, and understandings of other important political aspects of the middle school. The objectives of this course include: a) developing the philosophical tools with which to reflect on the ‘cultural’ context of education for early adolescents and/or middle school community members, and b) helping in-service and pre-service teachers, as well as those interested in teacher education, to become more philosophically reflective practitioners who think critically about their own teaching practice and experience, educational policy, and the cultural and political dimensions of education. [2 Credit Hours] Offered: Summer 2010
Early Adolescent Development (EPSY 430) provides an overview of the biological, cognitive, and social role changes of the adolescent stage of life with a focus on understanding how contexts (school, family, peer groups, media, work, and leisure) shape development. The main objective is for students to develop an understanding of the developmental strengths, challenges and needs of the age group they will be teaching in the future. [2 Credit Hours] Offered: Summer 2010
**To obtain the Endorsement, students may take the courses in any order. If possible, it is recommended that students complete the EPS or EPSY courses prior to taking the C&I course.
Note: In addition to these three courses, the State Board rules require that the candidate have at least 18 semester hours in the subject matter of the major teaching assignment. For example, for language arts instruction, one must have 18 semester hours of course work in English, speech, and/or rhetoric . Some endorsement areas have very specific requirements and some require more than 18 hours of credit. Additional information is available on the Council on Teacher Education Web site at www.cote.uiuc.edu or at www.isbe.net
Due to the university funding structure, students cannot use university employee tuition waivers or University of Illinois cooperating teacher waivers for Education Online courses. Other employer tuition waivers, military waivers, and Veteran's grants are not affected by this policy. On-campus master's degree programs in the College of Education do accept tuition waivers.