Coordinator: Dr. Cathy Shea            
Campus Office: HH0010
E-mail: cshea [at] ius [dot] edu
Telephone: (812) 941-2466              
Fax: (812) 941-2667      

 Program Description

Course work leading to the B.S. in Special Education has two components:

1. General Education—These requirements meet the campus-wide general education requirements.
2. Professional and Pedagogical Studies—Students complete courses and experiences leading to successful demonstration of what special educators need to know and be able to do.

The bachelor’s degree in special education leads to an Indiana license to teach students with disabilities, grades K-12. This special education license is in the area of Mild Intervention. Guided experiences with a wide range of children and youth and master special educators are the foundation of the program. Students have multiple and varied experiences in schools. Elementary or Secondary education majors wanting to pursue a license in Mild Intervention should consult with the coordinator of the Special Education Program for specifics. Individuals teaching full time with an emergency permit in special education who do not have an initial standard teaching license need to apply to the Post-baccalaureate Initial License Program described in the Graduate Studies in Education section in the Bulletin.

There are four major summative decision points for the Special Education Program. The first decision point is at Block 1. The second decision point is at the end of the General Methods Block and where full acceptance is considered. The third is permission to student teach. The fourth decision point is at the end of student teaching and degree completion. At each summative decision point, candidates are formally evaluated on specific criteria and a decision is made regarding each student’s status in the program. A candidate’s continuation status may be reevaluated at points other than summative decision points if significant difficulties are noted.

 Student Learning Goals

Candidates majoring in special education are expected to commit to demonstrating three broad program outcomes: (a) understanding their students’ needs and contexts, (b) collaboratively planning and implementing effective learning experiences, and (c) continuously assessing the effects of their professional choices. The 10 specific program standards derived from the content and developmental standards promulgated by the Indiana Professional Standards Board are consistent with INTASC and Council for Exceptional Children standards.  The program standards include the following areas:

1.  Foundations
2.  Development and Characteristics of Learners
3.  Individual Learning Difference
4.  Instructional Strategies
5.  Learning Environments and Social Interactions
6.  Language
7.  Instructional Planning
8.  Assessment
9.  Professional and Ethical Practice
10. Collaboration

Degree/Certificate Requirements

For a bachelor’s degree in special education, students must satisfy all general rules for undergraduate education programs, rules for admission to the program, requirements for remaining in good standing, criteria for admission to student teaching, and eligibility for a degree described in the undergraduate general information section of the “School of Education” portion of this bulletin.  Degree completion is contingent upon students passing four summative decision points. Information about decision points can be found on the program Web site.  Completion of the degree, faculty recommendation,  passage of state-mandated tests, CPR-Heimlich certification (Indiana only), are needed to apply for an Indiana all-grade (K-12) license in Mild Intervention or a Kentucky Learning and Behavior Disorders license for Kentucky.

Degree Program Admission Requirements

In addition to completing the following courses, students must also meet these requirements for admission:

1. Have an overall GPA of 2.5 or higher
2. Have a C or better in all core language arts and math courses completed.
3. Have passing scores (as determined by the IU system and/or the Indiana Department of Education on the Praxis 1.
4. Including current enrollment, have at least 36 credit hours towards general education requirements as outlined by the Special Education check sheet.

A total maximum of 50 Special Education and Elementary Education candidates will be admitted to the cohort each semester.  If more than 50 applicants meet the minimum criteria for admission, student acceptance will be determined based on a 12 point system:

• Average grade point average earned in the following:  ENG W131, SPCH S121, MATH T101, the highest grade in a required social science content course, the highest grade in a required science content course, and EDUC F200 (total GPA multiplied by 2 for a total of 8).
• Evaluation from F200 instructor (4 points).

All students are admitted conditionally until all grades are posted and a 2.5 minimum GPA is verified for the semester prior to starting Block I.  If a student is initially admitted to the cohort as a Special Education major and subsequently changes to Elementary Education, she/he will be held to all requirements for the Elementary Education program.

General Education Component

Major Requirements

Electives

Performance-Level Requirements

In order to complete the degree, special education majors must:

1. pass the First-Year Seminar and complete the degree with at least a 2.5 GPA;
2. earn a grade of B- or higher in all specialty area content courses;
3. have a grade of C or higher in each Education course;
4. have a Satisfactory in all courses graded S/F;
5. have no less than a 2.5 GPA in the required mathematics courses (each with a grade of C or higher), the communication cluster (i.e., S 121, W 131, and second writing course) and each general education group (i.e., Arts and Letters, Social Science, and Natural Science); and
6. pass all four summative decision points.