Department of Education
Valparaiso University
Undergraduate Advising Checklist for:
Special Education
AND
Early/Middle Childhood (Elementary) Developmental Level
(Effective Fall, 2001 for freshman and sophomores entering program)
Name: ________________________________ Date ___________________
Advisor: _____________________________________
I. Special Education Course Work
A. In order for it to be possible to complete all requirements for Elementary Education and the additional special Education content area, these two courses must be taken no later than the sophomore year (second year) of enrollment at Valparaiso University. If taken later than the sophomore year, the sequence of courses for this content area can not be completed in a four-year time span. These two courses can be taken before admission to teacher education with no special approvals required.
Course Semester Grade
Taken Earned
SPED 347 Characteristics of Individuals
with Mild Disabilities II (3 Cr.) _____ _____
SPED 348 Observation of Individuals with
Mild Disabilities (1 cr.) _____ _____
NOTES:
1. SPED 347 is a prerequisite for SPED 444, 445, SPED 450, (or corequisite) SPED 451. You will not be able to complete on-line registration for any of the higher level Special Education courses unless you have taken SPED 347.
2. SPED 347 and SPED 348 (Spring Only)
B. Other required special education course work taken after Admission to Teacher Education.
SPED 440 Learning Exceptionalities (3 cr.) _____ _____
(Fall & Spring)
SPED 441 Assistive Technology (1cr.) _____ _____
(Fall Only)
SPED 444 Assessment is Special Education (3 cr.) _____ _____
Prerequisite for SPED 444: SPED 347 (Fall Only)
SPED 445 Teaching the Student With
Mild Disabilities (Grades 1-6) (3 cr.) _____ _____
Prerequisite for SPED 445: SPED 347
Prerequisite or Co-requisite for SPED 445: SPED 444
(Fall Only)
SPED 446 Teaching Practicum with Individuals
with Mild Disabilities (Grades 1-6) (1 cr.) _____ _____
SPED 446 must be taken in the same semester as SPED 445
(Fall and Spring)
SPED 450 Models of Collaboration and
Consultation in Special Education (3cr) _____ _____
Prerequisite for SPED 450( or corequisite): SPED 347 (Spring Only)
SPED 451 Applied Behavior Analysis (3 cr.) _____ _____
Prerequisite for SPED 451: SPED 347
(Fall Only)
SPED 449 Supervised Teaching in General and
Special Education (12 cr.) _____ _____
Prerequisites for SPED 449: SPED 445 and SPED 446
(Spring Only)
C. Other Required Course Work
SPED 466 Teaching Reading to Students
with Disabilities (3 cr.) (Fall Only) _____ ______
NOTE: Prerequisite to ED 466 – 3 credits of reading coursework.
D. Developmental Level Course Work
The following developmental level course work is also required. Consult your advisor for the checklist that addresses these courses. This list is provided here as a reminder that these courses must also be successfully completed in order to earn a teaching license.
ED 203 ED 324 ED 370 MATH 214/212
ED 204 ED 327 ED 466
ED 305 ED 328 ED 485
ED 323 ED 361 MATH 213/211
E. Sequence of Course Work
1. Freshman or sophomores may take SPED 347 and SPED 348. Both courses are taught in only the Spring semester of every year. These courses should be completed by end of sophomore year to complete this content area in four years. If you wait until the junior year, you can do it if your schedule is carefully worked out.
2. Juniors take SPED 440. SPED 440 is taught every Fall and Spring semester. SPED 440 can not be taken until after admission to teacher education.
3. Juniors or senior may take SPED 444, SPED 445, SPED 446, SPED 450, and SPED 451. SPED 444, SPED 445, SPED 446, and SPED 451 are taught fall semester of every year. SPED 450 is taught spring semester of every year.
4. SPED 449 – Student teaching – is typically taken in the Spring semester of the student’s final year at Valparaiso University. If it is necessary to do SPED 449 during the fall semester, special permission from the Professional Development and Placement office is needed to arrange this.
F. Important Notes
1. Special Education in now considered a content area like Math, English, Social Studies, etc. for licensing purposes (not for Valparaiso University degree purposes). There are no more reading or special education endorsements in the new licensing system. In the new licensing system, you will have Exceptional Needs Education: Mild Interventions as the special education content area on your license. In order to have this on your license, you will need to take the correct PRAXIS II Special Education Content Area tests and obtain the passing score on this test. (For rules 2002, take tests 0353 and 0542. For rules 46-47 take tests 0351 or 0353 and 0381.)
2. Exceptional Needs Education = Mild Interventions includes the student categories of emotional/behavioral disabilities, learning disabilities, and mild mental retardation.
3. The list of classes on this check sheet qualifies you to teach students with mild disabilities only in grades one through six. If you want to be qualified to teach special education in grades 1 through 12, you must also take the following course:
SPED 489 Teaching the Individual with Mild Disabilities (Grades 6-12) (3 cr.)
Prerequisite or co-requisite to SPED 489: SPED 444.
SPED 444 and SPED 489 are taught fall semester of every year.
