Special Education (Minor)

Return to: Department of Teacher Education

Program Learning Outcomes

TED Preservice Standards

• LEARNER DEVELOPMENT
  • Creates developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences based on each learner’s strengths, interests, and needs.
  • Collaborates with families, colleagues, and other professionals to promote student growth and development.
• LEARNING DIFFERENCES
  • Allows learners multiple ways to demonstrate learning sensitive to diverse experiences, while holding high expectations for all.
• LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
  • Develops learning experiences that engage and support students as self-directed learners who internalize classroom routines, expectations, and procedures.
  • Collaborates with students to establish a positive learning climate of openness, respectful interactions, support, and inquiry.
  • Utilizes positive classroom management strategies, including the resources of time, space, and attention, effectively.
• INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
  • Practices a range of developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate instructional strategies to meet the needs of individuals and groups of learners.
  • Supports and expands each learner’s communication skills through reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
  • Uses a variety of effective technology and resources to support learning.
  • Develops learners’ abilities to find and use information to solve real-world problems.
  • Uses a variety of strategies, including questioning, to promote engagement and learning.
• REFLECTION AND CONTINUOUS GROWTH
  • Adapts and improves practice based on reflection and new learning.
• LEADERSHIP AND COLLABORATION
  • Participates actively in decision-making processes, while building a shared culture that affects the school and larger educational community.
  • Advocates for the learners, the school, the community, and the profession.
• PROFESSIONAL AND ETHICAL BEHAVIOR
  • Is responsible for compliance with federal and state laws, State Board of Education administrative rules, state assessment policies, local board policies, and supervisory directives.
  • Is responsible for compliance with all requirements of State Board of Education Rule R277-530 at all levels of teacher development.

CEC Teacher Preparation Standards

• Beginning special education professionals understand how language, culture, and family background influence the learning of individuals with exceptionalities
• Beginning special education professionals use understanding of development and individual differences to respond to the needs of individuals with exceptionalities.
• Beginning special education professionals, through collaboration with general educators and other colleagues, create safe, inclusive, culturally responsive learning environments to engage individuals with exceptionalities in meaningful learning activities and social interactions.
• Beginning special education professionals use motivational and instructional interventions to teach individuals with exceptionalities how to adapt to different environments.
• Beginning special education professionals know how to intervene safely and appropriately with individuals with exceptionalities in crisis.
• Beginning special education professionals understand the central concepts, structures of the discipline, and tools of inquiry of the content areas they teach, and can organize this knowledge, integrate cross-disciplinary skills, and develop meaningful learning progressions for individuals with exceptionalities.
• Beginning special education professionals understand and use general and specialized content knowledge for teaching across curricular content areas to individualize learning for individuals with exceptionalities.
• Beginning special education professionals modify general and specialized curricula to make them accessible to individuals with exceptionalities.
• Beginning special education professionals select and use technically sound formal and informal assessments that minimize bias.
• Beginning special education professionals use knowledge of measurement principles and practices to interpret assessment results and guide educational decisions for individuals with exceptionalities
• Beginning special education professionals, in collaboration with colleagues and families, use multiple types of assessment information in making decisions about individuals with exceptionalities.
• Beginning special education professionals engage individuals with exceptionalities to work toward quality learning and performance and provide feedback to guide them.
• Beginning special education professionals consider individual abilities, interests, learning environments, and cultural and linguistic factors in the selection, development, and adaptation of learning experiences for individuals with exceptionalities.
• Beginning special education professionals use technologies to support instructional assessment, planning, and delivery for individuals with exceptionalities.
• Beginning special education professionals are familiar with augmentative and alternative communication systems and a variety of assistive technologies to support the communication and learning of individuals with exceptionalities.
• Beginning special education professionals use strategies to enhance language development and communication skills of individuals with exceptionalities.
• Beginning special education professionals develop and implement a variety of education and transition plans for individuals with exceptionalities across a wide range of settings and different learning experiences in collaboration with individuals, families, and teams.
• Beginning special education professionals teach to mastery and promote generalization of learning.
• Beginning special education professionals teach cross-disciplinary knowledge and skills such as critical thinking and problem solving to individuals with exceptionalities.
• Beginning special education professionals use professional ethical principles and professional practice standards to guide their practice.
• Beginning special education professionals understand how foundational knowledge and current issues influence professional practice.
• Beginning special education professionals understand that diversity is a part of families, cultures, and schools, and that complex human issues can interact with the delivery of special education services.
• Beginning special education professionals understand the significance of lifelong learning and participate in professional activities and learning communities.
• Beginning special education professionals advance the profession by engaging in activities such as advocacy and mentoring.
• Beginning special education professionals provide guidance and direction to paraeducators, tutors, and volunteers.
• Beginning special education professionals use the theory and elements of effective collaboration.
• Beginning special education professionals serve as a collaborative resource to colleagues.
• Beginning special education professionals use collaboration to promote the well-being of individuals with exceptionalities across a wide range of settings and collaborators.

Program Information

• All courses must be passed with a “C” (2.0) or better to be counted in the minor.