From Joan Neaton

1. Saint Mary’s University of MinnesotaGraduate School of Education

2. The Master of Arts in Special Education Program Leading to licensure In Learning Disabilities (LD) and/or Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities (E/BD) 2

3. The Master of Arts in Special Education is designed for students who would like to become licensed to teach in the Special Education areas of:Learning Disabilities (LD) and/or Emotional Behavioral Disorders (E/BD). 3

4. The Masters of Arts in Special Education is based on the standards required by the Minnesota Board of Teaching.All standards and requirements must be successfully completed by students prior to recommendation to the Minnesota Board of Teaching for Licensure.Choices:• Students may choose to complete only the courses leading to licensure which results in earning one or both graduate certificates in special education (LD and/or E/BD).• Students who wish to earn the Master of Arts in Education must complete the additional six credits of the master’s completion sequence. 4

5. Program Requirements

6. If you do not have a teaching license, you are considered to be a student who is working toward an Initial License in Education, specifically Special Education K-12. You will be licensed to teach in the areas of Learning Disabilities (LD) and Emotional Behavioral Disorders (EBD).You will complete:•The Standards of Effective Practice Courses. (17 credits and a 35 hour Practicum (0 CREDITS).• The Special Education Core Courses. (25 credits and 15 weeks of Student Teaching, 6 credits.) 6

7. Students seeking their Initial License The next slides (#7-#15) are specifically for YOU

8. Initial License Program Components STANDARDS OF EFFECTIVE PRACTICE COURSES: EDUC515 FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION EDUC517 LEARNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND EXCEPTIONALITY EDUC565 HUMAN RELATIONS, CULTURAL DIVERSITY, AND AMERICAN INDIAN CULTURE EDUC511 EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT AND ASSESSMENT EDUC525 CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION EDUC530 READING IN THE CONTENT AREAS EDUC534 TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM EDUC554D CLINICAL PRACTICUM, 35 HOURS ** **THIS CLINICAL PRACTICUM WILL BE EXPLAINED IN MORE DETAIL ON THE NEXT SLIDE 8

9. 35 HOUR CLINICAL EXPERIENCE This experience is for students seeking their initial teaching license. Joan Neaton will facilitate this placement. The two of you will work together. In Special Education, you will be licensed to work with k-12 students. Because of this, you need to have a clinical experience at each level (elementary, middle school, and high school). This experience will count as one of those levels. If you complete this experience at the elementary level, your student teaching experience will be split between the middle school and the high school. Choose the level you want for this carefully, as it directly impacts the levels in which you student teach. There are assignments that go along with this experience and will be turned in to Joan Neaton. THIS PLACEMENT MUST BE APPROVED. 9

10. ESSENTIAL THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE 35 HR PRACTICUM ** • Have completed almost all of the Standards of Effective Practice Courses. • Have completed at a minimum the Special Education Core Courses: EDSE601 EDSE602 ** It is important to contact the Field Placement Coordinator, Joan Neaton, 2 semesters before you plan to have this clinical experience. 10

11. Initial License Program Components(con’t) Special Education Core Courses EDSE601 Special Education Foundations EDSE602 Survey of Special Populations Edse603 Individual Assessment EDSE604 Transition Planning through Collaboration EDSE605 Behavior theories and practices EDSE606 Characteristics of Students with Learning Disabilities (LD) and/or Emotional Behavioral Disorders (EBD) Edse607 Literacy development and interventions 11

12. Initial License Program ComponentsSpecial Education Core Courses(continued) Learning Disabilities Course: EDSE610 Instructional Strategies for Students with Learning Disabilities Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities Course: EDSE611 Instructional Strategies for Students with e/bd 12

13. Initial License Program ComponentsSpecial Education Core Course(continuted) Student Teaching (Clinical Practicum) EDSE621 Special Education student Teaching Student Teaching is a 15 week clinical experience, full days, full time. The 15 weeks are divided into two experiences: 10 Weeks (at one of the three levels of education) 5 Weeks(at one of the three levels of education) 13

14. Student Teaching This experience is for students seeking an initial teaching license and have all of their course work completed. • Student teachers will be placed in two settings, one for 10 weeks, and one for 5 weeks. • The grade levels will be dictated by the placement of the 35 hour practicum • This is a full-time 15 week experience. • It is recommended that students don’t work during this time. • The first placement will be for 10 weeks, during this time students will begin observing and slowly take over all of the responsibilities of the special education teacher. 14

15. Student Teaching(continued) • The second placement will be for 5 weeks, and during this time students will work with small groups, lead lessons, etc. • Throughout the 15 week experience, students will be observed a minimum of 5 times by university staff. • Students completing the student teaching experience are required to complete a portfolio and a journal demonstrating their understanding of the standards of effective practice, as well as the special education standards. • The university supervisor will serve as the “go to” person with questions regarding the portfolio or journal. •All student teachers will meet in a seminar to begin the experience and then to share portfolios and experiences. 15

16. Students who currently hold aMinnesota Teaching Licensethisnext part (#16-24) is for YOU.

17. Current Teacher License Holders Special Education Core Courses EDSE601 Special Education Foundations EDSE602 Survey of Special Populations Edse603 individual Assessment EDSE604 Transition Planning through collaboration EDSE605 Behavior theories and practices EDSE606 Characteristics of Students with Learning Disabilities (LD) and/or Emotional Behavioral Disorders (EBD) Edse607 Literacy development and interventions 17

18. Current Teacher License Holders (continued) Special Education Core Courses Learning Disabilities Course: EDSE610 Instructional Strategies for Students with Learning Disabilities Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities Course: EDSE611 Instructional Strategies for Students with e/bd 18

19. Current Teacher License Holders(continued) Special Education Core Courses Clinical Experience –Practicum, 150 hours EDSE620 Special Education Practicum (3 credits) • This experience is for students who are working toward adding the Special Education license to an existing license. • This placement will be facilitated by Joan Neaton with you. • The expectation is that this experience will be divided between elementary school, middle school, and high school. Ideally the break down would be 50 hours in elementary, 50 hours in middle school, and 50 hours in high school. We realize that this doesn’t always happen, but we require a meaningful experience in all three areas that achieves the goal of mastering the State Special Education Standards for LD and E/BD. 19

20. Clinical Experience –Practicum, 150 hoursEDSE620 Special Education Practicum 20 • Students will be observed a minimum of two times by university staff during the 150 hours. • Students completing this practicum experience are required to complete a portfolio and a journal demonstrating their understanding of the standards. The class meets once at the beginning of the semester and again at the end to share their experiences and their portfolios.

21. ESSENTIAL THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE 150 HOURS OF PRACTICUM • Arranging each placement of the three placements take time. Why? * Personal takes time to respond to calls and requests. * Not all districts will honor a request due to staff already being committed to a variety trainings, limited time, not interested. * A SpEd Director or Principal knows it is not the best situation for a novice in training. * Staff are not appropriately licensed for your training. • Each district has it own set of protocols and we are to follow them. • If a district wants a cover letter, a resume, or a transcript, they do mean for us to adhere to their requests. They often will not move on a request until I provide them with the documents they request. 21

22. ESSENTIAL THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE 150 HOURS OF PRACTICUM (continued) •If you know teachers that will provide you with practicum hours, please let Joan Neaton know that. ( Please do not ask your best friend, spouse, neighbor, and/or relative.) • The Field Placement Coordinator, Joan Neaton, must contact the teacher(s) you know to ask questions and to arrange a meeting. The same questions are asked if you do not know the Host Teacher. • What the Field Placement Coordinator needs to know, verify, and share: • The license(s) of the Host Teacher. • The number of students with Primary Disabilities of LD and/or EBD. • The expectations for the Host and the Student. • The possible experiences for the Student. • School protocols, dress, timeframe for experience, etc. 22

23. ESSENTIAL THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE 150 HOURS OF PRACTICUM (continued) • You are to register through Dr. Ryan for the 150 hours. This is course EDSE620. Register in the semester you intend to complete the hours. • The Field Placement Coordinator, Joan Neaton, will provide you with all the information, files, and forms you will need when you begin your first practicum. You are expected to save the files on your computer for easy reference and to copy. • Plan that when you make a commitment to a school and a district that you stick to it. Another teacher, school, district is helping you to achieve your professional growth and goals. They may even want to hire you! It happens frequently! 23

24. Frequently Asked Questions Can I count subbing? No Can 9th grade count as high school/middle school? 9th grade, and 5th and 6th grades are usually counted as part of the school they are in, or the way they are organized. If a 6th grade classroom is self-contained and run like a 3rd grade classroom, we would count it as an elementary setting. If 9th grade is part of the high school, and there is no significant difference in the way it is structured from 10th-12th grades, it would count as high school. This is often a decision made on an individual basis due to the different school structures. Do all 150 hours have to be complete in one semester? No, you can complete the hours over multiple semesters. Please register for the practicum during the semester you believe you will be completing the work. 24

25. Frequently Asked Questions Do I need professional liability insurance? Yes, yes, yes!! Most districts won’t take you without the coverage, and we will not let you be placed. It is $25.00 through Education Minnesota and worth every cent. Even if you are employed in a district, once you seek experiences for your professional growth, you must have additional insurance. Can I use my job as part of my practicum experience? If your job is in a special education setting, working with the proper population (LD and/or EBD), if there is an appropriately licensed teacher in a position to observe and evaluate you, and if your setting is appropriate for you to work toward mastery of the standards, then yes. It can count as one section of your practicum. Make sure to have this placement approved prior to earning and serving your hours. Do not invest time in hours that will not count. Past experiences give you insight and strengthen your wisdom. They do not count toward your practicum hours. 25

26. Tips for when you send an email Please use your first and last name in your signature. If your name has changed, put your registered name in parenthesis. Please do that in each email until we are working together and exchanging information frequently. If you are wanting to provide information about requesting a practicum, give your availability for the practicum (dates, times of day, days of the week.), Teachers’ given names, email addresses, names of schools, addresses, and school phone numbers. It is best to provide more information than not enough. Check and Read your SMU email frequently. THANKS 26

27. Best Wishes and Success In YOUR Professional Journey ! Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota The Master of Arts in Special Education Program 27