EC-12 Special Education (All Levels)

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Graduate Teacher Certification Plan
EC – 12 All-Level Special Education (54-67 hours)

To be eligible for admission to a graduate teacher certification plan, students must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university and also be pursuing a master’s degree. Students must meet the graduate admissions requirements for both the university and the School of Education. Graduate teacher certification students must maintain graduate academic standards and pay graduate tuition rates. The courses in bold on this plan may also be applied to a master’s degree. Please refer to the catalog for course descriptions, prerequisites, and admission requirements to Teacher Education Program. Any changes made by the University of Houston-Clear Lake or the State of Texas in interpreting the rulings on certification may supercede the requirements of this plan.
Prerequisite to the Teacher Education Program: (9-12 hours)
EDUC 4130 Theories of Educational Psychology (F/Sp/Su)	TCED 6031/3133 Applications of Technology in the Classroom (F/Sp/Su)	SILC 6030/4135 Foundations of Multicultural Education (F/Sp/Su)
Public Speaking or speech competency form TASP/THEA Test – or conferral of a master’s degree or higher from an accredited university Minimum scores: Reading - 260, Writing - 230, Mathematics - 230 2.50 GPA overall or in last 60 semester credit hours Completed 12 semester credit hours in the subject-specific content area for target teacher certification Teacher Education Program (TEP) application – available in the online ABC Workshop information (www.uhcl.edu/soe/ABCWoksp)
Content Area Courses (21 hours): Overall 2.50 GPA required in SPED content courses¹
SPED 5030/4030 – Survey of Individual Differences (prerequisite to all SPED coursework) (F/Sp/Su) SPED 5131/4131 – Educational Assessment of Exceptionalities (Sp) SPED 5132/4132 – Curricular Approaches to Learning Difficulties (F) SPED 5133/4133² – Programming for Educational Disabilities (Su) SPED 5233/4231 – Providing Positive Behavioral Support (Sp) SPED 5331/4331 – Collaboration and Continuity in Programming for Individuals with Disabilities (F) SPED 5332/4332 – Exceptionalities in Infants and Young Children (F/Sp)
Other Required Courses: (12-25 hours)
WRIT 3037³ – Advanced Writing OR LITR 40313 – Principles of Composition LLLS 5131/4434³ – Integrating the Language Arts (F/Sp) LLLS 5134/4131³ – Developmental Reading Programs for EC-8 (F/Sp/Su) LLLS 5533/4435 – Selecting Literature and Materials for Children (F/Sp) LLLS 6732 – Assessment and Remediation in Reading & Language Arts Literacy (Sp) MATH 3032⁴ – Mathematics for EC-4 II (F/Sp) TCED 5030 – Models of Teaching (Sp) TCED 4010⁵– Professional Preparation Seminar (requires admission to Teacher Education) (F/Sp/Su)
Pedogogy (12 hours): Admission to TEP required and 3.0 GPA required in Pedagogy courses (offered Fall/Spring only)
Internship Experiences:	Graduate Teacher Certification candidates may choose between two options for completion of the capstone experience required for Texas teacher certification at UHCL.
Option 1:	TCED 4738 – Preservice Internship I (every Wednesday in the public school) and TCED 4798 – Preservice Internship II (every day in the public school) Preservice Internship I and II Follow Graduate Teacher Certification Plan for course requirements One-year Internship (Internship I and II) taken the last two semesters Fall or Spring Semester start date Must meet Internship application deadlines: March 1 for Fall internship and October 1 for Spring internship All pedagogy coursework must be completed prior to the start of Internship II No more than 6 hours non-pedagogy coursework can be taken with Internship II Supervision by UHCL University Facilitator, UHCL Trained Professional Development Site Supervisor and public school mentor Highly mentored and supported program by 11 member school districts and UHCL faculty Non-paid internship experience
Option 2:	Successful completion of the UHCL Alternative Certification Program (ACP) TCED 4768 – ACP Internship I TCED 4769 – ACP Internship II Alternative Certification Program Internship (ACP) Follow Graduate Teacher Certification Plan for course requirements $60 application fee (non-refundable) Must pass content area State Assessment before admission to ACP ($82 fee) Overall GPA of a 2.500 or a 2.500 in the final 60 hours, including all the courses taken in the semester in which the 60th hour is taken Must meet posted ACP program and application deadlines One to three-year supervised, paid internship. Candidate must seek full-time teaching position with a UHCL member district as a Teacher of Record in the area and at the level of certification being sought Register for ACP Internship course each Fall and Spring semesters All certification coursework must be completed within three years Supervision by University Supervisor and UHCL trained public school mentor Full-time pay minus graduate tuition and fees and $3000 program fee Refer to the School of Education’s ACP website for additional information: www.uhcl.edu/soe. Look under the “Certifications tab ” for the ACP web page Must be admitted to Teacher Education Program within 12 months of starting ACP
PASSING SCORES ON THE APPROPRIATE STATE ASSESSMENTS – TEXAS EXAMINATION OF EDUCATOR STANDARDS EC-12 Special Education TExES and EC-12 Pedagogy and Professional Responsibility TExES #160 Notes: 1 Must have a minimum of 12 hours of content courses from UHCL 2 Departmental permission required. The student must complete SPED 5030/4030, 5131/4131, 5132/4132, 5233/4231, & 5331/4331 prior to enrolling in this course. 3 These courses can be waived with the approval of the program coordinator of Special Education 4 Pre-requisite is MATH 3031, MATH 1350 or a passing score on the competency test. Please see an advisor for information. 5 Candidates not passing the State Assessments by the final semester of this plan must enroll in & successfully complete this course. Candidates passing the State Assessments by the final semester of this plan will have this course waived.

Notes Regarding the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements

To be “Highly Qualified” for employment with an EC-12 Special Education teaching certificate to teach at the Elementary level (Grades EC-6) teachers must also earn an EC-6 Generalist, 4-8 Generalist or a 4-8 content specific teaching certificate. The UHCL undergraduate program includes the EC-6 Generalist certification. Those following a post-degree teacher certification plan will need to earn an additional certification by taking the appropriate TExES after having completed the UHCL EC-12 Special Education program. Fully certified teachers can register for the additional TExES as “By Exam Only.”

To be “Highly Qualified” for employment with an EC-12 Special Education teaching certificate to teach at the Secondary level (grades 7-12) teachers must also earn the 4-8 Generalist, a 4-8 content specific, or an 8-12 content specific teaching certification. Fully certified teachers can register for the additional TExES as “By Exam Only.”

As of Fall 2008, the federal government is allowing Texas school districts some flexibility in the above requirements by allowing for High Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation or “HOUSE” points within the first two years of employment for elementary teachers. For secondary teachers, the federal government is allowing use of passing an additional content test or holding an additional academic major, graduate degree, or hours of course work to be considered Highly Qualified. For information pertinent to a Special Education job within a specific school district, contact the Texas Education Agency’s No Child Left Behind (NCLB) representative at, 512-463-9374, or view their website: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/nclb/hqteachers.html . See the section called “Guidance for Implementation of NCLB Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements.”