The Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree in Special Education is a professional standards-based cross-categorical undergraduate degree program, strongly oriented towards developing the necessary knowledge, skills, and dispositions to teach learners with mild or moderate disabilities in the elementary or through middle grades while enriching their overall instructional, management, and diagnostic competencies. The Special Education program is a carefully designed program of integrated and specifically sequenced course work established to develop a firm liberal arts foundation through the CSU general education program requirements. The dedicated program in Special Education is arranged in three progressive phases. Each phase includes carefully coordinated practicum experiences designed to enable a field based application of the theory and skills presented in class. In Phase I students receive a thorough grounding in the basic concepts, skills and requirements involved in the provision of special educational services to learners with disabilities in the least restrictive environment. In Phase I, Special Education majors receive their first opportunity to observe and participate in the provision of special educational instruction to learners with mild or moderate disabilities. The development of a beginning portfolio and the first formal evaluation of the portfolio conclude Phase I.
In Phase II, students focus on the specific characteristics and strategies used for teaching students with particular disabilities. Students are given the opportunity to design, implement and evaluate instruction in collaboration with experiences.
In Phase III, Special Education majors serve as a student teacher in both elementary and middle school grade inclusive classrooms serving students with special needs. During their final semester, Special Education majors Co-Enroll in Directed (Student) Teaching (SPED 404 ) as well as a Student Teacher Seminar (SPED 405 ) semester in which the major has the opportunity to integrate and evaluate the content of the entire program and prepare for transition to a professional position as a special educator.
Finally, completion of the program allows the graduate to teach learners with disabilities from Pre-K through 8 The special education undergraduate program at Coppin State University is offered n a unit that is accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and approved by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) and Maryland State Department of Education(MSDE).
Overall Program Objectives
The overall objectives of the Special Education Program are to:
- Provide prospective teachers with a broad liberal arts foundation that will increase their understanding of the learning environment and its impact upon children from diverse populations, prepare teachers who will be sensitive to the social, emotional, and educational needs of learner with disabilities.
- Acquaint prospective teachers with the philosophical and legal bases upon which special education is founded and help them understand fully the role of the special education teacher.
- Help prospective teachers to understand the importance of data-based decision making as the basis for effective instructional planning and classroom management.
- Assist prospective teachers in acquiring competencies in curriculum planning, teaching methodology, technology usage, classroom organization, and behavioral management.
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