Introduction
Interested in adding a Middle-Level Certification to your South Carolina teaching certificate? VirtualSC PD is now offering courses to help educators gain this area of certification through coursework.
Middle-Level certification may be earned in the fields of Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. Individuals who wish to add a Middle-Level certification field by coursework must meet the following requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree or higher
- Initial or Professional certificate at the early childhood, elementary, middle, secondary, or PK–12 level
- Minimum qualifying score(s) on the middle level content area examination(s) required by the SBE for the content area
- Completion of all required coursework with an equivalent of a grade of “C” or better.
Course Offerings
| Required Topic | VirtualSC PD’s Course Title |
|---|---|
| Middle-level Curriculum and Organization | Middle School Organization and Curriculum |
| Early Adolescent Growth and Development and Learning Communities | Early Adolescent Growth and Development and Learning Communities |
Additional Course Requirements
In addition to the two courses offered by VirtualSC PD, other coursework is required: Teaching Reading and Writing in the Content Area (3 graduate credit hours) and 15 graduate credit hours of content courses in the specific area.
Important Notes
- All content area coursework must be in the specific middle level certification field to be added (i.e., English language arts, mathematics, science, or social studies).
- To add Middle Level Science, the educator must present courses in at least three disciplines of science (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics, earth and space science, etc.).
- To add Middle Level Social Studies, the educator must present courses in at least three disciplines of the social studies (e.g., economics, geography, government, history, political science, psychology, religion, sociology, etc.).
- Teachers certified in a high school content area need no additional content area preparation to add the same subject area at the middle level.
- The Content Area Reading and Writing courses offered by VirtualSC PD do not satisfy the Teaching Reading and Writing in the Content Area course requirement for the Middle Level add-on certification. Courses taken for adding a middle level area of certification must be for college credit on an official transcript.
Adding this area of certification may also be done by exam. You can read more about this option in the Guidelines and Requirements for Adding Certification Fields and Specialized Endorsements.