Special Education
The purpose of the Bachelor of Science in Education with a Major in Special Education is to prepare beginning special education teachers.
The BSEd in Special Education is a practice-based program with an emphasis on clinical practice and apprenticeship. The paraprofessional to teacher track (PTP) allows candidates currently employed as special education paraprofessionals to complete their degree while maintaining their position. Candidates not employed as paraprofessionals will complete their degree on campus through a combination of traditional and online coursework with enhanced clinical practicum opportunities.
The seven student learning goals of the program align with the teacher preparation standards of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC):
| Student Learning Goals | Student Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|
| 1. Candidates practice within ethical and legal guidelines; advocate for improved outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities and their families while considering their social, cultural, and linguistic diversity; and engage in ongoing self-reflection to design and implement professional learning activities. | SLO 1: Candidates practice within ethical guidelines and legal policies and procedures. SLO 2: Candidates advocate for improved outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities and their families while addressing the unique needs of those with diverse social, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds. SLO 3: Candidates design and implement professional learning activities based on ongoing analysis of student learning; self-reflection; and professional standards, research, and contemporary practices. |
| 2. Candidates use their understanding of human growth and development, the multiple influences on development, individual differences, diversity, including exceptionalities, and families and communities to plan and implement inclusive learning environments and experiences that provide individuals with exceptionalities high quality learning experiences reflective of each individual’s strengths and needs. | SLO 1: Candidates apply understanding of human growth and development to create developmentally appropriate and meaningful learning experiences that address individualized strengths and needs of students with exceptionalities. SLO 2: Candidates use their knowledge and understanding of diverse factors that influence development and learning, including differences related to families, languages, cultures, and communities, and individual differences, including exceptionalities, to plan and implement learning experiences and environments. |
| 3. Candidates apply their understanding of the academic subject matter content of the general curriculum and specialized curricula to inform their programmatic and instructional decisions for learners with exceptionalities. | SLO 1: Candidates apply their understanding of academic subject matter content of the general curriculum to inform their programmatic and instructional decisions for individuals with exceptionalities. SLO 2: Candidates augment the general education curriculum to address skills and strategies that students with disabilities need to access the core curriculum and function successfully within a variety of contexts as well as the continuum of placement options to assure specially designed instruction is developed and implemented to achieve mastery of curricular standards and individualized goals and objectives. |
| 4. Candidates assess students’ learning, behavior, and the classroom environment in order to evaluate and support classroom and school-based problem-solving systems of intervention and instruction. Candidates evaluate students to determine their strengths and needs, contribute to students’ eligibility determination, communicate students’ progress, inform short and long-term instructional planning, and make ongoing adjustments to instruction using technology as appropriate. | SLO 1: Candidates collaboratively develop, select, administer, analyze, and interpret multiple measures of student learning, behavior, and the classroom environment to evaluate and support classroom and school-based systems of intervention for students with and without exceptionalities SLO 2: Candidates develop, select, administer, and interpret multiple, formal and informal, culturally and linguistically appropriate measures and procedures that are valid and reliable to contribute to eligibility determination for special education services. SLO 3: Candidates assess, collaboratively analyze, interpret, and communicate students’ progress toward measurable outcomes using technology as appropriate, to inform both short- and long-term planning, and make ongoing adjustments to instruction. |
| 5. Candidates use knowledge of individuals’ development, learning needs, and assessment data to inform decisions about effective instruction. Candidates use explicit instructional strategies and employ strategies to promote active engagement and increased motivation to individualize instruction to support each individual. Candidates use whole group instruction, flexible grouping, small group instruction, and individual instruction. Candidates teach individuals to use meta-cognitive strategies to support and self-regulate learning. | SLO 1: Candidates use findings from multiple assessments, including student self-assessment, that are responsive to cultural and linguistic diversity and specialized as needed, to identify what students know and are able to do. They then interpret the assessment data to appropriately plan and guide instruction to meet rigorous academic and non-academic content and goals for each individual. SLO 2: Candidates use effective strategies to promote active student engagement, increase student motivation, increase opportunities to respond, and enhance self‐regulation of student learning. SLO 3: Candidates use explicit, systematic instruction to teach content, strategies, and skills to make clear what a learner needs to do or think about while learning. SLO 4: Candidates use flexible grouping to support the use of instruction that is adapted to meet the needs of each individual and group. SLO 5: Candidates organize and manage focused, intensive small group instruction to meet the learning needs of each individual. SLO 6: Candidates plan and deliver specialized, individualized instruction that is used to meet the learning needs of each individual. |
| 6. Candidates create and contribute to safe, respectful, and productive learning environments for individuals with exceptionalities through the use of effective routines and procedures and use a range of preventive and responsive practices to support social, emotional and educational well-being. They follow ethical and legal guidelines and work collaboratively with families and other professionals to conduct behavioral assessments for intervention and program development. | SLO 1: Candidates use effective routines and procedures to create safe, caring, respectful, and productive learning environments for individuals with exceptionalities. SLO 2: Candidates use a range of preventive and responsive practices documented as effective to support individuals’ social, emotional, and educational well-being. SLO 3: Candidates systematically use data from a variety of sources to identify the purpose or function served by problem behavior to plan, implement, and evaluate behavioral interventions and social skills programs, including generalization to other environments. |
| 7. Candidates apply team processes and communication strategies to collaborate in a culturally responsive manner with families, paraprofessionals, and other professionals within the school, other educational settings, and the community to plan programs and access services for individuals with exceptionalities and their families. | SLO 1: Candidates utilize communication, group facilitation, and problem–solving strategies in a culturally responsive manner to lead effective meetings and share expertise and knowledge to build team capacity and jointly address students’ instructional and behavioral needs. SLO 2: Candidates collaborate, communicate, and coordinate with families, paraprofessionals, and other professionals within the educational setting to assess, plan, and implement effective programs and services that promote progress toward measurable outcomes for individuals with and without exceptionalities and their families. SLO 3: Candidates collaborate, communicate, and coordinate with professionals and agencies within the community to identify and access services, resources, and supports to meet the identified needs of individuals with exceptionalities and their families. SLO 4: Candidates work with and mentor paraprofessionals in the paraprofessionals’ role of supporting the education of individuals with exceptionalities and their families. |
Bachelor of Science in Education with a Major in Special Education
| General Education | ||
| General Education Courses | 38 | |
| Required Special Education Core | ||
| MATH 277 | Mathematics for Elementary Teachers I | 3 |
| SPED 110 | Introduction to Exceptional Children | 3 |
| SPED 141 | Foundations of Early Childhood Special Education | 2 |
| SPED 201 | Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers | 3 |
| SPED 202 | Intro to Sensory Disabilities | 3 |
| SPED 233 | Experience in SPED | 1 |
| SPED 302 | Language and Communication Interventions | 3 |
| SPED 310 | Introduction to Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder | 3 |
| SPED 340 | Assessment in SPED 1 | 4 |
| SPED 379 | Leadership in SPED | 3 |
| SPED 410 | Introduction to Learning and Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities | 3 |
| SPED 420 | Inclusive Practices | 3 |
| SPED 441 | Methods for High Incidence Disabilities 1 | 3 |
| SPED 442 | Methods for Low Incidence Disabilities 1 | 3 |
| SPED 444 | Transition to Adult Life 1 | 3 |
| SPED 445 | Collaboration in Special Education | 3 |
| SPED 494 | Practicum in Special Education 1 | 4 |
| Professional Education Sequence | ||
| PSY 255 | Child and Adolescent Psychology | 3 |
| or SPED 140 | Human Development | |
| SS 283 | Diversity in America | 3 |
| ED 260 | Educational Psychology | 2 |
| ED 260L | Clinical I | 0 |
| ED 282 | Managing the Learning Environment | 2 |
| ED 282L | Clinical II | 0.5 |
| ED 284 | Teaching Diverse Learners | 2 |
| ED 284L | Clinical III | 0.5 |
| ED 320 | Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment I | 2 |
| ED 321L | Clinical IV | 0.5 |
| ED 323L | Clinical V | 0.5 |
| ED 324L | Fall Experience | 0 |
| ED 380 | Technology in Teaching | 2 |
| Professional Education Sequence (admission to teacher education required) | ||
| ED 322 | Data Driven Integrated Instruction 1 | 2 |
| ED 484 | Student Teaching Seminar: K12 1 | 2 |
| or ED 482 | Student Teaching Seminar: Elementary | |
| or ED 483 | Student Teaching Seminar: Secondary | |
| Department Specific Courses (admission to teacher education required) | ||
| ED 495 | Student Teaching, Special Areas 1 | 10 |
| ELED 352 | Foundations of Reading 1 | 3 |
| Total Hours | 123 | |
- 1
Requires Admission to Teacher Education.
Students wishing to enroll in a double major in conjunction with the BSEd in SPED will complete all requirements of both majors as identified in the MSU undergraduate catalog.
Minors can be pursued by any student in progress of a Bachelor's degree at MSU or any other institution of higher education. Students who have completed a Bachelor's degree from MSU or another institution may also choose to pursue a minor and have it transcripted. The non-teaching special education and deaf and hard of hearing education minor is appropriate for students not in teacher education who wish to complement their major with additional content in special education. The special education teaching minor is appropriate for students in a teacher education program who wish to add a special education endorsement to their teaching license.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education Minor
| SPED 110 | Introduction to Exceptional Children | 3 |
| SPED 113 | American Sign Language I | 3 |
| SPED 117 | Manually Coded English | 3 |
| SPED 210 | Intro to Ed of Children w/DHH | 3 |
| SPED 302 | Language and Communication Interventions | 3 |
| or CSD 331 | Language Disorders in Children | |
| CSD 342 | Introduction to Audiology | 4 |
| Total Hours | 19 | |
Special Education Minor
| SPED 110 | Introduction to Exceptional Children | 3 |
| SPED 120 | Intro to Positive Behavior Supports | 3 |
| or SPED 201 | Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers | |
| SPED 410 | Introduction to Learning and Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities | 3 |
| SPED 420 | Inclusive Practices | 3 |
| SPED 441 | Methods for High Incidence Disabilities 1 | 3 |
| SPED 494 | Practicum in Special Education (A minimum of 2 credits of Sped 494 are required.) 1 | 1-4 |
| 1 Requires admission to teacher education. | ||
| Total Hours | 16-19 | |
Special Education Minor (Non-Teaching)
| Required: | ||
| SPED 110 | Introduction to Exceptional Children | 3 |
| SPED 120 | Intro to Positive Behavior Supports | 3 |
| or SPED 201 | Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers | |
| SPED 410 | Introduction to Learning and Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities | 3 |
| SPED 420 | Inclusive Practices | 3 |
| Select at least 5 credits from the following: | 5 | |
| Foundations of Early Childhood Special Education | ||
| Intro to Sensory Disabilities | ||
| Intro to Ed of Children w/DHH | ||
| Introduction to Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder | ||
| Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorder | ||
| Disability and Society | ||
| Language and Communication Interventions | ||
| Collaboration in Special Education | ||
| Total Hours | 17 | |
Special Education Concentration
| SPED 110 | Introduction to Exceptional Children | 3 |
| SPED 420 | Inclusive Practices | 3 |
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Intro to Positive Behavior Supports | ||
| Intro to Sensory Disabilities | ||
| Intro to Ed of Children w/DHH | ||
| Introduction to Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder | ||
| Introduction to Learning and Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities | ||
| Total Hours | 12 | |