School of Education

The purpose of the Middle Grades program is to prepare teachers who are knowledgeable about and committed to an education for young adolescents that is developmentally responsive, socially equitable, and academically challenging; Within this framework, the prospective teacher will:

1. be reflective practitioners who continually evaluate the effects of his/her choices and actions on others;
2. understand the theoretical base, research, and exemplary practices of middle level education;
3. understand the history and philosophy of middle level education and theories about its future development, including organizational components and assessment and evaluation in the middle school setting;
4. possess content expertise and curriculum integration in two fields of teaching appropriate to the middle school;
5. integrate technology into the middle school classroom; and
6. understand and appreciate learners from different racial, ethnic, social, cultural, and linguistic groups and meet the needs of the broad range of learning styles of middle school students.

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