Middle Level Education English

Empower student to become life-long readers with this specialized teaching degree.

Develop literacy in children and adolescents with a bachelor's degree in education, and a Pennsylvania grades 4-8 English language arts and reading certification. This four-year undergraduate degree program at PennWest California will give you comprehensive teacher training - including an entire semester of student teaching - as well as focused expertise in literacy for middle school students.

PennWest California's middle level education teaching program is rooted in the standards of the Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE), and we have over 165 years of experience training top teachers in Pennsylvania and beyond. This degree program will prepare you for a top teaching career through hands-on experiences in local middle schools, rigorous coursework, professional development seminars and more..

Request Info Apply Now Visit Campus

Program Highlights: Middle Level Education

Faculty Expertise: Work closely with top education professors who have experience as middle school teachers and can relate theory to real-life experiences. Our faculty members are available and approachable. They are here to answer your questions, provide personal assistance, and give you the resources you need for career success.

Top Accreditation: This degree program is approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. In addition, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) accredits PennWest California. CAEP promotes excellence in educator preparation through quality assurance and continuous improvement. See CAEP reporting measures of program impact and outcomes.

15

Weeks of student teaching in a grades 4-8 classroom with increasing levels of responsibility for planning, instructional delivery and assessment.

9

Professional development seminars designed to advance your career.

Degree Benefits

Benefits of earning your PennWest California middle level education bachelor's degree with a concentration in English language arts and reading include:

Full preparation for Pennsylvania grades 4-8 teaching
Job placement support from faculty, alumni and PennWest California's Career and Professional Development Center.
Fieldwork and student teaching in local Pennsylvania middle schools.
Childhood education-focused student clubs that will encourage your interests, help you forge friendships and enable you to network with professionals in the field.

Graduate Outcomes

Employment of middle school teachers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2014 to 2024. PennWest California's middle level education bachelor's degree with a concentration in English language arts and reading will prepare you to be an effective classroom leader and give you the hands-on experience you need to be a competitive teaching candidate. PennWest California program alumni have gone on to careers as:

Public or private school teachers.
Para-educators and remediation teachers.
Children and youth services members.
Substitute teachers and recreation services instructors.
Curriculum authors, and more

Curriculum and Related Courses

This bachelor's degree and teaching certification program will give you in-depth training in grades 4-8 education and specialization in the teaching of English language arts and reading. Upon successful completion of this program, you will earn a bachelor's degree and will be eligible for Pennsylvania teaching certification.

Curriculum

Course	Credits
General Education Courses	40 or 41
Building a Sense of Community UNI 100 First-Year Seminar	1
Composition ENG 101 English Composition I	3
Public Speaking EDU 350 Supporting English Language Learners	3
Mathematics and Quantitative Literacy MAT 120 Elementary Topics I	3
Health and Wellness CHD 250 Teaching Health and Physical Education	3
Technological Literacy EDU 333 Technology for Teaching and Learning	3
Humanities ESP 210 Special Education Foundations and Collaboration	3
Fine Arts Any Fine Arts Course	3
Natural Sciences Any Natural Sciences Course with Lab	3 or 4
Social Sciences GEO 102 Geographic Systems for Elementary Education (1 credit) AND POS 102 American Government for Elementary Education (1 credit) AND ECO 102 Economics for Elementary Education (1 credit)	3
Ethics and Multicultural Emphasis CHD 350 Family and Community Collaborations	3
General Education Options MAT 130 Elementary Topics II British/American Lit Course (from approved list) HIS 101 U.S. History to 1877 OR HIS 102 U.S. History since 1877	9

Required Major Courses	45
ELM 200 Intro to Middle Level Ed	3
ELM 220 Instruction and Assessment in Grades 4-8	3
ELM 301 Reading Methods, Assessments and Interventions (Grades 4-8)*	3
ELM 302 Language Arts Methods, Assessments and Interventions*	3
ELM 311 Math Methods, Assessments and Interventions*	3
ELM 321 Science Methods, Assessments and Interventions*	3
ELM 331 Social Studies Methods, Assessments and Interventions*	3
EDU 375 Intro to Integrated STEM Education	3
ELM 415 Middle Level Education Field Experience*	3
CHD 413 Content Area Literacy Field Experience*	3
CHD 450 Assessment and Data Literacy*	3
ELM 461 Student Teaching and School Law*	12

Concentration Courses	18
ENG 102 English Composition II	3
ENG 337 Survey of American Lit. I	3
ENG 338 Survey of American Lit. II	3
Select three courses from the following: ENG 308 Research for Writers ENG 315 Survey of AM. Women Writers ENG 345 English Grammar and Usage ENG 347 Intro to Linguistics ENG 425 Shakespeare	9

Required Related Courses	15
ESP 311 Assessment and Positive Behavior Interventions	3
ESP 412 Evidence Based Practices	3
PSY 206 Adolescent Psychology	3
PSY 208 Educational Psychology (PSY 100 waived)	3
MAT 181 College Algebra	3

Free Electives	3

Total	121

Additional requirements, not counted toward the General Education requirements, include:

Special Experience Course (1 course required): ELM 461 Student Teaching and School Law
Writing-Intensive Component Courses (2 courses required): ELM 415 Middle Level Education Field Experience AND CHD 413 Content Area Literacy Field Experience
Laboratory Course (1 course required): Any Natural Sciences Course with Lab

* Courses marked with an asterisk are restricted to candidates admitted to Teacher Education.

Program Notes:

All courses required for certification with C- or lower must be repeated.
All ELM, CHD and ESP courses require current clearances and minimum 2.5 GPA to register for courses, except ELM 200 and 220, which require 2.0 GPA to register.
Candidates must follow policies for Admission to Teacher Education as stated in the Teacher Education Handbook.
Pre-requisite for ELM 220 and all 300-level ELM and CHD courses is ELM 200.
State licensure exams must be passed before student teaching.
Current clearances are required prior to enrolling in program courses.
Approved American/British Literature Courses are: ENG 107, 125, 127, 148, 150, 155, 160, 203, 301, 302, 337, 338 and HON 250. (HON 250 has a pre-requisite of HON 150; the 300-level ENG courses have pre-requisites of ENG 101 and 102.)
Approved English Concentration Courses are: ENG 106, 107, 108, 125, 127, 148, 150, 155, 203, 376, 377, 378.

Related Courses

Bachelor's Degree:

Middle Level Grades 4 to 8: Bachelor of Education Degree

Concentrations:

Professional Development Schools

PennWest California collaborates with a group of Professional Development Schools (PDS) in western Pennsylvania. This gives you the opportunity to travel to nearby middle schools to practice instructional delivery in real-world classrooms.

Praise for PennWest California's Program

"Principals and administrators compliment the PennWest California program when they see my lesson development and dedication to the profession firsthand." - Ashley Szala '15

Students in a PennWest California classroom.

Course Spotlight: Language Arts Methods, Assessments and Interventions

In this degree course you'll learn how to help students develop reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, with an emphasis on the development of writing skills. You'll utilize an integrated approach that includes a wide variety of literature, as advocated by the International Reading Association and consistent with the constructivist theory of teaching and learning.

Middle Level Education English Language Arts and Reading Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S.Ed.) with Certification