Special Education Major

Learning Outcomes

Special education majors will learn specialized knowledge in a variety of areas including technology, differentiated instruction, assessment, management, advocacy, and teaming and collaboration. Special education teachers not only teach children, but they also work closely with parents/families, support and collaborate wtih general education teachers, school psychologists, social workers, and guidance counselors.

Students will be admitted to the pre-special education program. Once they have met all requirements, students will be moved into the actual special education major.

*Accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and Indiana State Board of Education. For more information click http://caepnet.org

Major Courses (71 credits minimum):

A grade of C or better is required in each course as well as a minimum grade point average of 2.5. The professional education component in special education consists of three specific areas of classwork. Each subsequent area has the previous area as a prerequisite. Area I courses are those that can be taken prior to admission to Becoming a Complete Professional I. Area II courses are those that require admission to Becoming a Complete Professional I. Area III courses require the student to be eligible for Becoming a Complete Professional II. Early and continuous experiences with children in school settings are included throughout the professional education component and are an integral part of the professional courses. These practicum experiences are required to successfully complete each professional course. A practicum experience may be required of any SPED designated course. Students completing a double major with another teaching area may be exempted from some of these courses.

Area I (9 credits):

SPED 203 - Preschool Special Education 3 Credits
SPED 226 - The Exceptional Learner in the Regular Classroom 3 Credits
EPSY 202 - Psychology of Childhood and Adolescence 3 Credits

Area II (32 credits):

SPED 215 - Behavior Management 3 Credits
SPED 314 - Math Strategies and Assessment 3 Credits
SPED 318 - Differentiated Reading 3 Credits
SPED 321 - Special Education Law and Procedures 3 Credits
SPED 400 - Secondary School, Community, and Family Interactions 3 Credits
CIMT 400 - Teaching III 3 Credits
CIMT 400L - Teaching III Practicum 1 Credits
EPSY 341 - Education in a Multicultural Society 3 Credits
SPED 311 - Special Education Assessment 3 Credits
CIMT 301 - Teaching IIa 2 Credits
CIMT 302 - Teaching IIb 2 Credits
SCED 393 - Science in the Elementary School 2 Credits
SCED 393L - Science in the Elementary School Laboratory 1 Credits

Area III (18 credits)

ELED 392 - The Teaching of Elementary School Social Studies 3 Credits
ELED 394 - The Teaching of Elementary School Mathematics 3 Credits
ELED 397 - Reading 3 3 Credits
ELED 398 - Reading 4 3 Credits
ELED 400 - Theory to Practice 3 Credits
SPED 402 - Individualized Core Curriculum 3 Credits

Area IV—Student Teaching (minimum of 12 credits):

SPED 405 - Supervised Student Teaching 5-13 Credits
SPED 457 - Special Education Capstone 3 Credits

NOTE:

Students who will complete the Special Education Major as a double major with Elementary Education do not need to take SPED 457 or SPED 318. Students completing the Special Education Major with a secondary content area do not need to take SPED 457 or SPED 203.

Degree Map

This program has the following minimum GPA requirements: 2.50 overall GPA. If Non-Native Language is required, that must be completed in addition to the schedule below. Students who are admitted to the University in good standing and who have satisfactorily completed all prerequisites may apply for admission to the educator preparation program BCP I. The program admission requirements and program progression may be found at the Education Student Services web site, https://www.indstate.edu/education/ess