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Mimi Rosenberg, Director: 212-875-4544
Master of Science in Education: 55 credits
This 55-credit dual certification program in Middle School Special and General Education provides teachers and prospective teachers with the broad preparation they need to work with the wide range of learners in grades 5 through 9 who may be in today's general, inclusive, or special education settings.
You will learn about the interrelationship of the academic, intellectual, emotional, physical and social development of early adolescents. You will also come to understand the school structures that best support cognitive and emotional growth - why do some schools succeed in meeting the needs of these children while others do not? You will use your growing understanding of developmental issues to inform your work in curriculum across all subject areas, as well as in your area of specialization.
Through your courses and your work with children you will gain a foundation for working with a wide range of children, for identifying underlying issues that keep some children from functioning fully, and for helping all children reach their potential. You will learn to work collaboratively with other teachers, parents and professionals. You will learn how to recognize a range of learning problems that children face, and you will learn how to help children work within the full range of their abilities.
Certification in Education
When you graduate, you will be eligible for New York State certification in both Middle Childhood General Education and Middle Childhood Special Education, prepared to work with a wide range of learners in grades 5 through 9. As a graduate, you will be certified both as a middle childhood generalist, qualified to teach all subjects, and as a middle childhood specialist to teach English, social studies, a foreign language, mathematics, biology or earth science, as determined by your undergraduate major.
Supervised Fieldwork/Advisement
During one academic year, while taking courses, you will gain teaching experience and advisory support through supervised fieldwork/advisement. If you are not currently working in a special education or inclusion classroom in a middle school or junior high, you will do your student teaching placements both at the 5th or 6th grade level and at the 7th, 8th or 9th grade level. At least one placement will be with children who have special needs. Working teachers and assistants who stay with a particular grade in the age range may use their own classroom as their primary site for college-supervised teaching, but they will also need additional college-supervised field experiences with children of diverse populations and other age(s) within the certification range. This requirement will be met through the Practicum taken during the summer.
Throughout your year of supervised field work/advisement, your advisor will visit you in your setting each month. You will meet individually twice a month with your Bank Street advisor, and you will gather with a small, supportive peer group once a week throughout the fall and spring terms.
Integrative Master's Project
Before graduating, you will complete an independent study (master's thesis), directed essay or portfolio. Your choice will depend on your own goals and learning style. This project allows you to pursue an area of particular interest to you, or to weave together the threads and understandings of your Bank Street graduate experience.
Admissions Requirements
Applicants to the Middle School Special and General Education Dual Certification program need to have a strong background in the liberal arts and sciences and to have majored in a subject taught at the middle school level: English, a foreign language, mathematics, social studies (history), biology or earth science.
Further information
More Middle School Education programs (Middle Childhood certification, grades 5 to 9):