Pre-Service Special Education (PSE)

Content Area Prerequisites

A transcript evaluation will be completed upon admission to the program. If deficiencies exist, they must be completed prior to student teaching.

• College coursework in Writing
• College coursework in Fine Arts or Literature
• College coursework in Mathematics
• College coursework in Science
• College coursework in American Government or U.S. History
• College coursework in Social Science

Course Requirements

Courses requirements: 48 quarter hours required, grade of C or better required.

Student Teaching Requirements

Student Teaching is the culminating clinical experience in the student's program. All students in teacher preparation programs must meet the following requirements before applying for student teaching:

Academic Requirements

• Completion of all Content Area Prerequisites, and all courses requirements
• Overall cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better
• Meet all other program requirements  (e.g., residency requirements)
• Meet designated program standards
• Pass the required Illinois licensure content area tests (see below)

Clinical Requirements

• Completion of all required field experiences
• Three satisfactory evaluations in field experiences
• Three satisfactory faculty recommendations
• Attendance at mandatory meeting for student teaching
• Application for student teaching, resume, transcripts, and writing sample (check deadlines)
• Review and approval by Student Teaching Committee of the College of Education.
• Student Teaching Timeline and Deadlines
• Attend a Mandatory Meeting approximately 1 year prior to expected quarter of student teaching.
• Submit application for student teaching after attending Mandatory Meeting, approximately 1 year prior to student teaching.

Academic requirements (above) due one quarter before expected quarter of student teaching.

Clinical requirements (above) are completed as course requirements.

Individual school districts may have additional requirements (application, training, background check, etc.)

Student Teaching: 10 quarter hours required

Registration in student teaching requires completion of all requirements and procedures listed in the college core section.

Please note that the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) may change the State licensure and endorsement requirements at any time and without prior notice.

Licensure Tests

All individuals licensed by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) are required to complete licensure tests specific to their teaching license. Requirements are subject to change per the discretion of ISBE.

Special Education students must complete the following tests:

• Learning Behavior Specialist I (test #290) – assesses knowledge of the following areas: understanding students with disabilities, assessing students and developing individualized programs, supporting development and learning, working in a collaborative learning community, and foundations and professional practice.
• EdTPA - assessment conducted during the student teaching experience including video clips of instruction, lesson plans, student work samples, analysis of student learning and reflective commentaries. Students will submit an electronic portfolio to an outside agency for independent evaluation and a fee will be imposed by that agency as part of the assessment.

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