Admission Requirements for the Education Specialist
Credential Program
Mild-Moderate/Moderate-Severe Candidates:
For Elementary Level (K-6):
- SPED 371
- SPED 421
- EDEL 315
- CAS 101, 312, 315 or CAS 325A and 325B. These courses should be
taken by those students who want to teach in grades K-8 (the credential
for mild-moderate/moderate-severe is a K-12 authorization)
- California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST)
- California Subject Examination for Teachers (CSET): Multiple Subject
Note: Students planning to add a multiple subject credential to
their preliminary specialist credential need to take EDEL 325.
Mild-Moderate/Moderate-Severe Candidates:
For High School Level (7-12):
- SPED 371
- SPED 421
- EDSC 310
- EDSC 320
- California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST)
- Candidates are required to choose either English/Language Arts, Foundational Level Mathematics, or a content area within Science for their single subject area. In addition, this option requires that candidates successfully pass the appropriate CSETs in that content area to establish their subject matter competence.
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing requires that candidates establish subject matter competency. This is in addition to the documentation of basic skills, which is accomplished through passage of the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST).
For teachers planning to teach in secondary settings (grades 7-12), it is difficult to advise students the appropriate type of subject matter competence because so much depends on the specific environment in which the teacher works and the policy of the employing district. However, the following generalities may be a guide:
To be No Child Left Behind (NCLB) compliant, school districts are required to hire teachers that meet standards for "highly qualified" in subject matter competency.
Teachers working with students who are categorized as having Moderate/Severe settings are more likely to be placed in a setting for which the CSET-MS is the appropriate subject matter competence.
Teachers working with students who are categorized as having Mild/Moderate settings are more likely to be placed in a setting that is subject matter specific. Thus, the CSET in a specific subject matter area (math, science, or English/Language Arts) is the appropriate subject matter competence.
Newly employed special education teachers are often granted a grace period in which to establish the appropriate subject matter competence.
Student teachers must meet the subject matter competency requirements of their field placement.
The type of subject matter competency that should be established is dependent on the type of credential pursued as well as the grade level chosen. For candidates wishing to teach in secondary settings (grades 7-12), the required subject matter competence is also based on whether you are employed in a single subject content area (such as math, science, or English/language arts) or in a self-contained classroom (such as a Special Day Class).
Early Childhood Special Education Specialist Credential:
- SPED 371
- SPED 421
- HCOM 407
- Multiple Subjects CSET is not required. Instead, subject matter
knowledge in early childhood development needs to be documented
through coursework.
PROGRAM FACULTY
For additional information, please visit the Special Education website at http://ed.fullerton.edu/sped/
|
