Master of Education and Licensure in Middle Childhood Education

On this page:

• Why Choose Middle Childhood Education?
• Careers
• Real-World Experience
• Success Stories
• Academics and Curriculum
• Admission
• Licensure Exams
• Resources

Why Choose Middle Childhood Education?

Wright State University's middle childhood education (MCE) program prepares you to teach grades 4-9. You can choose two content areas: math, language arts, social studies, or science. You graduate level courses will focus on pedagogy, the art of teaching. You will take content methods courses as well as courses related to assessment, differentiation, and reading across the curriculum. You will also learn and participate in action research. 

What Does it Mean to Teach Middle-Level Learners? 

Teaching middle-level learners means becoming a teacher in grades 4-9. Middle-level classrooms are transitioning from a self-contained primary classroom to the content specialization of middle school. Middle level philosophy embraces the notion that middle grades teachers need to be developmentally responsive throughout this transition by addressing the unique developmental needs of young adolescents. Teaching in the middle grades is often demonstrated by interdisciplinary teaming, flexible scheduling, integrated curriculum, and special programs to meet the social-emotional needs of young adolescents. 

Wright State’s programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, fully approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, and meet the requirements for the Ohio Department of Education 4 Year Resident Educator teaching license.  You will benefit from relevant and up-to-date training, such as Youth Mental Health First Aid Training and other professional development opportunities in accordance with Ohio’s Strategic Plan for Education focused on the whole child. 

Program Highlights 

• Direct feedback from schools and districts have shown that Wright State’s MCE program prepares teachers to be effective and work collaboratively with other teachers, administrators, and staff. 
• Over the past five years, 97 percent of Wright State’s MCE candidates passed the state’s licensure examinations.  
• Teachers prepared at Wright State consistently perform above the state average on the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES). 
• Wright State’s MCE program is nationally recognized by the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE). 
• Wright State’s MCE program prepares middle level teachers to be well-rounded. Our teacher candidates are provided with opportunities beyond their two chosen content concentration areas.  

Contact Information

470 Millett Hall
937-775-2677
cehs-ted@wright.edu

For general graduate program-related questions, admission information, licensure information, and transcript evaluation contact the teacher education department at 937-775-2677.

Careers

Demand for teachers is high with many parts of the state and nation currently unable to hire as many teachers as they need. Areas with the highest need include special education (intervention specialist), math, science, world language, and teaching English as a second language (TESOL). Teaching is unique in that it provides you an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students, carry out your passion for your content area, and advocate for issues related to education. There are also plenty of opportunities to move up and through the education field, including becoming a lead teacher, administrator, school counselor, or to further your specialties through endorsements and certificates. Educators with a master’s degree make, on average, $5,000 more annually than those with a bachelor’s degree. You may take an opportunity to move your career to advocacy, government agencies, or higher education.   

The College of Health, Education, and Human Services has a dedicated career consultant to assist you in connecting your major to a career. The career consultants focus on staying up-to-date on career trends in education. Our assigned career consultant is an extension of services offered through Wright State’s Career Services.  

Visit our Educator Quality Data page for additional details on employment and salary.  

View the MCE program profile for sample occupations, average salary, and employment projections.  

Real-World Experience

Extensive real-life experience and practice in P-12 schools is the heart of Wright State’s teacher preparation programs. As an education major, you will benefit from the highest quality instruction interwoven with clinical practice throughout your program. Working in close partnership with nine local school districts and many other schools in the region, our programs provide you with the following advantages:

• All of your field experiences will be supervised by clinical faculty (trained former teachers, principals, and curriculum directors) who will provide quality, constructive feedback to improve your readiness to teach.  
• Your experience will culminate in a year-long student teaching internship where you will start and end the year with the same mentor teacher and classroom.  
• Our Office of Partnerships and Field Experiences works to place our candidates in a variety of school settings (urban, rural, suburban) to allow for varying experiences.  

Success Stories

Academics and Curriculum

View the Master of Education and Licensure in Middle Childhood Education program information and degree requirements in the Academic Catalog. 

Admission

The middle childhood education graduate program follows a Summer B semester schedule.

Admission Requirements 

• Wright State University bachelor’s degree in middle childhood education OR other bachelor’s degree from another accredited institution. 
  • C or better required for all prerequisite content courses and field experiences 
  • Dispositional assessment - Candidate Disposition Inventory (CDI).  Candidates must receive a final rating of “Meets Requirements” on the final CDI for field experience (ED 2650 and ED 2750). 
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution,
  • with a minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.7 OR
  • with a cumulative undergraduate GPA between and including 2.6-2.69, but with a 3.0 or better for the last 60 semester hours earned toward the undergraduate degree
• Passing scores on two of the Ohio Assessment for Educators exams for Middle Childhood Education content areas: English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies. 
• No unresolved Concern Conferences. 
• Demonstration of reading, math, and writing competency on a nationally normed test: 
• One of the following Reading scores:
  • ACT Reading score of 19 or better
  • SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 520 or better
  • ETS Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Reading score of 162 or better
• One of the following Math scores:
  • ACT Math score of 17 or better
  • SAT Math score of 510 or better
  • ETS Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Math score of 158 or better
• One of the following Writing scores:
  • ACT Writing score of 6 or better
  • SAT Essay-Writing Dimension score of 5 or better
  • ETS Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Writing score of 165 or better
• OR the GRE scores at or above the 50th percentile. 

Be aware that WHEN you took the test is an important factor in determining whether your score meets the minimum criteria for admission, due to revisions that have occurred over time in the ACT, SAT, and Praxis tests. Acceptable Test Scores for Admission to Teacher Education Programs (PDF)

Admission Process

Deadlines

• All admission requirements must be completed by June 1. 
• Official OAE scores must be received by June 15.
• Petitions to the admission requirements must be received by June 1.
• Candidates interested in applying for a CHEH Graduate Tuition Scholarship must apply for that scholarship before March 1.  

Licensure Exams

MCE graduate candidates must have passed both of their Ohio Assessment for Educators (OAE) content examinations before being admitted to the program. 

To obtain an Ohio Middle Childhood Teaching License, candidates must also take Test Code 002, Assessment of Professional Knowledge: Middle Childhood (4–9) and Test Code 090, Foundations of Reading. These tests may be taken at any point you feel comfortable with the content addressed, but must be passed before you apply for your teaching license.  

Please visit the Ohio Assessment for Educators website for copies of the assessment framework. OAE tests are only available online, at an approved OAE test site.

After you complete the program and pass Ohio-required licensure exams, you are eligible for an Ohio Resident Educator Middle Childhood Education licensure in two subject areas as regulated by the Ohio Department of Education. Licensure and certification requirements vary from state to state, and we have not determined if this program meets educational requirements outside of Ohio.  If you are planning to pursue professional licensure or certification in a state other than Ohio, please contact the appropriate licensing entity in that state to seek information and guidance regarding that state’s licensure or certification requirements.

Resources

Middle Level Professional Organizations

• Association for Middle Level Educators (AMLE): The Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) is the leading international organization advancing the education of all students ages 10 to 15, helping them succeed as learners and make positive contributions to their communities and to the world. AMLE is committed to helping middle grades educators. 
• Ohio Middle Level Association (OMLA): OMLA’s purpose is to promote the middle level concept and provide a medium for those involved with Ohio’s elementary, middle and junior high schools to share with one another.