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Middle School Education Gr 4-8, P.B.C.

In addition to the Certification-Only Program requirements, you must meet all course requirements, pass the Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT): Grades 5-9 (5623) and successfully complete the academic internship or the teacher residency to receive certification from the Louisiana Department of Education.

Choose from four concentration areas for Middle School Education:

  • Middle School Education Grades 4-8, English Education
  • Middle School Education Grades 4-8, General Science Education
  • Middle School Education Grades 4-8, Mathematics Education
  • Middle School Education Grades 4-8, Social Studies Education

Admission Requirements

Obtained a Baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university.

Have an overall undergraduate GPA of 2.2 or higher; students with less than a 2.2 GPA may be admitted conditionally. Students admitted conditionally must obtain a 3.0 GPA for the first 12 semester hours and must complete with a 2.5 GPA.

Have a passing score on the Praxis content exam.

List of all work experiences since completion of the your undergraduate degree.

Provide a single-page essay outlining the candidate’s reasons for and commitment to teaching.

Contact the Office of Student Services in the College of Education and Human Development at 337-482-6681 or altcert@louisiana.edu to schedule an appointment to have your transcripts and Praxis scores evaluated.

Professional Education Course Requirements (21 cr. hrs.)

Please visit the university catalog under the Post Baccalaureate Certificate section for a list of required courses.

No final grade below “C” accepted for any professional education or specialized academic education course required for this certification. Any course substitutions must be approved by the College of Education & Human Development Office of Student Services.

Academic Internship or Teacher Residency (6 cr. hrs.)

A minimum of 9 credit hours is required prior to the academic internship or the teacher residency.

You must complete 6 credit hours of either the academic internship or the teacher residency as part of the Certification-Only Program requirements. The academic internship or the teacher residency must be completed in two consecutive semesters as required by the Louisiana Department of Education. The Praxis Praxis Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) (5623) and 9 credit hours of course work must be passed prior to registering for the academic internship or the teacher residency. Visit ETS-Registration, Test Dates, and Centers to register for the Principles of Learning and Teaching.

Academic Internship

If the Louisiana Department of Education issued you a Practitioner’s License 2 (PL2) and you have 0-2 years of teaching experience in your certification area, you may be eligible for the academic internship. The academic internship begins only in the fall semester and is one full school year, or two consecutive semesters. The academic internship must be completed in two consecutive semesters as required by the Louisiana Department of Education. Candidates are required to register for EDCI 485 (3 cr. hrs.) in the fall semester and EDCI 487 (3 cr. hrs.) in the spring semester.

The approval to enroll in the academic internship will be given by the Director of the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences. Upon approval, it is your responsibility to register for the appropriate course and pay the fees for the required course.

To enroll in the academic internship, you must meet the following requirements in addition to the requirements for admission into the Certification-Only Program:

  • You must submit a copy of the contract from the school system in which you are teaching, or you must submit a letter (on school letterhead) from the principal verifying at least one year of full-time employment relevant to your certification area during enrollment in the program. NOTE: The letter from the principal must specifically state the subject area and grade level you are currently teaching. Once the documentation provided has been verified, the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences will send an assigned university supervisor at least 4-5 times to the school where you are teaching to evaluate your teaching during the academic internship.
  • You must submit a copy of your current teaching schedule.
  • You must submit copies of your passing scores for the Praxis Series Test-the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT).
  • You must pass all courses required by the prescription with a "C" or better.
  • You must have the coursework requirements completed and passed.
  • You must submit a fully completed academic internship application packet to the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences.

Teacher Residency

You must complete the teacher residency if you currently do not have a teaching job. The teacher residency is a year-long residency which consist of  EDCI 485 (3 cr. hrs.) in the fall semester and EDCI 487 (3 cr. hrs.) in the spring semester. The teacher residency must be completed in two consecutive semesters as required by the Louisiana Department of Education.

The approval to enroll for the teacher residency will be given by the Director of the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences. Upon approval, it is your responsibility to register for the appropriate course and pay the fees for the required courses. The Director of the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences will assign you to a school based on your certification area. Candidates will complete Residency I and Residency II under the supervision of the cooperating teacher at the assigned school. In addition, the Director of the Office of Teacher Clinical Experiences will send an assigned university supervisor to the school to evaluate your teaching.

To enroll in the teacher residency, you must meet the following requirements in addition to the requirements for admission into the Certification-Only Program:

  • You must submit copies of your passing scores for the Praxis Series Test-the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT).
  • You must pass all courses required by the prescription with a "C" or better.
  • You must have the coursework requirements completed and passed.
  • You must submit proof of affiliation with a professional educational organization offering education liability insurance, such as A+PEL, LAE, LAHPERD, Kappa Delta Pi, etc. Visit Organizations and Associations for more information.
  • You must submit a fully completed teacher residency application online.