Middle-Grade General Science

Elementary Education 

Any elementary teacher candidate applying for an initial Illinois Professional Educator
license and seeking a subsequent middle-grade social science endorsement to be added
to the license will need to

• complete 18 semester hours of approved science-related coursework including the
  2-credit course SCI 325 Methods of Teaching Middle-Grade Science. (Wheaton
  elementary education majors will automatically have completed 2 credits toward
  the endorsement by completing the required course SCI 322. Also, students will
  have completed 8 additional credits toward this endorsement by taking courses to
  receive their SP and SIP tags as part of the Wheaton’s general education
  curriculum).
• pass the state’s middle-level general science content exam. This is in addition to
  passing the elementary content exam.
• complete a Wheaton-approved practicum in a middle school. Any science course counted toward the middle-grade endorsement must have a final grade
  of C- or higher.

Any science course counted toward the middle-grade endorsement must have a final grade
of C- or higher.

Secondary Education 

Secondary Education students who are also science majors will automatically receive the
middle-grade science endorsement as part of their program; however, they will need to
pass the state’s middle-level general science content exam.

 

 

For Secondary Education/Science (bio, phy, chem) double majors

• Enroll in SCI 325 (offered in Spring semesters) prior to or after student teaching

For Elementary Education majors

Part One: (4-8 hrs for CATC SP & SIP tags)

• Complete the general education science requirements, including the lab

Part Two: (4 hours)

• SCI 325 is the required Middle-Grade Science Content Methods course (2 hrs.). Offered only in Spring semester only. Elementary education majors take this course the Spring semester AFTER completion of student teaching.
• SCI 322 is the required Science for Elementary School course (2 hrs.). Offered each spring semester as part of the elementary methods block of courses. 

Part Three: (6-10 hours, for a minimum of 18 required hours)

• (Highly Recommended) Complete at least one science course from each of these designated areas for any of three designated areas that were not part of the general education science requirements in Part One. These designations are no longer required, but are recommended for stronger general science preparation.
  
  • Designated Areas include: Physical Sciences (CHEM or PHYS); Life Sciences (BIOL or ENVR); and Earth and Space Sciences (ASTR or GEOL).

Course Summary

• The total of Parts One, Two, and Three must be 18 hours, including the SCI 325 course and the recommendation of at
  least one course from each of the three designated areas (Physical Science, Life Science, and Space Science).

Practica Options

• Students who already know by sophomore year that they are majoring in one of the Sciences and Secondary Education or are seeking the Middle School General Science Endorsement should be placed in a middle school for their 225L
  practicum.
• If not placed in a middle school for 225L, students have the option of taking the Middle-Grade Practicum 405L/507L or of student teaching in a middle school to fulfill the requirements of the middle grade endorsement.