Middle School Education

The Advanced Certificate in Middle School Education is designed for educators who already hold, or are completing, New York state (initial or professional) certification in childhood education or adolescent education and want to extend their preparation to teach young adolescents. The program is especially valuable for teachers who want a deeper understanding of middle school students and the distinctive developmental and instructional needs of learners in grades 5–9. Through two courses, students examine the many dimensions of young adolescent development, including intellectual, emotional, ethical, social, political, gender and identity development, while exploring instructional practices specifically designed for the middle school environment.

The certificate allows eligible candidates to extend their childhood or adolescent certification into the middle childhood grade range. For childhood-certified teachers, it provides a pathway to extend their preparation beyond grades 1–6 into middle school (grades 7–9) in their specific content area. For adolescent-certified teachers, it can extend opportunities into the earlier middle grades (grades 5 and 6) within their certified content area.

Middle school students are at a unique point in their development. They are experiencing significant intellectual, emotional, social and identity development at the same time that academic expectations become increasingly complex. Adding middle school certification can make you a more versatile educator by preparing you to understand and teach students across this important developmental continuum. It can also expand the range of grades and teaching positions for which you may be eligible, increasing your flexibility and marketability as an educator. The program places particular emphasis on understanding growth and development during middle childhood and designing learning experiences, interdisciplinary instruction and assessment that reflect those developmental needs.

No. Students do not necessarily need to have already completed a master’s degree. Adelphi’s Advanced Certificate in Middle School Education can be added by eligible students who are currently completing a graduate program in childhood or adolescent education, provided they meet the certification and content-area requirements. It is also an option for educators who already hold NYSED certification in childhood or adolescent education and want to continue their professional education and extend their preparation into middle school education.

Current Adelphi students pursuing the extension must have completed the required preparation in their content area. Eligible content areas include English, world languages other than English, biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, mathematics and social studies as eligible middle childhood content areas. For general science, students must meet the additional science-content requirements associated with their initial science specialty.

Adelphi’s advanced certificate is a 6-credit program consisting of two courses and can be completed within one to two semesters. The program is offered in a hybrid format, with approximately two-thirds of the coursework completed online and one-third completed in person at Adelphi’s Long Island campus. The two-course sequence focuses on both the development of the middle school student and instructional practices appropriate for teaching young adolescents.