Middle Grade General Science

Any teacher candidate applying for an initial IL teaching license and seeking a subsequent middle grade science endorsement to be added to an elementary or high school license will need to meet Illinois middle grade science requirements of

18 semester hours in the social sciences, including SCI 325, the two-hour methods course
Pass the middle grade science content exam. (This is in-addition to the elementary or secondary content area tests)

Christ at the Core general education SP and SIP courses count towards these 18 hours of science.

While Illinois no longer designates coursework to meet the middle grade science endorsement requirements, we strongly recommend coursework from each of the following three areas:

Physical sciences (physics, chemistry)
Life sciences (biology, environmental),
Earth and space sciences (geology, astronomy).

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

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.