肯特州立大学

The Bachelor of Science in Education degree in Special Education prepares students to work with exceptional learners in a variety of settings. Depending on the concentration area, a career as a special educator may entail co-teaching with a general education teacher, teaching students in a resource room environment or teaching students life skills in a self-enclosed classroom.

The Special Education major comprises the following concentrations:

The Deaf Education concentration prepares candidates to work with deaf and hard-of-hearing students across inclusion, itinerant, resource room and self-contained public and residential classroom settings. Extensive field and teaching lab experiences optimize this preparation in combination with coursework in literacy, mathematics, science and social studies that help prepare students to take specific assessments to become designated as a "highly qualified" teacher in deaf education, reading and mathematics. Instructional methods are comprehensive in nature and provide the unique strategies necessary to address issues concomitant with hearing loss, including language development in both English and American Sign Language, use of bilingual-bicultural methodologies and various assistive and instructional technologies. The hierarchical coursework sequence concludes with thematic unit instruction that prepares graduates to work with the Core Curriculum to address all academic content areas, as well as transition, and students with additional needs. Graduates are eligible to apply for Ohio licensure to teach preK-12 teach deaf and hard-of-hearing students..

The Mild/Moderate Educational Needs concentration provides students with the coursework and field experiences for teaching learners (grades K-12) who have been identified with a disability that requires mild to moderate intervention (e.g., learning disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, mild intellectual disabilities, ADHD, autism spectrum disorders). This program prepares candidates to teach effectively across a wide range of settings and instructional configurations, including collaborative teaching in inclusive classrooms and teaching students in more specialized arrangements (e.g., small group, pull-out instruction, self-contained classrooms and schools). Students progress through highly structured and clearly sequenced coursework and field experiences to attain initial expertise in research-validated practices for teaching reading, writing, mathematics, social studies, science, study skills and social competence to students with mild to moderate educational needs. Graduates are eligible to apply for Ohio licensure to teach K-12 students with mild/moderate disabilities.

The Moderate/Intensive Educational Needs concentration is built upon extensive field-based experiences that are connected to theory and practical application of current evidence-based technologies/strategies for teaching students with significant learning and daily living needs. Students with more intensive needs include, but are not limited to, those with motor or sensory impairment, significant cognitive delays, autism spectrum disorders or multiple disabilities. The program includes preparation across curricular areas in addition to specialized coursework focused on academic accommodations, adaptive daily living skills, technology to assist with physical needs, communication and mobility, alternative assessment and transition from school to adult life. Graduates are eligible for Ohio licensure to teach K-12 students with moderate/intensive needs.