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 Courses38
Required Special Education Core
MATH 277Mathematics for Elementary Teachers I3
SPED 110Introduction to Exceptional Children3
SPED 141Foundations of Early Childhood Special Education2
SPED 201Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers3
SPED 202Intro to Sensory Disabilities3
SPED 233Experience in SPED1
SPED 302Language and Communication Interventions3
SPED 310Introduction to Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder3
SPED 340Assessment in SPED 14
SPED 379Leadership in SPED3
SPED 410Introduction to Learning and Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities3
SPED 420Inclusive Practices3
SPED 441Methods for High Incidence Disabilities 13
SPED 442Methods for Low Incidence Disabilities 13
SPED 444Transition to Adult Life 13
SPED 445Collaboration in Special Education3
SPED 494Practicum in Special Education 14
Professional Education Sequence
PSY 255Child and Adolescent Psychology3
or SPED 140 Human Development
SS 283Diversity in America3
ED 260Educational Psychology2
ED 260LClinical I0
ED 282Managing the Learning Environment2
ED 282LClinical II0.5
ED 284Teaching Diverse Learners2
ED 284LClinical III0.5
ED 320Curriculum, Planning, and Assessment I2
ED 321LClinical IV0.5
ED 323LClinical V0.5
ED 324LFall Experience0
ED 380Technology in Teaching2
Professional Education Sequence (admission to teacher education required)
ED 322Data Driven Integrated Instruction 12
ED 484Student Teaching Seminar: K12 12
or ED 482 Student Teaching Seminar: Elementary
or ED 483 Student Teaching Seminar: Secondary
Department Specific Courses (admission to teacher education required)
ED 495Student Teaching, Special Education 110
ELED 352Foundations of Reading 13
Total Hours123
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 110Introduction to Exceptional Children3
SPED 113American Sign Language I3
SPED 117Manually Coded English3
SPED 210Intro to Ed of Children w/DHH3
SPED 302Language and Communication Interventions3
or CSD 331 Language Disorders in Children
CSD 342Introduction to Audiology4
Total Hours19

Special Education Minor

SPED 110Introduction to Exceptional Children3
SPED 120Intro to Positive Behavior Supports3
or SPED 201 Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers
SPED 410Introduction to Learning and Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities3
SPED 420Inclusive Practices3
SPED 441Methods for High Incidence Disabilities 13
SPED 494Practicum in Special Education (A minimum of 2 credits of Sped 494 are required.) 11-4
1 Requires admission to teacher education.
Total Hours16-19

Special Education Minor (Non-Teaching)

Required:
SPED 110Introduction to Exceptional Children3
SPED 120Intro to Positive Behavior Supports3
or SPED 201 Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers
SPED 410Introduction to Learning and Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities3
SPED 420Inclusive Practices3
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 Hours17

Special Education Concentration

SPED 110Introduction to Exceptional Children3
SPED 420Inclusive Practices3
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 Hours12