Program Overview:
The dual major in Special Education and Childhood Education is a four-year program of study and practice that leads to a Bachelor of Science in Special Education/Childhood Education and prepares students for teaching in special education settings, general education settings, and inclusive settings that serve children with a range of abilities and needs. Upon the successful completion of this program, the achievement of passing grades on examinations required by the New York State Education Department and fingerprint clearance, students are eligible for New York State initial teaching certification in both childhood (Grades 1-6) and childhood special education (Grades 1-6).
Guidelines developed by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), Association of Childhood Education International (ACEI), Association for Advancing Quality Educator Preparation, and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) were utilized in the development of this program. The Special Education/Childhood Education program provides pre-service teachers with integrated course content across the disciplines of special education, childhood education, child development, communication disorders, literacy, educational psychology, and instructional technology. The program prepares future educators to meet the academic and social-emotional needs of a diverse student population, collaborate with colleagues, and exhibit leadership in their professional endeavors. The program is delivered by experienced faculty and supervisors who focus on the elements of diversity, instructional planning, differentiation of instruction, reflective practice, technology, research-supported practices, and collaboration. The program requires that students have an academic concentration in the liberal arts or sciences (see below for descriptions of academic concentrations), and complete the College-wide Core program with specific expanded course work to meet certification requirements. See the catalog description on Core requirements for additional details. The majority of the major and the academic concentration must be completed at The College of Saint Rose.
Program Contacts:
Dr. Frances Ihle
Co-Chair, Literacy & Special Education Department
Email: ihlef@strose.edu
Program Webpage: Special Education and Childhood Education (Gr 1-6), BS
Program Requirements:
Admission into the College does not ensure good standing in the program in Special Education/Childhood Education, nor does good standing in the Special Education/Childhood Education program ensure admission to student teaching. In order to maintain good standing through all stages of the Special Education/Childhood Education program, students are required to maintain the following academic standards: 2.5 cumulative index, 2.75 index in the education sequence, 2.25 index in the academic concentration and a minimum grade of C+ in each course of the major. Students are allowed to repeat courses in the major only one time. More than two repeated courses by a student will result in the student’s dismissal from the major. Students must apply for student teaching in accordance with program guidelines. This includes satisfactory completion of all major courses with the exception of SEE 485, SEE 486 SEE 495, and completion of most concentration courses. No additional courses beyond SEE 485, SEE 486, and SEE 495 should be taken during the student teaching semester.
Major Courses Sequence:
Year 1
SEE 100
SEE 106
SED 146
Year 2
EPY 244
EPY 350 or EPY 370
SEE 245
Year 3
CSD 235
EDU 300
SED 347
SEE 249
SEE 360
Year 4
SEE 380
SEE 385
SEE 386
SEE 485
SEE 486
SEE 495
Major in Childhood Education/Special Education Grades 1-6 (57-58 credits)
Students who do not take CSC 104 Educational Computing must take EPY 370.
SEE 360: Students who transfer in a course that is equivalent to SEE 360 for 3 credits must also take SEE 362 for 1 credit.
Academic Concentrations for Childhood Education/Special Education (Grades 1-6) Majors
All Childhood Education/Special Education candidates must fulfill the College’s Core requirements and must take additional liberal arts course work in an academic concentration to comply with New York State teacher certification regulations. The purpose of the academic concentration in a liberal arts or sciences discipline or an interdisciplinary field is to provide a focused depth and breadth of preparation and study, beyond the broad general education requirement, that will enable the Childhood Education/Special Education major to develop a degree of expertise in a chosen discipline or interdisciplinary field.
Childhood Education/Special Education majors are required to complete an academic concentration of 30-33 credits in one of the following disciplines: Biology, Computing and Logic, English, General Science, Mathematics, Social Studies or Spanish. The requirements of the academic concentrations are listed below.
Biology Concentration (30 credits)
Computing and Logic Concentration (33-35 Credits)
Studying fundamental computer science lays the groundwork for a career of applied computational thinking applicable to any field. Computer science emphasizes algebra and mathematical reasoning, hence strengthening the overall preparation of a future teacher. A concentration in Computing and Logic goes far beyond providing knowledge of a computer-based toolset to use in the classroom. Students in this concentration will become better equipped in conceptualization, problem-solving and abstract thinking. This concentration supports the STEM coalition efforts to improve the way our students learn science, mathematics, technology and engineering.
Computer Science Courses (20-22 Credits)
Required Courses:
*CSC 202 and CSC 252 may each be taken only twice without faculty permission.
Choose Two 300-level Courses (6-8 Credits):
Mathematics Courses (13 Credits)
Students who transfer in MAT 185 or MAT 190 or who score 36 on the math placement test are not required to take MAT 180 and may substitute the higher-level MAT course with advisor approval. In these cases, the higher-level MAT course satisfies the MAT 180 pre-requisite for upper level courses.
Required Courses:
Additional Course (choose one):
English Language Arts Concentration (33 credits)
English Language Arts concentrators may not transfer in courses to fulfill their ELA requirements after they have matriculated at the College of Saint Rose.
Required Courses:
| ENG 105 | Expos Wrtg, Spkng, Rsrch Tech | 4 |
| ENG 114 | Intro Lit Genres/Traditions | 4 |
One 200-level early literature course:
One 200-level later literature course:
One diverse literature course:
Writing/Language course(s) - 4 credits:
One communication course:
One performance arts course:
Two credits in teaching topics courses OR one additional literature course from those listed above (2 or 4 credits):
General Science Concentration (30 credits)
Mathematics Concentration (30-32 credits)
Required Courses:
Depth of Study (9-11 credits)
Choose two courses from the following:
Social Studies Concentration (32 credits)
Social Studies concentrators may not transfer in core courses after they have matriculated at The College of St. Rose; six out of eight of the content courses in the concentration must be completed at Saint Rose.
Core Courses:
Students must pass HIS 215 or HIS 227 in their first year with a C grade or better. HIS 215 may only be repeated once and serves as a pre-requisite for HIS 204.
Additional Coursework:
Choose one additional 100- or 200-level POS course (4 credits)
Choose one 100- or 200-level non-US HIS course (4 credits)
Spanish Concentration (30 credits)
Required Courses:
Three years of high school Spanish, or SPA 101 and SPA 102, are prerequisite to a concentration in Spanish.
If SPA 203, SPA 204, and SPA 216 are waived, the student needs to replace each of them with 3 hours of upper-level elective courses.
One additional course chosen from:
| SPA 305 | Survey Spanish Literature 1 | 3 |
| SPA 306 | Survey Spanish Literature 2 | 3 |
| SPA 307 | Survey Spanish-American Lit | 3 |
Two Spanish 300-400 level elective courses (6 credits)
Internship/Field Experiences/Service:
Students are required to complete a total of 162 hours of field experience prior to student teaching. Field experiences require students to observe, complete course-related assignments, and teach in a variety of settings including but not limited to high-needs/urban schools and inclusive classrooms.
Field experiences ranging from 10 to 21 hours are required for the following courses:
| SED 146 | Ind w/Except in Schl & Comm | 4 |
| SEE 245 | Curriculum & Instruction | 4 |
| SEE 249 | Prin & Proc Eff Behav Mgmt | 4 |
| SED 347 | C&I:Inten Sup Needs Children | 4 |
| SEE 360 | Literacy & Lit Young Children | 4 |
| SEE 380 | Literacy/Literature Intrm Grds | 4 |
A special feature of the Special Education/Childhood Education program is the integrated methods block of coursework. This includes a 70-hour field experience when students spend two full days per week working in schools. Students enroll in SEE 385 Social Studies and English Language Arts Instruction: Teaching in Inclusive Elementary Settings and SEE 386 Mathematics, Science and Technology: Teaching in Inclusive Elementary Settings the semester prior to student teaching. Student teaching occurs at both the primary (1-3) and the intermediate (4-6) elementary levels with one of the placements in a special education or inclusive education setting and one placement in a general education setting.
Fingerprinting clearance from The New York State Department of Education is required for all field experiences. Fingerprinting information is available on the New York State Department of Education “TEACH” website http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/teach. Students should note that education courses with field experiences have catalog course descriptions that include a statement on mandatory fingerprinting.
Culminating Academic Experiences:
Required Courses:
| SEE 485 | Stud Tch Sem:Child Ed/Spec Ed | 2 |
| SEE 486 | Portfolio: Spec Ed/Chldhd Ed | 1 |
| SEE 495 | SpecEd/Child Ed Student Tchg | 9 |
Suggested 4 Year Course Plan:
This suggested plan is designed to give students an idea of how to balance their coursework over 8 semesters and to graduate within 4 years. Most students will need to take a minimum of 30 credits each year in order to meet the graduation requirement of a minimum of 120 overall credits. It should be used along with your Degree Works worksheet and in consultation with your faculty advisor. It is meant as a guide, not a definitive list of courses that must be taken as written. Your faculty advisor will help you make any necessary adjustments during advisement.
Year 1
Fall (15 Credits)
Core course (3 cr)
Core course (3 cr)
Core course (3 cr)
Core course (3 cr)
Concentration course (3 cr)
Spring (16 Credits)
Core course (3 cr)
Core course (3 cr)
Core course (3 cr)
Concentration course (3 cr)
SED 146 (4cr)
Year 2
Fall (16 Credits)
Core course (3 cr)
Core course (3 cr)
Concentration course (3 cr)
Concentration course (3 cr)
SED 146 (4 cr)
Spring (16 Credits)
Core course (3 cr)
Concentration course (3 cr)
Concentration course (3 cr)
EPY 350 (3 cr)
SEE 245 (4 cr)
Year 3
Fall (16 Credits)
Concentration course (3 cr)
Concentration course (3 cr)
CSD 235 (3 cr)
EDU 300 (3 cr)
SEE 249 (4 cr)
Spring (17 Credits)
Core course (3 cr)
Concentration course (3 cr)
Concentration course (3 cr)
SEE 360 (4 cr)
SED 347 (4 cr)
Year 4
Fall (15 Credits)
Core/Concentration course (3 cr)
SEE 385 (4 cr)
SEE 386 (4 cr)
SEE 380 (4 cr)
Spring (12 Credits)
SEE 485 (2 cr)
SEE 495 (9 cr)
SEE 486 (1 cr)
Grades 7-9 Extension (Optional):
Extensions are not required as part of the Childhood Education/Special Education major at Saint Rose. The New York State Education Department offers an extension for grades 7-9 to the initial teaching certificate obtained for Childhood Education (Grades 1-6). An extension will show that the certified childhood education teacher has additional expertise to teach a subject in grades 7-9. Subjects for the 7-9 Extension are: Biology, English, Mathematics, and Social Studies. Childhood Education/Special Education majors who wish the College to recommend them to the New York State Education Department for an extension must complete an academic concentration of at least 30 credits in the extension area, all requirements for the Childhood Education/Special Education (Grades 1-6) program, all requirements for initial teacher certification in Childhood Education, must obtain fingerprint clearance prior to beginning all field experiences, and the following additional requirements.
Required Courses:
Career Opportunities and Graduate Study:
In order to be eligible for initial teacher certification in New York State, students must pass required New York State Teacher Certification Examinations and obtain fingerprint clearance. The School of Education offers preparation workshops for these exams. Information about test dates, sample questions, and scoring are available at www.nystce.nesinc.com. The pass rate on New York State Teacher Certification Examinations for students at The College of Saint Rose was 97% for the 2008-2009 academic year. Within five years, teachers with initial certification must apply for professional certification, which is contingent upon earning a relevant master’s degree and obtaining teaching experience that includes mentoring.
Find Out More:
Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid: https://www.strose.edu/admissions/