In the early 1980s, North Carolina middle grades licensure was changed to grades 6-9 and made subject specific (i.e., middle grades mathematics).
Appalachian State University (ASU) was the first institution of higher education in North Carolina and one of the first in the nation to offer specialized professional preparation for middle grades teachers and has a long-standing commitment to excellence in middle level teacher preparation. When middle level teacher preparation programs were created at ASU in 1975, successful candidates received
degrees in Elementary Education with a specialization in Middle/Junior High School Education and licensure in grades 4-9. The UNC system also created options for separate degrees in Middle Grades Education during the 1980s. In 1985, ASU began offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in Middle Grades Education. Candidates could then earn undergraduate degrees in Middle Grades Education and receive grades 6-9 teaching license in two subject areas chosen from language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. Those receiving the master’s degree in Middle Grades Education received graduate level grades 6-9 license in one subject area. Early in the history of specialized middle level teacher preparation, ASU faculty organized summer institutes that focused on middle school education. These institutes were attended by graduate students as well as by middle level practitioners from across North Carolina. Consultants for these institutes included noted middle school authorities such as William Alexander, Paul George, and Nancy Doda as well as successful middle school teachers, principals, and other educators. At that time in the history of middle school education, such training and collaborating were critical because middle schools were still a fairly new phenomenon. In 1996, ASU decided to adopt a performance-based, standards-guided teacher preparation model. To accomplish this, a Middle Grades Advisory Board was established. This Board included middle grades teachers and principals, district administrators and curriculum coordinators, professors from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Education, recent graduates, and other stakeholders. In addition to developing major curriculum and program revisions, the Advisory Board also wrote standards to guide the new middle grades teacher preparation program. Program standards incorporate all standards from North Carolina Department of Public Instruction as well as the National Middle School Association/National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education Middle Level Teacher Preparation Standards. These program standards and their accompanying program level assessments were created by middle grades faculty members and the Middle Grades Advisory Board. All degree candidates must successfully present comprehensive graduation portfolios that exemplify their mastery of all program standards. Beginning with the 2004-2005 academic year these portfolios have been created and shared in electronic formats. On-campus undergraduate degree candidates are organized into a cohort plan. A new cohort begins once per year at the beginning of the spring semester. Middle grades teacher candidates take 21 credit hours of courses in the middle grades major as well as 24 credit hours in each of two concentration areas (English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies). Middle grades courses are sequenced into “blocks” of related courses taken during the final three semesters. Block I courses generally focus on fostering in teacher candidates a deep understanding of the needs of young adolescents and an examination of school programs and practices that are appropriate and verified by research as appropriate for the age group. Block II courses focus on curriculum, instruction, assessment, and content knowledge in the disciplines – and how teachers design learning experiences to meet the needs of young adolescent students. Specialized middle grades courses are listed and described in the Appendix. Middle grades teacher candidates complete three field experiences in middle level classrooms. All middle grades internships and student teaching are located in a system of professional network schools. We have developed a strong network of partnership teachers and schools who are dedicated to middle grades teacher preparation. They host our interns and student teachers in their classrooms, provide professional development in the form of face-to-face and virtual seminars, and generally provide the laboratory for our students to learn the teaching craft of teaching young adolescents. In addition to the on-campus programs, the middle grades program offers part-time evening graduate and undergraduate programs at off-campus locations. Programs of study for the off-campus undergraduate students are the same; however, the pacing of their courses is a bit slower since they are taking their courses part-time. We have had undergraduate and graduate cohorts in Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Surry/Yadkin, and Wilkes Counties. Additionally, we have had graduate cohorts in Statesville, Winston-Salem, and Rutherford County. Middle Grades Education Resources:
