Special Education Certification

Mission

The mission of the Dual Special Education Program is to develop competent, caring, and ethical educators who are able to meet the diverse learning needs of all students across a variety of age, grade, and ability levels. The preparation program will facilitate competence in areas of academic, social, and emotional growth, and methods of maximizing a student’s capabilities through diagnostic and instructionally adaptive practices.

The Dual Special Education Certification program prepares candidates to work with special needs populations in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grades (PK-12). Students will follow the requirements for an initial certification program in Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Middle Level Education, or Secondary Education with a few course substitutions permitted as noted below, in addition to completing the extra requirements for the Special Education program. Special Education is a concentration that students may add to their initial program in order to qualify for dual certification.

Elementary and Early Childhood Education Major with Dual Special Education Certification

Students majoring in Elementary and Early Childhood Education with a concentration in Special Education PK-12 will complete the following courses in addition to the afore-cited Elementary and Early Childhood program requirements (not the course substitutions permitted):

  • ED 180 – Educational Psychology (a student must earn a final course grade of 2.5 in ED 180 and a cumulative GPA of 2.5 before proceeding to ED 190 and ED 191)
  • EDSP 226 – Special Education Methodology II with Field Experience (20 hours)
  • EDSP 227 – Behavior Management with Field Experience (20 hours)
  • EDSP 300 – Assessment in Special Education (this course replaces the PK-4 ED 344 – Assessment in Early Childhood and Elementary Education—course)
  • EDSP 302 – Special Education Methods
  • All EDSP courses, in combination, will substitute for the PK-4 ED 363—School, Family, and Community—course)

Special Education certification candidates will complete half their student teaching in a special education setting and half in a regular education setting.

Middle Level Education Major with Dual Special Education Certification

Students majoring in Middle Level Education with a concentration in Special Education PK-12 will complete the following courses in addition to the afore-cited Middle Level Education program requirements (not the course substitutions permitted):

  • EDSP 226 – Special Education Methodology II with Field Experience (20 hours)
  • EDSP 227 – Behavior Management with Field Experience (20 hours)
  • EDSP 300 – Assessment in Special Education
  • EDSP 302 – Special Education Methods (this course replaces the Middle Level ED 375—Middle Level Methods—and ED 380—Content Area Literacy—courses)

Special Education certification candidates will complete half their student teaching in a special education setting and half in a regular education setting.

Secondary Education Minor with Dual Special Education Certification

Students minoring in secondary education with a concentration in Special Education PK-12 will complete the following courses in addition to their specific program in the major:

  • EDSP 226 - Special Education Methodology II with Field Experience (20 hours)
  • EDSP 227 -Behavior Management with Field Experience (20 hours)  
  • EDSP 300 - Assessment in Special Education
  • EDSP 302 - Special Education Methods

Special Education certification candidates will complete half their student teaching in a special education setting and half in a regular education setting.