Special Education, Ed.S.

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The EdS-SPED degree is designed to meet the needs of teachers certified in Special Education who have completed a master’s degree in special education. The program consists of a minimum of 27 graduate credit hours, including an option to select the Tier I Leadership track. The Tier I Leadership track embeds the six required Educational Leadership (EDLE) courses into a 33-credit hour program. In this program, candidates will be required to read, write, and research the major topics in Special Education. Candidates enroll in 15 hours of 7000 and 8000 level special education Content Specialization courses. Most of the required courses include a designated artifact that is utilized as part of the assessment plan for each candidate. Students may begin the program any semester. During the initial advising session, a projected sequence of courses is developed for each student. Any changes in the projected sequence need to be determined jointly between the student and advisor in order for the student to be able to complete the program in a timely manner.

Admission Requirements

The program has been designed to meet the needs of individuals who wish to obtain advanced training in Special Education.

-Provide proof of a Master’s degree in education from an accredited institution.

-Present a cumulative 3.0 (4.0 scale) grade point average or higher on the last graduate degree earned.

-Present a clear and renewable T-5 teaching certificate in special education or service certificate in speech-language pathology.

-Document 2 or more years of successful experience as a special education teacher, a collaborative teacher working directly with students with disabilities or speech-language pathologist in the school setting.

-Completion of the GACE Ethics for Leaders (Test 352) for Tier I Leadership track.

All out-of-state students must verify with their local certification agency to determine if sought after degree will result in a certification upgrade.

The courses and experiences of the Ed.S. program require a minimum of 27 semester hours.

Program Requirements

Special Education Core Courses (15 semester hours)

SPED 7701 - Program Planning and Evaluation in Special Education 3 Credit Hours
SPED 7704 - Leadership and Administration of Special Education Programs 3 Credit Hours
SPED 7729 - Special Education Law 3 Credit Hours
SPED 8704 - Multiculturalism and Special Education 3 Credit Hours
SPED 8771 - Curriculum Design and Implementation in Special Education 3 Credit Hours

Traditional Concentration Courses (12 semester hours)

The traditional track requires 15 credit hours of special education core courses. The remaining 12 credit hours are comprised of 7000 or above concentration area courses relevant to K-12 schools/teachers. Areas of allowable elective courses include Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) coursework, Autism Endorsement, Dyslexia Endorsement, ESOL Endorsement, Instructional Technology coursework, Online Teaching Endorsement, and Reading Endorsement.

SPED 8784 - Research Seminar 3 Credit Hours (required)

Online Teaching Endorsement (4 required courses to receive the GAPSC endorsement)

MEDT 7464 - Designing Technology Enhanced Instruction 3 Credit Hours
MEDT 7472 - Introduction to Distance Learning 3 Credit Hours
MEDT 7491 - Implementation, Assessment, and Evaluation of Online Learning 3 Credit Hours
MEDT 7492 - Leadership and Administration of Online Learning and e-Learning 3 Credit Hours

Reading Endorsement (suggested sequence)

READ 7271 - Theoretical and Pedagogical Approaches to Language and Literacy Instruction 3 Credit Hours
READ 7263 - Comprehensive Language and Literacy Assessments and Interventions 3 Credit Hours
READ 7201 - Teacher as Language and Literacy Leader 3 Credit Hours

Total Credit Hours for Traditional Track: 27

Tier 1 Leadership Track (18 hours)

EDLE 7000 - Principles of Instructional Leadership 3 Credit Hours
EDLE 7100 - School Law, Policy, and Ethics 3 Credit Hours
EDLE 7200 - Using Data to Improve the School 3 Credit Hours
EDLE 7300 - School Operations for Student Learning 3 Credit Hours
EDLE 7400 - Leadership for Student Learning 3 Credit Hours
EDLE 7500 - School and Community Engagement 3 Credit Hours

Total Credits for Teir I Leadership Track: 33 hours

Comprehensive Exam (0 credit hours)

SPED 8795 - End of Program Seminar for the Specialist of Education: Special Education 0 Credit Hours

Special Education, Ed.S.

Admission Requirements

Program Requirements

Special Education Core Courses (15 semester hours)

Traditional Concentration Courses (12 semester hours)

Applied Behavior Analysis Coursework (must be taken in this sequence)

Autism Endorsement (suggested sequence)

Dyslexia Endorsement (suggested sequence)

ESOL Endorsement (suggested sequence)

Instructional Technology Coursework (does not lead to GAPSC endorsement)