Degree Requirements
Major Requirements
University general education requirements are outlined in the general education section of the undergraduate academic catalog and included in the sample curriculum outline. Students majoring in special education should complete the following:
- PSYC 111, HIST 200, HIST 201, POLS 112, GEOG 210, SCI 241A, SCI 241B, MATH 112A, MATH 112B, SPE 100
Professional Education
- CIED 310
Special Education Requirements
- SPE 290, 401, 402, 405, 412, 415, 416, 417A, 417B, 418, 421, 422, 430A, 430B, 441, 442, 470, 471, 481, 499
Field Experiences
Candidates progress through a series of developmentally sequenced field experiences for the full range of ages, types, and levels of abilities and collaborative opportunities that are appropriate to the learning behavior specialist. These experiences are supervised by qualified professionals. These experiences, which must be completed prior to student teaching, are arranged through the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior Educator Prep office.
Student Teaching
Student teaching is the culminating experience in the special education teacher preparation program. It is required to meet the degree requirements of the department, school, and University, the licensure requirements of Illinois, and standards of the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation and the Council for Exceptional Children. Student teaching demands full-day involvement in an appropriate, approved public school program for students with disabilities. Therefore, students should avoid employment during the student teaching experience and should schedule student teaching at a time when they are free of other demands on their time and energy. Requests for an overload during student teaching must be approved by the department chair and the associate dean of the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior. Student teaching is not available during the summer term.
Official student teaching application forms are available on the School of Education, Health and Human Behavior Educator Prep website Admission to the major does not guarantee that students may engage in student teaching. Permission to take student teaching is based on (a) cumulative GPA 2.5 or higher, (b) a GPA of 3.0 or higher in special education and professional education coursework, (c) successful completion of all professional and special education coursework, and (d) passage of the Illinois Learning Behavior Specialist I content exam and the Special Education General Curriculum Test. Students must have a grade of C or higher in all professional education courses prior to student teaching and prior to program completion. In addition, the candidate must pass the CPAST prior to graduation.
Senior Assignment Project
The student teaching project is the senior assignment and culminating experience for the undergraduate special education program. It is a performance assessment which demonstrates the teacher candidate’s ability to facilitate learning based on the expectations put forth by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and Illinois Professional Teaching Standards. During the student teaching semester, each candidate will complete a performance assessment project that includes assessing his/her impact on student learning and reflecting on personal teaching abilities. This senior assignment enables students to demonstrate the integration of their general, professional and special education coursework.
Student Council for Exceptional Children
The special education program sponsors a chapter of the Student Council for Exceptional Children. Students are encouraged to become members of the chapter and to participate in meetings with guest speakers, develop community projects with persons who have disabilities, and read professional journals. Membership is open to all students.
Diversity Statement
SIUE’s teacher education programs foster teacher candidates’ ability to understand and meet professional responsibilities by modeling respect and value for diversity. Candidates create and engage their students in practices that develop awareness, understanding, respect, and a valuing of the forms of diversity that exist in society and their importance in learning and teaching. The School of Education, Health and Human Behavior teacher education programs are dedicated to supporting all teacher education candidates regardless of their economic or social status and advocates for the rights of students free from discrimination based on race, color, ethnic origin, national origin, creed, religion, political belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender identification, ability or age.
Retention
Students must maintain a 2.5 GPA overall and a 3.0 GPA in professional and special education coursework. Students whose GPA fall below the required level will receive a letter of warning stating that they will not be permitted to take additional special education courses until the GPA returns to the required level. Students who do not maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA and a 3.0 for professional and special education course work will be dismissed from the program. Students must have a grade of C or higher in all professional education courses prior to student teaching and prior to program completion. Students dismissed from the department for academic deficiencies may appeal through the special education program director. Students may be directed to reapply to the program or retake specific coursework to raise the cumulative grade average.
It is expected that all teacher candidates demonstrate appropriate professional dispositions and maintain satisfactory academic progress in the program. Failure to do so, can lead to dismissal from the program.
