Certification Only Program in Special Education/Human Exceptionality
This program is designed for individuals who already have an undergraduate degree (i.e., B.A. or B.S.) from a college or university and wish to become certified as a special education teacher in the state of Idaho. Certification in another field is not a requirement for entry into this program; however, some individuals who request admission are teachers certified in other areas. Individuals who qualify and are accepted into the program can expect to complete the required courses within a 3-year time period if the individual completes approximately 9 credits of coursework per semester, including some summers. Although all courses can be taken on the Idaho State University campus, this program also allows for some courses to be taken through the College of Southern Idaho (CSI). This program is designed to meet the needs of two types of candidates: (a) those currently-practicing teachers and (b) those having a BA/BS wishing to enter the teaching profession. Many of the courses are offered via compressed video (distance education) or on-line.
The objectives of the Special Education Program are:
1. Candidates will demonstrate an understanding of a wide variety of disability categories and their instructional implications, as well as the legal and ethical considerations for educating individuals with disabilities.
2. Candidates will demonstrate understanding of instructional methodologies and curricula that have an extensive experimental research base to support their effectiveness for all individuals, especially those with learning difficulties.
3. Candidates will make instructional decisions based on reliable and valid data that are primarily objective in nature.
4 Candidates will demonstrate instruction and behavior management strategies that are proactive and teach new skills, as opposed to being punitive in nature.
5. Candidates will demonstrate professional and collaboration skills with teachers, parents, administrators, and other professionals.
Admission Requirements
Candidates must make application to the Special Education Certification-Only Program within 6 credit hours of beginning coursework. If a completed application is not on file within that time frame, any coursework beyond the 6 initial credits may not apply to the candidate’s program or certification. The criteria for admission to the progam are listed below:
- BA/BS degree.
- Grade Point Average of 2.75 or better in undergraduate coursework
- Praxis II Elementary Education: Content Knowledge (0014)
- Must meet dispositional standards
In addition, the following coursework must be completed within the first 15 credit hours with an average GPA of 3.0 across both courses:
- SPED 330 (or EDUA 231 from CSI)
- SPED 340 (or an Applied Behavior Analysis course on-line from a different institution that has been approved by the ISU Special Education Program faculty prior to enrolling in the course)
Criteria for Retention in the Program
In addition to meeting all of the retention and exit requirements of the College of Education, students must:
- Maintain a 3.0 GPA in all program courses. Program courses are all courses on the program plan, regardless of where they were taken. This includes courses that were substituted for Program Plan courses.
- For certification purposes, any program course with a grade of C- or below must be retaken.
- If a candidate earns two grades of C+ or lower in program courses, including a course that is repeated, then the candidate will not be allowed to progress in the program and must reapply to the program. If a student’s overall GPA falls below 2.75 for two consecutive semesters, the student will not be allowed to progress in the program and must reapply to the program.
To be retained in the program, the candidate must be continuously enrolled in the program. If a candidate is not enrolled in program for more than one semester, he/she is no longer considered a candidate in the program. If a candidate wishes to re-enroll in the program, he/she must reapply and be readmitted to the program again before taking additional courses in the program. Any courses taken without reapplying and being readmitted to the program will not count toward certification.
Advising
When a candidate is admitted to the program, he/she is assigned an advisor in the program. Until then, if a candidate needs advising assistance, he/she should contact the Department of Educational Learning and Development at 208-282-4149. An advising appointment will then be arranged with the Special Education Certification-Only Program Coordinator. The candidate is highly encouraged to meet with the Special Education Certification-Only Program Coordinator as soon as possible, before or during the first semester of coursework.
For a copy of a Student Advising Sheet for the Certification-only Program click here: certonlyadvisingsheet
To download a copy of the application to Certification-only Program click here: certonlyapp
Courses Transferred in Lieu of Courses Required
A candidate may request that courses taken earlier at another university be substituted for certain courses in the program if those courses had similar content to the courses required. Credits taken at another university that are substituted may not be applied to credits needed towards the admission criteria. In such cases, the Special Education Certification-Only Program Coordinator will consider courses through a transcript review. The candidate is encouraged to submit documents such as syllabi and course descriptions to aid in this review. Courses for substitution must have been taken no more than 7 years prior to admission to the program.
Challenging a Course
A candidate may feel that he/she has the skills covered in a specific course based on his/her professional experience and, therefore, may wish to earn course credit for this past experience. In these cases, a student may challenge the course. Specific challenge procedures are in place for most program courses. To challenge a course, contact the Special Education program leader, Dr. Lloyd Peterson at petelloy@isu.edu. If a candidate successfully challenges a course, he/she will receive the credit for the course but will not have to take the course. If the candidate is unsuccessful in challenging the course, he/she must successfully complete the course as part of his/her program. The fees associated with these challenges are non-refundable.
Schedule of Courses
The program faculty have established a rotation of courses that allow for students to complete the program in 3 years by taking approximately 9 credits per semester. However, it is sometimes necessary to modify this rotation due to the availability of course instructors, changes in offerings at CSI, etc. Therefore, the published course rotation does not constitute a “contract” between the program and the candidates. Rather, the course rotation is a guideline that the program makes every attempt to follow. Candidates who opt not to take all courses in the rotation as designed (i.e., due to family illnesses, a need to “slow down” the program, etc.) should not expect to complete the program in 3 years.
Assessments before Student Teaching
In addition to successfully completing all program courses prior to student teaching, candidates must also pass specific tests prior to student teaching.
These are:
Idaho Comprehensive Literacy Assessment
Candidates must take the Idaho Comprehensive Literacy Assessment (ICLA) and pass with an acceptable score unless they held elementary certification from Idaho or another state prior to admittance into the Special Education Certification-Only Program. Candidates must pass all three standards of the ICLA. They may not substitute a district and/or state-approved ICLA course for this requirement.
- Standard 1: Structure of language
- Standard 2: Comprehension
- Standard 3: Assessment
Praxis II Special Education Generalist
- Education of Exceptional Students: Core Content Knowledge (0353)
- Education for Exceptional Students: Mild Moderate (0542)
If a candidate wishes to student teach in the spring semester, all Praxis tests and ICLA Standards must be passed and the test scores must be received in the Office of Field Experience in the College of Education at Idaho State University by Dec. 31. If a candidate wishes to student teach in the fall semester, all Praxis tests and ICLA Standards must be passed and the test scores must be received in the Office of Field Experience in the College of Education at Idaho State University by May 15.
Application for Student Teaching in Special Education
Candidates must apply for student teaching one year in advance of their expected student teaching semester. For instance, if the candidate wishes to teach in the fall semester then the candidate must submit an application during the prior fall semester; if a candidate wishes to student teach in the spring semester, then the candidate must submit an application during the prior spring semester. (NOTE: Candidates should contact the Idaho State University College of Education Placement Office for specific deadline dates.) A late fee is charged if the deadline is not met. (As of the writing of this document, the fee is $50, but this fee may change over time.) In addition, placement in student teaching is not guaranteed if the deadline is not met. Candidates must submit documentation of completed coursework (i.e., transcripts) from both ISU and CSI to the Special Education Certification-Only Program Coordinator with their application. Candidates must submit a plan for completing any courses not yet completed at the time of application. In addition, if Praxis and ICLA tests have not been completed at the time of application, the candidate must provide a statement regarding when he/she plans to take these exams. The documents that must be submitted for review to the Special Education Certification-Only Program Coordinator are the following:
- Completed program plan
- Transcripts from ISU, CSI, and any other institution that may be necessary
- Proof of scores for ICLA
- Proof of scores for Praxis
- Special permission form for candidate to teach in his/her own classroom if the candidate holds alternate authorization
- Other requested documents
Practicum and/or student teaching may be done in the candidate’s own classroom under certain conditions. However, student teaching in candidate’s own classroom is a privilege, not a right. Specific application to teach in a candidate’s own classroom must be submitted to the program at the time the candidate applies for student teaching. Guidelines for an environment that supports student teaching are found with the Application for Student Teaching/Practicum in Own Setting. The principal of the candidate’s school or the district’s special education director must agree that the objectives of the course can be met within the proposed setting. The decision as to whether a candidate may complete his/her student teaching or practicum in his/her own classroom is made by the ISU Special Education Program faculty. The opportunity to complete these experiential courses in a candidate’s own classroom will be dependent upon several factors: (a) an environment that supports the objectives of the course, (b) the candidate’s previous performance on coursework, (c) the candidate’s previous performance on other laboratory, field work, or practicum, (c) Praxis scores, and (d) ICLA scores. If the faculty deems that the candidate will not be allowed to complete the student teaching or the practicum in his/her own classroom, then the program faculty will make arrangements for a student teaching or practicum placement for the candidate.
Program Courses: Course requirements for BA or BS degree (in addition to university requirements)
EDUC 201 Development and Individual Differences(3 cr)
EDUC 204 Families, Communities Culture(3 cr)
EDUC 215 Preparing to Teach with Technology(3 cr),
EDUC 311 Instructional Technology(3 cr)
EDUC 401 Language and Literacy(3 cr)
P E 300 Movement Therapy and Motor Development(3 cr)
OR
P E g494 Adapted Physical Activity (3 cr)
SPED 312 Assistive Technology (3 cr)
SPED 330 The Exceptional Child (4 cr)
SPED 340 Principles of Behavior Management (3 cr)
SPED g423 Designing Instruction (3 cr)
SPED g424 Assessment Procedures in Special Education (3 cr)
SPED g429 Strategies: Severe Disabilities (3 cr)
SPED 430 Practicum in Individualized Instruction (3 cr)
SPED g432 Direct Instruction Systems (3 cr)
SPED g434 Language and Communication Methods in Special Education (3 cr)
SPED 435 Practicum in Small Group Instruction (3 cr)
SPED 436 Math Methods for Children with Disabilities (3 cr)
SPED 437 Practicum in Large Group Instruction (3 cr)
SPED g438 Policies and Procedures in Special Education (3 cr)
SPED 441Classroom Behavior Management (3 cr)
SPED g446 Secondary Special Education (3 cr)
SPED 490 Consultation and Collaboration (3 cr)
SPED 495 Student Teaching Internship (7-14 cr)
Choose from among the following Approved Electives (additional electives possible with approval from advisor) (9 credits)
SPED g426 Assessment: Severe Disabilities (3 cr)
SPED g433 The Emotionally Disturbed Child (2 cr)
SPED g443 Autism (2 cr)
SPED g440 Biomedical Aspects of Physical Disability (3 cr)
SPED g448 Prepracticum, Moderately Handicapped (3 cr)
SPED g450 Creating Inclusive Classrooms (3 cr)
SPED 462 Seminar: Behavior Disorders (1 cr)
SPED g480 Seminar in Special Education (taken twice) (2 cr)
SPED g481 Advanced Issues in Behavior Disorders (2 cr)
SPED g485 Independent Problems (1-2 cr)
SPED g498 Advanced Field Work (1-3 cr)
CSED 205 Introduction to Communication Disorders (3 cr)
CSED 327 Sign Language I (2 cr)
CSED 328 Sign Language II (2 cr)
EDUC 321 Integrated Language Arts Methods (3 cr)
EDUC 322 Children's Literature (3 cr)
EDUC 334 Secondary School Art: Methods and Materials (3 cr)
EDUC 335 Elementary School Art: Methods and Materials (3 cr)
EDUC 401 Language and Literacy (3 cr)
EDUC 419 Developmental Readingnbsp (3 cr)
EDUC g424 Assessing Literacy Abilities (3 cr)
EDUC g460 Foundations of ESL (3 cr)
EDUC g463 ESL Methods (3 cr)
EDUC g464 ESL Methods Laboratory Practicum (1 cr)
EDUC g471 Interpersonal Communications (2 cr)
H E 211 Health Education Methods Elementary (1 cr)
MUSC 257 Music Methods for Elementary School Teachers (2 cr)
P E 357 Methods for Teaching Elementary Physical Education (3 cr)
P E 300 Movement Therapy and Motor Development (3 cr)
OR
P E g494 Adapted Physical Activity (3 cr)
PSYC 225 Child Psychology (elementary emphasis) (3 cr)
PSYC 332 Psychology of Adolescence (secondary emphasis) (3 cr)
PSYC g445 Psychology of Learning (3 cr)
SOC 231 Juvenile Delinquency (3 cr)
Candidates seeking special education certification as a K-12 Generalist may earn a reading endorsement as part of their program by successfully completing the following courses:
EDUC 321 Integrated Language Arts Methods (3 cr)
EDUC 322 Children's Literature (3 cr)
EDUC 401 Language and Literacy (3 cr)
EDUC 419 Developmental Reading (3 cr)
EDUC g424 Assessing Literacy Abilities (3 cr)
SPED 432 Direct Instruction Systems (3 cr)
SPED 434 Language and Communication (3 cr)
Course Rotation*
* This course rotation does not constitute a “contract” between the program and the candidates. Rather, the course rotation is a guideline that the program makes every attempt to follow. Candidates who opt not to take all courses in the rotation as designed (i.e., due to family illnesses, a need to “slow down” the program, etc.) should not expect to complete the program in 3 years.
The following is a table that shows when courses are currently offered. It is not meant to be a program plan. When courses are offered is subject to change. It is the candidates’ responsibility to keep track of what courses have been taken, when courses are offered, and any changes that are made. Changes will be posted on the Special Education Program’s website at http://ed.isu.edu/depts/deld/sped.shtml. Please check this website often.
Some courses should be taken at the beginning of the program. Other courses need to be taken after foundational information has been acquired. Still others may only be taken at the end of coursework. If a candidate needs assistance in designing his/her program, he/she should contact the Department of Educational Learning and Development at 208-282-4149 to arrange an appointment with the Special Education Certification-Only Program Coordinator.
|
Fall |
Spring |
Summer |
Courses that may be taken at the beginning of the program |
EDUC 205 (CSI on-line) |
EDUC 205 (CSI on-line) |
EDUC 205 (CSI on-line) |
Courses to be taken during the middle to end of the program |
SPED 434 (distance/even) |
SPED 432 (on-line/odd) |
|
Courses that must be taken at end of the program |
SPED 495 |
SPED 490 |
|