Middle Level Education Mathematics

Become a middle school math teacher with PennWest California's comprehensive teaching degree.

Make an incalculable impact on the next generation by teaching middle school mathematics. A bachelor's degree in education with Pennsylvania grades 4-8 mathematics certification will give you in-depth teacher training - including an entire semester of student teaching - as well as specialization in teaching mathematical concepts.

PennWest California's middle level education bachelor's degree is a four-year undergraduate program that is rooted in evidence-based teaching techniques and the standards of the Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE). This bachelor's degree program prepares you for a top teaching career through hands-on experiences in local middle schools, rigorous coursework, professional development seminars and more.

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Program Highlights: Middle Level Education

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.

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

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

165

Years of experience training top teachers in Pennsylvania and beyond.

Degree Benefits

Benefits of earning your PennWest California middle level education bachelor's degree with a concentration in mathematics include:

Extensive fieldwork and student teaching in local Pennsylvania middle schools.
The development of proven teaching techniques in introductory courses in algebra, geometry, data analysis and probability, ratios and proportions, expressions and equations.
Full preparation for Pennsylvania grades 4-8 teaching
Job placement support from faculty, alumni and PennWest California's Career and Professional Development Center.

Graduate Outcomes

PennWest California's middle level education bachelor's degree with a concentration in mathematics will prepare you to be an effective classroom leader. You'll graduate with the hands-on experience you need to be a competitive candidate for mathematics teaching positions, as wall as many other educational roles. PennWest California program alumni have gone on to careers as:

Public or private school
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 mathematics. 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 181 College Algebra	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 215 Statistics 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
MAT 191 College Trigonometry	3
MAT 272 Discrete Math	3
MAT 281 Calculus	3
MAT 303 Geometry	3
MAT 341 Linear Algebra	3
MAT 400 Mathematical Modeling	3

Required Related Courses	12
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

Free Electives	6
Free Elective OR MAT 130 Elementary Topics in Mathematics II	3
Free Elective	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.)

Related Courses

Bachelor's Degree:

Middle Level Grades 4 to 8: Bachelor of Education Degree

Certification Concentrations:

A smiling PennWest California student in a classroom with a calculator.

Practical Skills that Make a Difference

"I can't express how valuable the education program was to me at PennWest California. ... Learning how to analyze student data and how to make changes to my instruction to meet students' needs enables me to provide the best education for each student that I have on a regular basis." - Amanda Bilitski '15

A student stands against a marker board with equations written on it.

Share Your Passion for Numbers

As a mathematics education student at PennWest California, you'll review your own math skills while learning a variety of strategies to be used in teaching mathematics to middle level students - including making connections to other mathematics concepts, to various subject areas, and to real-life situations. Your courses will be rooted in national and Pennsylvania math standards, and will give you the opportunity to engage in teaching short activities to small groups of children in grades 4-8.

A PennWest California professor stands against a marker board with equations written on it.

Faculty Expertise

At PennWest California, you'll 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.

Middle Level Education Mathematics Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S.Ed.) with Certification