Education: Middle Level (4th to 8th Grades)

Description:

The Education: Middle Level (4th to 8th grades) Program prepares students for transfer to baccalaureate-degree granting institutions. After successful completion of the Program, students receive an Associate in Arts (A.A.) Degree. Most graduates then transfer to a four-year institution where they earn a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts in Education and are eligible for Certification to teach Grades 4-8. The curriculum helps students to apply the knowledge, concepts, and skills essential for successful elementary/middle years instruction.

Because students have options with respect to specific content areas they would like to pursue, and because transfer institutions require specific courses, it is highly recommended that students consult catalogues of schools to which they might transfer and transfer information available in the Counseling Center, as well as their advisor, to make appropriate course selections.

According to Pennsylvania mandates, under Chapter 354, students need a 3.0 G.P.A. for entry into upper level education courses and teacher certification programs at four year schools. In addition, they must pass the Pre-Professional Academic Performance Assessment (PAPA) before being admitted into these upper-level courses at four year schools.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the Education: Middle Level degree program graduates will be able to:

  • Identify career options open to an individual with a background in education and describe the path required to Pennsylvania Teacher Certification
  • Apply theories of adolescent development and cognitive processes to enhance student learning
  • Conduct effective assessments and use information gathered for diagnostic and lesson planning purposes
  • Demonstrate effective teaching strategies and techniques in areas such as classroom dynamics, teacher expectations, student motivation, and classroom management
  • Identify and implement the common core state standards for middle level within at least four content areas: math, science, English/language arts/reading, and social studies
  • Describe and implement accommodations and adaptations for diverse learners to include special education and inclusive classroom environments

Program Entry Requirements:

New students are normally required to complete the College's placement test prior to their enrollment. Students identified as needing developmental work must satisfactorily complete the appropriate developmental English and mathematics courses as part of the program.

Because students will be required to observe and work with children the Program requires students to meet the requirements of the Child Protective Services Law, 23 Pa. C.S.A., section 6344 (relating to prospective child care personnel). Students must therefore present up-to-date Pennsylvania criminal history reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation criminal history reports, Department of Public Welfare (child abuse) reports, and health clearances, clearly stating that they are eligible to work with children. (Up-to-date clearance is defined as being no more than 12 months old on the first day of working with children.) Failure to produce up-to-date clearances or a change of clearance status may result in a student's removal from the program. A student who believes that an error of fact has been made in his/her removal may appeal that decision. Information regarding the appeal procedure will be provided with the letter of removal.

Program of Study and Graduation Requirements:

To qualify for the Associate in Arts (A.A.) Degree in Education: Middle Level (4th to 8th grades), a student must complete a minimum of 61 credit hours as described in the course listing on the following page. In addition, the student must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0, and a minimum grade of "C" in all Education courses. During their matriculation in the Education: Middle Level (4th to 8th grades) Program, it is strongly recommended that students meet with a designated Education academic advisor to choose their courses.

Students whose behavior is viewed as inconsistent with professional standards may be dropped from the curriculum pending a departmental hearing.

Course Sequence:

Semester 1

Course Number and Name Prerequisites and Corequisites Credits Gen Ed Req.
ENGL 101 - English Composition I   3 credits ENGL 101
CIS 103 - Computer Applications & Concepts   3 credits Tech Comp
PSYC 101 - Introduction to Psychology   3 credits Social Sciences
MATH 151 - Linear Mathematics (or higher math) or 
MATH 161 - Precalculus I*		 For MATH 151: FNMT 118 with a grade of "C" or better, or placement in MATH 161 or higher
For MATH 161: FNMT 118
with a grade of "C" or better		 3 credits Mathematics
HIST 101 - United States History: Colonial America through the Revolutionary Era or
HIST 102 - United States History: The 19th Century* or
HIST 103 - United States History: The 20th Century		   3 credits Am/Global, Diversity Studies, Interpretive Studies Writing Intensive, Humanities

* Students should choose math courses according to transfer institution.
**Students planning to transfer to Temple University should take HIST 101 or HIST 103, not HIST 102.

Semester 2

 

Course Number and Name Prerequisites and Corequisites Credits Gen Ed Req.
ENGL 102 - The Research Paper ENGL 101 with a grade of "C" or better 3 credits ENGL 102 & Info Lit
ED 201 - Foundations of Education for Middle and Secondary Years ENGL 101 3 credits  
ENGL 211 - Survey of British Literature: From Beginnings to 1750 or
ENGL 212 - Survey of British Literature: From 1750 to the Modern Era or
ENGL 221 - Survey of American Literature: From the Beginnings to the Civil War or
ENGL 222 - Survey of American Literature: From the Civil War to the Present or
ENGL 250 - African-American Literature I or
ENGL 251 - African-American Literature II 		 ENGL 101 3 credits  
MATH 152 - Probability or 
MATH 162 - Precalculus II*		 For MATH 152: FNMT 118 with a grade of "C" or better, or placement in MATH 161 or higher
For MATH 162: MATH 161 with a grade of "C" or better		 3 credits  
BIOL 106 - General Biology I   4 credits Natural Sciences

Notes

* Students should choose math courses according to transfer institution. 
**Students planning to transfer to Temple University should take HIST 101 or HIST 103, not HIST 102.

Semester 3

Course Number and Name Prerequisites and Corequisites Credits Gen Ed Req.
ED 214 - Cognition and Learning in the Classroom ENGL 101 and ED 105 or ED 201 3 credits  
PSYC 209 - Adolescent Psychology PSYC 101 3 credits  
BIOL 107 - General Biology II II or
EASC 111 - Environmental Conservation		 For BIOL 107: BIOL 106 with a C or better 3 or 4 credits  
Content Elective   3 credits  
Content Elective   3 credits  

 

 

Notes

* Students should choose math courses according to transfer institution. 
** Students planning to transfer to Temple University should take HIST 101 or HIST 103, not HIST 102

Semester 4

Course Number and Name Prerequisites and Corequisites Credits Gen Ed Req.
ED 265 - Introduction to Special Education and Inclusive Practices ED 105 or ED 201 and PSYC 201 or PSYC 209 or PSYC 215 3 credits  
ED 255 - Teaching English Language Learners ED 105 or ED 201 and ED 204 or ED 214 3 credits  
ART 103 - History of Art: Ancient to Renaissance or
ART 104 - History of Art II: Renaissance to Modern or
MUS 103 - Introduction to Music		   3 credits  
POLS 111 - American Government or
POLS 112 - Introduction to International Relations		   3 credits  
Content Elective   3 credits  

Notes

* Students should choose math courses according to transfer institution. 
** Students planning to transfer to Temple University should take HIST 101 or HIST 103, not HIST 102

Minimum Credits Needed to Graduate:

61

Content Electives

The following information regarding content electives is for informational purposes only. It is provided to guide students in choosing content elective courses. Students in this program do not need to declare a content area or an option while at the College although they should consider which subjects they wish to teach when choosing content electives. Students will not earn all of the necessary content electives in this program. They will need to take content electives both here and at the baccalaureate school to which they transfer.

Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) requires candidates for 4th-8th grade teacher certification to earn credits across four content areas — mathematics, science, English/language arts/reading and social studies. Students may earn these credits at the College and at their transfer institution. PDE provides two options for distribution of credits.

Option 1 Option 2
30 credits in one content area
12 in each of the other three
Total = 66 credits

Schools or districts could impose additional requirements, but by PDE regulations a teacher candidate who follows Option 1 would be eligible to teach all subjects at 4th-6th grade level, but only one subject at the 7th-8th grade level.		 21 credits in one content area
21 credits in second content area
12 credits in the other two areas
Total = 66 credits

Schools or districts could impose additional requirements, but by PDE regulations a teacher candidate who follows Option 2 would be able to teach all subjects at the 4th-6th grade level and two subjects at the 7th and 8th grade levels. 

Note: Under Option 2, a student must choose either Mathematics or Science as one of the two content areas. PDE does not allow teacher candidates to choose English and Social Studies as their two content areas. Therefore, there are five content combinations possible under Option 2:

  • Mathematics and Science
  • Mathematics and English/Language Arts/Reading
  • Mathematics and Social Studies
  • Science and English/Language Arts/Reading
  • Science and Social Studies

When choosing content electives, students should keep in mind that the Program requires

These required courses may count towards the totals listed on the table above depending on the transfer institution.

Students should choose content electives in consultation with an advisor based on the requirements of their intended transfer institution and the content area(s) in which they plan to teach. PDE only certifies baccalaureate programs in education; PDE does not certify Associate programs. Therefore, the College cannot guarantee that the content courses listed below will count towards the PDE requirement. Acceptance will be determined by the four-year college to which the student transfers and courses accepted vary by institution.

Content Area (as defined by PDE) CCP courses recommended
English/Language Arts/Reading ENGL 211, 212, 221, 222, 230, 232, 241, 245, 246, 250, 251, 256, 260, 265 (literature courses)
ENGL 205, 280, 281, 282, 283 (creative writing courses)
Social Studies ANTH 112
ECON 181, 182
GEOG 101, 103, 180, 222
HIST 101, 102, 103, 121, 122 220, 221
POLS 111, 112
RS 151
SOC 101, 233
Mathematics MATH 161, 162, 171, 172, 251, 270, 271
Science CHEM 105, 110, 121, 122
EASC 111
BIOL 106-107 or BIOL 123-124
PHYS 111-112 or PHYS 141-240
Other Content Electives
(Not required by PDE for 4th-8th grade teacher certification but may be required by some four year colleges. Students should consult an advisor or the transfer guides in the Career and Transfer Center.)		 World Language courses
Religious Studies courses
ENGL 115 - Public Speaking

General Education Requirements:

All general education requirements necessary for graduation are met through the courses in the program as indicated above. Students who wish to take courses that differ from the general education courses indicated above must complete a course substitution request form. To access the form, login to the MyCCP portal, and in the Student tab, under Electronic Forms, click on the Records and Registration Forms link, then choose Request For Course Substitution Of Graduation Requirement link. A more detailed explanation of the College’s general education requirements is also available.

For More Information, Contact:

The Division of Liberal Studies, Room BR-21, 1700 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19130, Telephone (215) 751-8450; or call the College Information Center (215) 751-8010.