Essential Elements of Specialized Middle Level Teacher Preparation Programs

Abstract

The reason for developing specialized middle level teacher preparation programs seems clear. Young adolesce ts need teachers trained to provide them with developmentally responsive learning experiences that give them the tools and knowledge to be successful. Haying determined that young adolescents are at a unique developmental level, experts in the field of middle level education have long advocated for specialized teacher training programs (Carnegie Council, 1989; Dickinson & McEwin, 1997; Jackson & Davis, 2000; Scales & McEwin, 1996). Recent research supports that stand (Giebelhaus, 1998; Lockart & Butt, 2002). States are slowly responding to the need for specialized teacher preparation programs by adding middle level certifi cates to licensing requirements (Gaskill, 2002). As specialized middle level preparation programs evolve and grow, there is a need to ensure these programs prepare middle level teachers according to the current best practice research. This article will describe a program at Berry College, a small, private college in Georgia recog nized for its teacher preparation program continu ously accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) since 1974. Using the National Middle School Association's (2002) position statement on the pro fessional preparation of middle level teachers as a guide, we applied the essential elements described in that statement to the development of the Berry College middle grades program. Georgia was one of the first states to require middle level certification and to have a number of schools