Middle Grade Education (MAT)

• All applicants must meet the general admission requirements for Concordia University Chicago graduate programs as published in the Concordia University Chicago academic catalog.
• New students are accepted into the MAT programs for online and on-campus study in the fall and spring semesters. 
• Previously admitted students seeking to change programs may do so at the beginning of a semester (only) by submitting a Change-of-Program quick app. Applicants must be in good academic standing according to Concordia University Chicago’s satisfactory academic progress standards at the time of requesting a program change and must meet with a MAT Advisor

See Curriculum information below for additional requirements.

Candidates are also required to pass the ILTS Content Test  for their specific area of study:

• #201 - Middle Grades (5-8) Language Arts
• #202 - Middle Grades (5-8) Mathematics
• #203 - Middle Grades (5-8) Science
• #204 - Middle Grades (5-8) Social Science

Check with MAT Advisor for specific breakdown of acceptable coursework.

Areas of Study*

Program Entry Courses (9 credit hours): Prerequisites to Professional Courses and admission to the College of Education.

• EDUC 6435 (3 credit hours) Introduction to Education
  The student will explore the origins of standards-based education in our American educational system. It introduces students to the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors of effective teachers. The course also provides background to the context of contemporary education through an examination of historical, philosophical and political influences.
• EDUC 6045 (3 credit hours) Theories of Learning and Cognition
  The student will be introduced to learning theory and research on cognition.  Emphasis will be placed on connecting principles of learning theory to classroom practice and the concept of developmentally appropriate instruction.
• EDUC 6040 (3 credit hours) Classroom Teaching Skills
  The student will explore the variety of skills necessary for effective classroom instruction. Enrollment is limited to graduate students working toward initial certification. Required for admittance to the College of Education.

Upon completion of the Program Entry Courses, Education Studies students must be admitted to the College of Education to continue and enter the MAT Secondary education program as Teacher Candidates before enrolling into the Professional Courses. See Transition Points in the MAT Secondary Program section in the Graduate Catalog for more information.

Professional Courses - 21 hours

• EDUC 6415 (3 credit hours) Professional Responsibility and Ethics for Teachers
  The student will develop an understanding of and commitment to Illinois Teacher Code of Ethics. Through case examinations, candidates will consider how school law impacts the life of the classroom.  The development of professionalism and teaching with integrity will also be explored.
• EDUC 6290 – Characteristics and Instruction of Exceptional Learners
  The student will focus on the identification and characteristics of exceptional learners; applicable laws and policies; educational program development based on empirically-supported instructional techniques for diverse learners; appropriate assessment and record-keeping procedures; and transition planning for students with Individualized Educational Plans.
• EDUC 6445 (3 credit hours) Introduction to Research for Pre-Service Teachers
  The student will be introduced to the purposes, scope and design of Educational research. The intended outcomes of the course would be to understand the role of research in educational design and decision making, to create consumers of research within the pre-service teaching community, and to learn how to incorporate appropriate research practices into instructional settings.
• EDSC 6230 (3 credit hours) Literacy Instruction in Content Area
  The student will explore the teaching of reading and writing to secondary education students.  Emphasis on language acquisition; instructional approaches; reading processes; writing; reading materials; assessment; vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency strategies; analyzing, evaluating, synthesizing, and summarizing information; integrating reading, writing, and oral communication; collaborating with others; and stimulating discussion in the content areas.  Admission to Teacher Candidacy is required.
• EDUC 6060 (3 credit hours) Classroom Management and Assessment
  The student will explore appropriate classroom management strategies and provides an introduction to classroom assessment and evaluation. Full day course experience required with on-site field experiences. Enrollment limited to graduate students working toward initial teacher certification.
• Professional Instructional Methods course in the content area (Choose 1 based on content endorsement):
  • EDSC 6602 (3 credit hours) Content and Methods of Teaching 1^st Century English Language Arts: Middle Grades 
    The student will develop an understanding of English and Language Arts content and the methodology necessary to teach middle and high school students. Field experience required.
  • EDSC 6606 (3 credit hours) Content and Methods of Teaching Mathematics: Middle Grades  
    The student will develop an understanding of mathematics content and the methodology necessary to teach middle and high school students. Field experience required.
  • EDSC 6619 (3 credit hours) Content and Methods of Teaching Social Studies: Middle Grades 
    The student will develop an understanding of social studies content and the methodology necessary to teach middle and high school   Field experience required.
  • EDSC 6618 (3 credit hours) Content and Methods of Teaching Science: Middle Grades
    This course develops the pre-service teachers understanding of science content and the methodology necessary to teach middle and high school students.  Field experience required.
• Student Teaching Internship Semester - 3-6 hours
  • EDUC 6985 (0 credit hours) Student Teacher Seminar  The student will explore Summative Portfolio Assessment related needs, issues, skills and areas of knowledge, specifically in preparation for submitting the assessment to Pearson.  Prerequisite: Enrolled in the Student Teaching Internship.
  • EDUC 6923 (6 credit hours) Student Teaching: Middle Grades Education
    The Student Teaching Internship is an assignment to teach for 16 weeks in a secondary setting in the candidate’s subject endorsement area under the guidance of a classroom cooperating teacher. The intern will be supported and evaluated by the university supervisor. Candidates must meet the requirements for Transition Point Two: Admission to the Student Teaching Internship Semester to begin the internship. Subsequently, candidates must meet the requirements for Transition Point Three: Completion of the Student Teaching Internship Semester. Attendance at scheduled Summative Portfolio Assessment seminars and Colloquium is required.
    or
  • EDUC 6925 (3 credit hours) Capstone Student Teaching: Middle Grades Education
    An accelerated pathway for eligible teaching candidates that will waive the traditional, supervised student teaching experience in favor of a MAT Capstone Course where the approved teacher candidate will teach in their own classroom under the guidance of an authorized school official in lieu of the 16-week student teaching internship course. This course for students in the accelerated pathway will be a 3-credit hour course including completion of the Summative Portfolio Assessment and a Positive Impact Presentation (PIP) and all other requirements as outlined by ISBE. Prerequisite: Provisional and final approval by the Director of the Office of Field Experience and the division chair. B or higher in EDSC-6602, EDSC-6605, EDSC-6606, EDSC-6618, EDSC-6619, EDEL-6908, EDEL-6910 or EDEL-6918. Pass/Fail only.

The College of Education Student Manual provides details and guidelines for meeting the criteria for successful completion of the Internship Semester and the process for obtaining the Illinois Professional Educator License. Successful completion includes

• Satisfactory completion of the Internship by meeting or exceeding all assessment benchmarks.
• Prepare and present documentation of positive impacts on student learning from your internship teaching (Positive Impact Presentation).
• Complete all State required assessments at the time of the internship (Content Area Test).

Capstone Experience

• Positive Impact Presentation
• Summative Portfolio Assessment to be submitted and achieve a passing score prior to licensing.

 Clinical Experience (Pre-Professional Hours)

• 100 hours – all pre-professional hours are embedded in the MAT coursework and must be completed prior to student teaching).

Each course will describe the number of hours required to be completed in classrooms and the nature of the experience that a candidate must complete.

Subject Area Endorsements for Secondary Education

Please see Academic Advisor for details.