Special Education (Minor)

The course provides an introduction and overview of the field of special education from the perspective that it is a subsection of general education and that the field is in transition by virtue of philosophical, legislative, and programmatic changes. Legal aspects, regulatory requirements, and critical analyses of research are addressed. The course includes a broad overview of the characteristics, identification, instructional needs, and accommodation necessary for creating appropriate educational and vocational environments for students with disabilities. Prerequisites: junior standing.

The intent of this course is to provide pre-service and in-service teachers with: (a) knowledge of the characteristics of K-12 students with learning differences who are accessing either the general curriculum or the adapted curriculum, and (b) the ability to develop knowledge and skill in the selection, administration, scoring and interpretation of standardized/norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessments for exceptional learners. Administering formal and informal assessment tools for the development of an IEP are emphasized. The use of assessment data to improve evidence-based instruction and student performance is discussed. Prerequisites: a grade of C- or higher in SPED 400 or a grade of B- or higher in SPED 500.

This course is part of the Day One Access program; you should not purchase any course materials denoted by the Day One Access logo as they are part of your course registration. In the event you drop this course from your schedule on or prior to the last day of DROP/ADD period, your account will be fully refunded automatically if you received a digital textbook. If you received a physical textbook you will need to return the textbook to the store and your account will be refunded at that time.