Middle Grades Language Arts, BS

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The Bachelor of Science (BS) in Middle Grades Language Arts is designed to prepare individuals to teach English/Language Arts in grades 5-9. The program provides an educational pathway for students who have earned an Associate in Arts degree to include EDF 2005, EDF 2085, and EME 2040. It is also a good option for students with a child development focus. Upon graduation, students will meet the mandated state teaching requirements, including teacher certification exams.

Program Highlights:

The BS in Middle Grades Language Arts includes courses that prepare teacher candidates to understand the nature of the adolescent learner and the middle grades philosophy. Content courses cover literature, composition, reading competency, classroom management, assessment, and integrated approaches to teaching methodologies at the middle school level. In addition, teacher candidates will take courses to prepare them to teach English language learners (ELLs) and students with exceptionalities. Students will learn to facilitate lessons that integrate the five strands of the language arts (reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing). Field experience requirements are progressive in nature, building upon previous semester experiences. Students will complete field experience, teach lessons through the practicum courses, and complete a full-time teaching internship in their final semester. Courses are offered for full-time and part-time students, with blended technology and online courses where applicable.

Admission Requirements:

In addition to fulfilling the entrance requirements for Edison State College, applicants for the BS in Middle Grades Language Arts Education degree program must meet the following requirements consistent with Florida Statute 1004.04:

Completion of the Associate in Arts (AA) degree, including all general education core requirements and required pogram prerequisites. Students with a minimum of 60 transferable hours, with all general education core requirements and prerequisites met, may apply for admission.
Completion of the lower-division education prerequisite courses: EDF 2005 (Introduction to the Teaching Profession), EDF 2085 (Introduction to Diversity for Educators), and EME 2040 (Introduction to Technology for Educators), with grades of “C” or higher.
Have a grade point average of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for the general education component of undergraduate studies or have completed the requirements for a baccalaureate degree with a minimum grade point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale from any college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association, as defined by State Board of Education rule or any college or university otherwise approved pursuant to State Board of Education rule.
Demonstrated mastery of general knowledge, including the ability to read, write, and compute, by passing the General Knowledge Test (GK) of the Florida Teacher Certification Examination, the College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST) (prior to July 1, 2009), a corresponding component of the National Teachers Examination series, or a similar test pursuant to rules of the State Board of Education.
Students must disclose background information that may preclude them from becoming certified at the time of admission. For continued enrollment in the program, students must be fingerprinted and screened by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI prior to entering any school.
Applicants not meeting stated admissions criteria may petition for program admittance if they feel that there are mitigating circumstances. Applicants must submit an official petition form available in the Office of the Registrar.

Priority Application Deadlines:

Fall term - August 1; Spring term - December 1; Summer term - April 1

Students who have completed previous upper division coursework in an Education Program may present those courses for evaluation by the Discipline Chair for Education. In some cases, students may be required to submit portfolio icons or assignments to demonstrate competency in the required Florida Educator Accomplished Practices, reading or ESOL standards. The student is urged to provide the Discipline Chair for Education with corresponding syllabi, samples of student work, and textbook/assignment information related to each upper division course. Students may transfer equivalent courses as determined by the State Common Course Numbering System. However, Edison State College reserves the right to deny common course number credit for courses in which practicum or internship components reside. Students must fulfill all required competencies, standards, skills and dispositions within the Bachelor of Science in Education Programs and may be required to submit additional documentation to support completion requirements.

The Edison State College Registrar’s Office will ensure that previous coursework meets all relevant academic standards before acceptance for transfer. The Dean of the School of Education and the Education Admissions Committee will ensure adherence to the above admissions criteria.

In addition to adherence to the Edison State College Student Code of Conduct, policies and procedures, teacher candidates must adhere to disposition policies and unit policies and procedures as published in the School of Education Student Handbook.

Students who have not fulfilled the State of Florida general education requirements must complete them. The general education requirements are waived for students who have an AA or Bachelor’s degree from a public Florida state university system (SUS) institution or community/state college. General education requirements will not be waived for graduates from other states, regardless of the regional accreditation.

General Education Core Requirements: minimum of 36 credit hours

Communications- 9 credit hours
ENC 1101 - Composition I 3 credit(s)
ENC 1102 - Composition II 3 credit(s)
and
SPC 1017 - Fundamentals of Speech Communication 3 credit(s)
or
SPC 2023 - Introduction to Public Speaking 3 credit(s)
Humanities- 6 credit hours*
6 credit hours to include one writing intensive course (see Required Program Prerequisites below)
Mathematics- 6 credit hours
6 credit hours of approved college level Mathematics – refer to the Associate in Arts Degree General Education Program Guide, AA
Natural Sciences- 6 credit hours
6 hours to include one lab – refer to the Associate in Arts Degree General Education Program Guide, AA
Social Behavioral Sciences- 9 credit hours
9 hours to include one writing intensive course (Part A) – refer to the Associate in Arts Degree General Education Program Guide, AA

and
PSY 2012 - General Psychology I 3 credit(s)
or
DEP 2004 - Human Growth and Development 3 credit(s)

Required Program Prerequisites (grades of “C” or better) (12 credit hours):

EDF 2005 - Introduction to the Teaching Profession 3 credit(s)
EDF 2085 - Introduction to Diversity for Educators- (I) 3 credit(s)
EME 2040 - Introduction to Technology for Educators 3 credit(s)
AND choose (1) course (3 credit hours) from the following:
* AML 2010 - Literature of the United States I, to 1860 3 credit(s)
* AML 2020 - Literature of the United States II, 1860 to Present 3 credit(s)
* ENL 2012 - British Literature and Culture I, to 1780 (I) 3 credit(s)
* ENL 2022 - British Literature and Culture II, 1780 to Present (I) 3 credit(s)
* LIT 2110 - World Literature I- (I) 3 credit(s)
* LIT 2120 - World Literature II- (I) 3 credit(s)
* Courses can be used to satisfy General Education Core Requirements in Humanities (in addition to specific part A).
Students must choose a minimum of one additional lower division Literature course to satisfy major requirements.

General Electives (13 credit hours)

Students are encouraged to take additional literature (LIT, ENL, AML) and creative writing (CRW) courses and/or

EDG 4935

2 credit(s) to fulfill any remaining general electives (to meet 120 total credit hours required).

Upper Division Major Requirements (59 credit hours); Service Learning (30 hours)

EDF 3214 - Human Development and Learning 3 credit(s)
EDF 4782 - Ethics and Law 2 credit(s)
EDG 3410 - Classroom Management and Communication 3 credit(s)
EDG 4004 - Special Topics in Education I 1 credit(s)
EDM 3230 - Middle & Secondary Curriculum and Instruction 3 credit(s)
EEX 3012 - Educational Needs of Students with Exceptionalities 3 credit(s)
ESE 4323 - Educational Assessment 3 credit(s)
LAE 3324C - Middle Grades Practicum I: Composition 4 credit(s)
LAE 3326C - Middle Grades Practicum II: Literature 4 credit(s)
LAE 3332 - Applied Linguistics for Teachers 3 credit(s)
LAE 3333 - Teaching Composition 3 credit(s)
LAE 4464 - Adolescent Literature 3 credit(s)
LAE 4940 - Internship in Middle Grades Language Arts 12 credit(s)
RED 3324 - Teaching Reading in the Middle School Curriculum 3 credit(s)
RED 4519 - Diagnosis and Intervention in Reading 3 credit(s)
TSL 4080 - Second Language Acquisition and Culture-(I) 3 credit(s)
TSL 4140 - ESOL Methods, Curriculum and Assessment 3 credit(s)
Service Learning Requirement (30 hours):

All Education baccalaureate degrees have a 30-hour service learning requirement. Ten hours will be completed each semester, leading up to final internship. The requirement begins to be met with completion of EDG 4004, and the final culmination and validation of hours will be part of the final internship portfolio for each student.

Total Credit Hours: 120

School Based Hour Requirements (720 total hours)

Teacher candidates must submit an application for Practicum I and II as well as for Final Internship to the Field Experience Office. All required benchmarks must be met prior to being approved for Field Experience placements. All practicum courses must span a minimum of eight weeks. During Internship, teacher candidates are expected to attend all duty days and assume all responsibilities as required of the K-12 mentor teacher.

Refer to individual course descriptions for additional information about school based hour requirements.

Graduation Requirements:

Students must satisfactorily complete 120 credit hours. For residency purposes, a minimum of 30 credit hours required for graduation must be completed at Edison State College. All other specific degree requirements must also be met. Credit awarded for college-preparatory instruction may not be counted toward fulfilling the total number of credits required for residency purposes or graduation.
For purposes of conferring the bachelor’s degree, students must complete at least 59 credit hours of courses numbered 3000 level or above. At least 30 of the 59 hours must be earned at Edison State College.
Students must fulfill all requirements for their program major. Students should refer to program graduation requirements.
Students must achieve a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for all work at Edison State College. Students pursuing a degree in Education must achieve a 2.5 average or higher in all coursework. Individual programs may require a higher grade point average for graduation.
Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in all upper division program requirements.
Students must complete the General Education Core Requirements of the Associate in Arts Degree, including any assessment of General Education Outcomes that are required by the College. Transfer courses will be reviewed for equivalency. Students who transfer to Edison State College with a previous Associate in Arts degree from a Florida community college or bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution are considered to have met the General Education component of the degree.
Students must have completed Florida’s foreign language requirement prior to the completion of the bachelor’s degree. Students may meet this competency in one of two ways:
1. Successful completion of two years of a single foreign language while in high school (official high school transcripts must be submitted to the College Registrar), or
2. Successful completion of two semesters (8-10 credit hours) of a single foreign language in college (or through corresponding College Level Examination Program CLEP exams). Edison State College may determine standards for review of non-traditional foreign language competence for languages not available through CLEP (in languages other than French, German, and Spanish).
Beginning July 1, 2011, College-Level Academic Skills (CLAS) will no longer be an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree graduation requirement.
Students must meet program criteria prior to enrollment in the capstone or internship experience.

Students must complete an Application for Graduation through the Office of the Registrar and enroll for the GRD 4000 the semester in which they intend to graduate. Students must apply for graduation by the published deadline to be assured of final clearance for graduation, timely receipt of diploma, and participation in the graduation ceremony. Individual programs may identify graduation application deadlines.

B.S. in Education- Additional Program Graduation Requirements

Students must earn a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale.
Students must pass all sections of the Florida Teachers Certification Examination (FTCE) for certification within the State of Florida.
While Edison State College governs a student’s program requirements, changes to a program emanating from the Florida State Board of Education will take precedence over the College catalog and may alter a student’s program of study.
The Florida State Board of Education requires all education students to demonstrate competency in all of the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs), Florida Subject Area Competencies (FSAC), and Professional Educator Competencies and Skills (PECS) as a condition of graduation, including completion of a professional portfolio. Elementary Education students must demonstrate achievement of all State required ESOL Competencies and Performance Standards and Reading Competencies as a condition of graduation.
Students must apply for graduation/internship the semester prior to enrollment in the final internship. Fall graduates must apply no later than February 1st of the preceding Spring semester. Spring graduates must apply no later than October 1st of the preceding Fall semester.

Students must successfully complete all school based hours to include two minimum eight-week practicums and one sixteen-week final internship experience as a condition of graduation.

For additional information, please contact the Baccalaureate and University program office by calling (239) 489-9295.

For admission and graduation requirements, refer to the appropriate section of the College Catalog.

Information is available online at: http://www.Edison.edu/academics/,

or on School of Education Home Page at: http://www.edison.edu/soe