Childhood/Special Education Program Requirements
Note:
Completing the Special Education major leads to Dual Certification: Childhood and Special Education (Grades 1-6). The following requirements are in addition to those taken for the Childhood Education major.
Pre-Block Special Education Courses
- EDUC 230: Human Exceptionalities* (includes a field experience) (3)
Block I Special Education Courses
- EDUC 192: Field Experience I: Special Education (0)
- EDUC 229: Language Acquisition and Literacy Development (3)
- EDUC/MSTI 260: Adaptive Technology (3)
Block II Special Education Courses
- EDUC 292: Field Experience II: Special Education (0)
- EDUC 330: Assessment and Instructional Strategies for Inclusion (6)
Block III Special Education Courses
- EDUC 371: Classroom Management (3)
- EDUC 392: Field Experience III: Special Education (0)
- ITED 422P: Diversity in American Society* (3)
- EDUC 440: Collaboration for Inclusion (3)
Block IV Childhood/Special Education Student Teaching Experience
- EDUC 101: Issues in Student Health and Safety (0)
- EDUC 485: Student Teaching Seminar: Childhood (1)
- EDUC 488: Childhood Student Teaching (6)
- EDUC 498: SPED Student Teaching, Grades 1-6 (6)
*EDUC 230 and ITED 422P are required courses for the Childhood major and are not additional hours to the Special Education major.
Qualifications for New York State Teacher Certification in Special Education
Candidates for New York State certification in Special Education (Grades 1-6 or Grades 7-12) must complete the following:
- Bachelor's degree.
- Childhood Education with Special Education Major or Inclusive Education major with Adolescence/SWD Certification Track. Adolescence majors must also complete a major in an approved content area. Options: English, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, History, American Studies, Spanish, French.
- Students in the Adolescence/Students With Disabilities certification concentration must complete 6 credits in each of the following areas as a part of the Fisher Core: English, mathematics, sciences, and social studies. Only selected Fisher Core courses satisfy these requirements, so close consultation with the academic advisor is necessary.
- 150 hours of field experiences prior to student teaching. (The field experiences include 100 hours in Childhood or Adolescence and 50 hours in Special Education.)
- Student Teaching Experience-14 weeks.
- New York State Teacher Certification Examinations: Liberal Arts and Science Test (LAST), Assessment of Teaching Skills-Written (ATS-W), and a Content Specialty Test (CST) for each area of certification.
- Fingerprint clearance.
- Child Abuse and School Violence Intervention and Prevention Workshops.