HARRISBURG — A state panel approved new teacher-certification rules Thursday that Pennsylvania's top education official said would improve teaching in the early elementary grades and middle schools.

The new rules establish an early childhood education certificate for teachers of students in pre-kindergarten through fourth grade, and a combined elementary-middle school certificate for grades four through eight.

The certificates will replace the state's current elementary education certificate, which covers kindergarten through sixth grade. They will be required for newly certified teachers beginning in January 2013.

The rules will ensure that teachers are better versed in child development and can instruct students with a wide range of academic abilities, Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak said.

"With the increased emphasis we have placed on early childhood education in Pennsylvania, we need to have teachers who have the knowledge and skills to teach our youngest learners," Zahorchak said in a statement.