State board approves new middle school education degree program

12/06/2014 11:30 AM

The Illinois State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board unanimously approved the Department of Teacher Education, College of Education and Health Science’s proposal for a middle school education degree program with an English as a Second Language (ESL) endorsement, fully aligned with the revised Illinois Administrative Code.

The board was extremely complimentary of the program’s design, particularly its ESL endorsement component. The Middle School Education degree program includes the following four concentration (licensure area) options: middle grades English language arts education with ESL endorsement; middle grades mathematics education with ESL endorsement; middle grades science education with ESL endorsement; and middle grades social science education with ESL endorsement.

We expect to begin offering this new degree program next fall.  Bradley will be among the first universities in the state to offer a middle school education degree under the revised IAC, and the first to fully integrate the ESL endorsement into the program.