Our Special Education program is an

Initial, Integrated/Merged, program for Mild/Moderate.

To enroll in the program, our admission requirements for testing remain the same: applicants will need a general education Praxis II exam in a CORE content passed first. (learn more about testing here)

This is not an add-on program; it is for initial certification only.

Because it is an integrated/merged Special Education offering, anyone currently in our program would be able to be hired on a SPED license after passing their CORE content Praxis II exam (with the understanding the SPED exam, #5543, would be passed by the end of the field experience).

For a teacher candidate to enroll into a Mild/Moderate 1-5 certification program (with the issuance of a PL), the state requires successfully completion of the following exams:

• Elementary Education:  Multiple Subjects (5001)

For a teacher candidate to enroll into a Mild/Moderate 4-8 certification program (with the issuance of a PL), the state requires successfully completion of the following exams:

• Any one of the middle school CORE content exams (M.S. Math 5164, M.S. Science 5442, M.S. Social Studies 5089, or M.S. English/Lang Arts 5047)

For a teacher candidate to enroll into a Mild/Moderate 6-12 certification program (with the issuance of a PL), the state requires successfully completion of the following exams:

• Any one of the secondary CORE content exams (e.g. Math 5165, Social Studies 5086, English 5039, Biology 5235, or Chemistry 5245, etc.)

As the teacher candidate nears completion of the program, he/she would be required to successfully complete pedagogy exams.

• Pedagogy exams for a mild/moderate integrated to merged program completers would be the Special Ed: Core Knowledge and Mild to Moderate Applications (5543) AND the appropriate PLT – Elementary (5622) Middle School (5623) or Secondary (5624).

The completion of the program will be nearly identical as anyone completing our general education program.

To be recommended for your Level 1 License, the following must be completed:

• Pass all required Praxis exams
  • Mild/Moderate Special Education #5543
  • Corresponding PLT exam
• Complete TWO Special Education courses (included in program)
• Complete all other required courses.
• Complete two semester Residency in Special Education
• Pay full balance

Once all program requirements are complete, you would be eligible to receive the Level 1 Professional License.