Special Education

Undergraduate Program Description

The undergraduate program in Special Education resides in the Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education (CSSE) within the College of Education (COE) at UGA. The program results in a BS.Ed. in Special Education, with an emphasis in teacher preparation in the areas of moderate and severe developmental disabilities such as intellectual disabilities (mental retardation), autism, and an emphasis in general curriculum or an emphasis in Birth-5.

Upon satisfactory completion of the program-of-study, the Special Education Program recommends to the Georgia Professional Standards Commission that a graduate be awarded a clear renewable teaching (T) certificate in "Special Education Adapted Curriculum -Consultative" (P-12) or “Birth through Five: inclusive and Special Education Preschool. The state of Georgia awards the certificate to an applicant based upon this recommendation and passing of the appropriate "Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators" (GACE) tests.

The Special Education Program and faculty are located on the fifth floor of the College of Education (Aderhold Hall). The Special Education Office is in Room 516. Specific questions regarding the application requirements and processes may be directed to 706.542.4617, or to rfrost@uga.edu. General inquiries may also be directed to 706.542.4561.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Special Education Program is to prepare highly skilled teachers and teacher-educators, as well as to provide leadership to the field of Special Education at local, state, national and international levels for the purpose of assisting individuals with disabilities in acquiring greater independence in an increasingly diverse, technological, and literacy-intensive global community. Philosophically, research-based theory and practice are the foundation of the program's preparation of teachers and teacher-educators, as well as related-service and leadership personnel. The Special Education Program is committed to the preparation of personnel who celebrate and foster inclusion, diversity, and multiculturalism.

Student Organization

The Special Education Program has a student chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children CEC). The Student Council for Exceptional Children (SCEC) is a professional organization which promotes the advancement and education of all individuals with exceptionalities. The local chapter is made up of undergraduate and graduate students, and is supported by faculty advisors. All Special Education majors are encouraged to join SCEC. Student members will receive, at a discount, two of the organization's journals, Exceptional Children and Teaching Exceptional Children, and will receive discounts for registration at CEC-sponsored conventions.

Restricted Major Entrance Requirements

For information about the Birth through Five emphasis, go to www.uga.edu/0-5/.

For information about earning your special education undergrad degree online, go to www.coe.uga.edu/spectrum/.

Application Requirements & Evaluation

All students seeking entrance to the Special Education Program must apply by February 15th (or the Monday after if the 15th falls on a weekend). All application materials and documentation is due by the application deadline. The Special Education Program's Undergraduate Admissions, Retention and Assessment Committee will then meet to evaluate all applications with respect to the Initial Consideration Requirements (see below). The committee will determine from all applicants those best qualified to enter the program by rank ordering applicants within and across each of the four requirements, including: (1) quality of documented pre-professional service learning experiences; (2) quality of essay; (3) rank ordering of GPA (a minimum of 2.7 overall GPA and cumulative GPA is required for initial consideration). These entrance requirements will be equally weighted in the admission process for entrance into the Special Education major.

Final Acceptance Requirements

The applicants initially accepted for the cohort will be informed in writing of the Final Acceptance Requirements (see below) they must meet in order to reach Final Acceptance into the cohort. Applicants placed on the waiting list will also be informed in writing of the Final Acceptance Requirements they must meet in order to remain eligible for potentially vacated cohort slots.

Final Acceptance Requirements (must be completed by the end of summer semester)

Completion and documentation of any remaining hours to complete the required 60 hours of pre-professional service
Minimum GPA of 2.7 for both cumulative GPA and overall GPA
Completion of all Core Areas 1-4
Completion of the following courses from Area F, with a minimum GPA of 3.0: EFND 2030 or EDUC 2110; EPSY 2020 or EDUC 2130; EDUC 2120
Completion of SPED 2000 with a minimum grade of "B"
Completion of requirements for GACE Basic Skills test either by test or exemption

Final Acceptance

Applicants will be informed by the Special Education Program of Final Acceptance upon completion of Final Acceptance Requirements, so long as those requirements are met by the end of summer semester grade postings. Applicants initially accepted but who did not meet Final Acceptance Requirements will be informed in writing that they have been dropped from the cohort.

Appeals

To appeal an admission decision, a student must submit in writing to the Head of the Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education a statement that includes the reasons for appealing the decision and any supporting evidence. The student's appeal will be considered within 2 weeks of the receipt of the written statement by the Department Head. A committee of three special education faculty members (who did not serve on the Undergraduate Admission, Retention, and Assessment Committee) will be appointed by the Department Head to consider the appeal. The student will be notified of the committee's decision no more than 4 weeks after receipt of the written appeal.

Pre-Professional Service Learning Experience Scoring Rubric

Experiences

Scores

Pre-Professional Experiences

Documents experiences in multiple environments with a variety of individuals with disabilities across the age span

Participated in programs that included students from three disability areas (e.g., LD, BD, Mild MR) across elementary, middle and high school ages

Participated in programs that included students from one to two disability areas across one to two age groups

Participated in programs that included students or adults without disabilities

Activities engaged in during experiences

Hands on activities with children
Observation of children and teachers

Participated in planning and implementation of teaching strategies

Supported others during interventions

Observed of others teaching students with disabilities

Work with parents

Participates in programs that help parents learn instructional strategies
Observations of parents interacting with children

Participated in planning and implementation of parent education programs

Supported others during parent education programs

Observed other's work with parents or of parents interacting with their children

Activities not directly related to teaching

Participates in leisure recreation programs for children with disabilities
Baby-sat for children with disabilities
Participates in leisure recreation and other programs for children without disabilities

Held a leadership position in a recreation or other program for children

Baby-sat for parents who have children with disabilities or held a position in a recreation program

Held a position in a recreation or other program for children without disabilities

Essay Scoring Rubric

Experiences

Scores

Description of Pre-Professional Experiences

Specifies setting of two pre-professional experiences (times and places)

Excellent explanation of experiences in terms of time and place are described and related to the applicant's wish to become a teacher

Adequate explanation of experiences in terms of time and place are described and related to the applicant's wish to become a teacher

Inadequate description of the experiences in terms of time and place

Analysis of Quality of the Experiences

Reasons supporting selection of the experiences
Details of how the experiences prepares one for entering the program

Excellent development of points: arguments are well-developed and very convincing

Adequate development of points: arguments are present and convincing

Limited development of points: bare-bones arguments are present but not convincing

onventions of Writing

Sound paragraphs
Correct grammar
Correct spelling and capitalization

Excellent control of writing conventions: mechanics represent high-quality work

Proficient control of writing conventions: some errors; but errors do not interrupt reading

Limited control of writing conventions: too many mechanical errors

Advisement

Each student accepted into the program will be assigned an advisor upon acceptance into the program. It is the job of the advisor to meet with the student each semester to plan and monitor the student's course of study and progress towards meeting requirements of the University, the College of Education, and the Special Education Program. The advisor will also be available to assist the student with career guidance and inquiries. Students are, however, ultimately responsible for monitoring their own progress throughout the program. Because of frequent changes in course offerings and state certification requirements, the advisor cannot provide a guarantee of graduation and/or certification within a specified period of time.

Retention & Additional Considerations

Course work taken from the Division of Academic Assistance does not apply toward the program requirements or graduation. Students must maintain an overall and cumulative GPA of 2.7 in order to maintain a spot in the cohort. In addition, no course in Professional Education or Area of Concentration (Special Education) with a grade below C may apply toward the program requirements or graduation. All grades below C in Professional Education or Area of Concentration must be removed, regardless of the student's GPA, before the student will be allowed to student teach. A minimum of 130 hours must be completed for graduation, 69 of which are contained within the Special Education Program requirements during the junior and senior years.

Application for Teacher Education must be filed in the Office for Professional Experiences before the end of spring semester of the junior year. Students failing to meet this requirement will be dropped from the cohort. This is the responsibility of the student, not the advisor. Students may register for tort liability insurance at the time they apply for Teacher Education. This is also available for practica.

Program of Study

Students will be advised within the program of study for the undergraduate degree (BS.Ed.) in Special Education. Successful completion of the program will result in a Baccalaureate of Science in Education and recommendation for a Georgia fully renewable teaching certificate in Special Education Adapted Curriculum or Special Education General Curriculum. The specific program-of-study is currently being revised. Note that the program-of-study is subject to modification according to the professional judgment of the special education faculty.

Student Teaching

Eligibility for Student Teaching *

Student Teaching is the culminating field experience. Placements will be made upon completion of the following requirements:

Admission to Teacher Education
Maintenance of 2.7 cumulative and overall GPA, with no grade below C in all professional education and area of concentration courses

* Note that no course work other than student teaching and the accompanying seminar (SPED 5460 and SPED 5450, respectively) may be taken during the student teaching semester. It is the responsibility of the student to insure all necessary course work is completed prior to student teaching.

Considerations for Practicum and Student Teaching Placements

Field-placements are based on the faculty's professional judgment concerning students' needs as preservice teachers, and upon the availability of suitable field experience sites. The primary objective is to provide the student the experience necessary for the student to become a good beginning teacher. Therefore, students should recognize that placements are a departmental decision, not a student decision. Placements will be based upon program quality, not on factors such as proximity to a student's residence or home town. Also, students are not to seek their own placements. In general, field placements will be made in the Athens and surrounding areas, although some placements may be made that require greater travel if the faculty judges them to be of superior quality. Note that students are expected to provide their own transportation to all field experience sites, and that this will likely require them to have their own vehicles.