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Aurora University
College of Education
Major in Special Education - Bachelor
of Arts
The special education major seeks to prepare
candidates to utilize a variety of theoretical and research based practices
to enable students with disabilities to reach their full potential.
Moreover, candidates will gain experience in the varied settings and
roles of the special educator, including expanding consulting and collaborative
roles in the inclusive classroom. The major will allow candidates to
complete all coursework for an Illinois State Board of education Type
10LEarning Behavior Specialist I certificate. Certification requires
teachers to build a knowledgebase to identify and intervene with students
who exhibit a wide range of disabilities, including learning disabilities,
cognitive impairments (mental retardation and traumatic brain injury),
autism, social/emotional disabilities, and physical disabilities/.other
health impaired. Moreover, although the certificate will cover grades
K-12, candidates wll have a working knowledge of issues and strategies
appropriate for the grades P-12. Furthermore, varied clinical practice
and field experiences are condsidered an integral part to all courses
so that the candidate can applytheory to practice and practice to theoretical
conceptualizations. The field experiences culminate in a semester long
student teaching experience in special education. In addition to the
coursework, students will need to complete the following state tests
to receive LBS1 certification: Basic SKills, Assessment of Professional
Teaching K-12; Learning Behavior Specialist I (content area); and Special
Education Curriculum Test (content. Please note that the state now requires
two content area tests due to the K-12 span of curriculum covered by
the certificate.
Due to state requirements, this is a particularly
challenging major, requiring siginificant coursework to cover all disability
types and levels. While it is possible to complete the coursework in
the four-year experience at Aurora, timely completion will necessitate
careful planning. During the freshman and sophomore years, candidates
generally focus on completing their general education requirements and
begin their major by taking the introductory special education course,
accompanied by a clinical immersion experience in a special education
classroom or inclusive setting (1 hour). The junior and senior years
are largely devoted to required education pedagogy courses, needed to
demonstrate the breadth of K-12 teaching experience and to allow the
special educator to collaborate with the regular education teacher,
and the special education courses that constitute the major. While there
is some flexibility in when university-wide general education courses
and background courses in the College of Education are taken, the order
in which the special education courses must be taken is less flexible
due to the fact that discipline knowledge builds over the span of the
special education coursework. Again, candidates should keep in close
contact with their advisors in order to complete this major on schedule.
Admission Requirements for the BA in
Special Education:
Admission to the major requires that the
student first be accepted into the College of Education. This involves
an application form, a short essay, passage of the Basic Skills Test,
and a grade point average of 2.75 on a scale of 4.0. If the applicant's
grade point average is below that of 2.75, the applicant may be accepted
on a probationary basis. If probationary status is granted, a formal
review will be conducted by the program director after completion of
the first three courses will be conducted, where progress toward a 3.0
average must be noted or the applicant will not be able to continue
the program. Applicants should be aware that continuation in the special
education major requires that students maintain a 3.0 frade point average
in the major (including required College of Education courses). Candidates
will not be able to proceed to upper level special education courses
(those with prerequisites) if this grade point average is not sustained.
Again, a probationary period may be extgended, based on the recommendation
of the candidate's advisor and the program director.
Required Special Education Courses:
- Introduction to Special Educaton (4sh)
- Characteristics and Identification of Disabilities and the Law (4sh)
- Cognitive Development and Disabilities (2sh)
- Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Development: Promoting Prosocial
Behavior (3sh) Writing Intensive
- Diversity and Disability Issues: Students, Families, Schools, and
the Community (2sh)
- Oral Language Development and Disorders (3sh)
- Intervention Strategies for Problematic Behavior (3sh)
- Strategies and Assistive Technology for Students with Low Incidence
and Multiple Disabilities (3sh)
- Psychoeducational Assessment of Students with Disabilities (4sh)
- Mathematics and Sciences Interventions for Students with Disabilities
(2sh)
- Reading Disabilities Theory and Interventions (4sh)
- Written Language Development and Disorders (3sh)
- Trends: Collaboration, Differentiating Instruction in the Inclusive
Classroom, and Transition (4sh)
- Student Teaching in Special Education and Seminar (15sh)
Additional Required College of Education Courses (for pedagogical
background or regular education):
- Theories of Learning (4sh)
- Middle School Methods and Missions (4 sh)
- Methods of Teaching Mathematics in the Elementary School (3sh)*
- Methods of Teaching Reading and Language Arts (4sh)
* If a student is interested primarily in special education at the high
school level, alternative courses may be approved by the candidate's
advisor.
Additional General Education Courses (beyond University requirements),
based on Certification Requirements:
MTH 1210/1220 (6sh) or MTH 1100 (3sh) or MTH 1110 (3sh)
SBS 1100 Introduction to the Social Sciences (4sh)
Additional coursework may be necessary due to changes in
certification requirements
Minor in Special Education
The minor in special education is designed to meet two broad
goals:
1. to prepare regular education teachers to meet the needs of children
with special needs in their classrooms, and
2. to begin the process of candidates becoming certified in LBS I at
the master's level by offering undergraduates the opportunity to take
classes that would result in advanced standing in the Aurora University
Master of Arts in Special Education (MASE).
Therefore, this minor will enable regular education teachers to enter
the workforce with additional knowledge for the inclusive classroom.
The minor will also allow undergraduates the potential to achieve advanced
standing for a graduate degree (MASE), which would carry an LBS I certification,
complimentary to their Elementary or Secondary classroom certification
achieved with the BA/BS. Candidates should note that a maximum of fourteen
hours of advanced standing can be awarded. To become certified in LBS
I at the undergraduate level, a candidate must major in special education.
A final alternative for candidates is to take only three courses in
special education, which will result in an undergraduate "concentration"
but not a minor.
Academic Standards:
Candidates should be aware that graduate school standards maintain that
a grade of "C" or lower as being unacceptable academic performance.
Graduate school expectations will apply to any undergraduate who elects
to pursue this minor and who then plans to apply for advanced standing
for a MASE degree at a later date. Coursework completed in the undergraduate
courses that does not meet the standards for the graduate school may
need to be repeated at the master's level at the discretion of the graduate
school admission committee for special education.
Minor Requirements:
Required Courses, totaling 8 hours
- Child and Adolescent Development (4sh)
- Characteristics and Identification of Disabilities and the Law (4sh)*(fall)
Electives open to students who are not majoring in special education.
Select from the following courses, totaling a minimum of 10 hours:
- Cognitive Development and Disabilities (2sh) *(fall)
- Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Development: Promoting Prosocial
Behavior (3sh) Writing Intensive
- Diversity and Disability Issues: Schools, Students, Families, and
the Community (2sh) *(fall)
- Oral Language Development and Disorders (3sh)
- Intervention Strategies for Problematic Behavior (3sh) *(spring)
- Strategies and Assitive Technology for Students with Low Incidence
and Multiple Disabilities (3sh)
- Trends: Collaboration, Differentiating Instruction in the Inclusive
Classroom, and Transition (3sh) *(fall)
* Recommended courses for those individuals who plan to use the minor
to augment employability immediately after the B.A. degree are as follows:
- Fall Semester Junior Year (or earlier to allow College of Education
Methods courses this term): PSY3350, SPED2 = 8 hours
- Spring Semester Junior Year: SPED7 = 3 hours
- Fall Semester Senior Year: SPED2, SPED5, SPED13 = 8 hours
While slightly over the minimum requirement for a minor, this group
of courses would serve to establish a foundation to understand the impact
for students who exhibit the range of disabilities whom the LBS I educator
might teach, including learning disabilities, cognitive impairments
(mental retardation and traumatic brain injury), autism, social/emotional
disabilities, and physical disabilities/other health impaired.
For More Program Information Please
Contact
Aurora University, College of Education Admissions (630) 844-4643
Updated June 12, 2007
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