Special Education General Curriculum P-12 Certificate

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Return to: Department of Learning Sciences

This is an initial certification program for undergraduate students or post-baccalaureate at Georgia State University Students seeking admission to this initial certification program, must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5; have passing scores on the GACE Program Admission Assessment or demonstrate an exemption; and complete the Georgia Educator Ethics - Program Entry (350) Assessment, and tort liability insurance.

Undergraduate students at Georgia State University must meet the requirements jointly set by their major department and the Department of Learning Sciences.

Pre-Service Certificate: Upon admission to a teacher education program, students will be contacted by the Office of Field Placements and Certification with instructions to claim enrollment in their program and submit a GaPSC Pre-Service Certificate Application. The pre-service certificate is required for placement in required field experiences or clinical practice.

Certification: Students must post passing scores on the GACE Content Assessment, Georgia Educator Ethics - Program Exit (360) Assessment, and edTPA in order to be recommended by Georgia State University for clear, renewable certification.

For educator certification, students must earn a grade of “B” or higher in EXC 4020 - Characteristics and Instructional Strategies for Students with Disabilities .

Certificate Requirements

Students who do not satisfactorily pass a course (grade of B or higher) must retake the course and satisfactorily pass the course prior to taking additional courses in the program. Courses may be repeated once.

The sequence of required certification courses are as follows:

EPY 2050 - Human Growth and Development 3 Hours
EXC 4020 - Characteristics and Instructional Strategies for Students with Disabilities 3 Credit Hours
EXC 4560 - Educational Evaluation of Students with Disabilities 3 Credit Hours
EXC 4570 - Individual and Classroom Management 3 Credit Hours
EXC 4580 - Instructional Methods for Students with Behavior Learning Disabilities 3 Credit Hours
EXC 4590 - Functional and Social Methods for Students with Behavior Learning Disabilities 3 Credit Hours
EXC 4650 - Opening School Experience 0 Credit Hours
EXC 4661 - Practicum I: Special Education 1 to 3 Credit Hours
EXC 4671 - Student Teaching in Special Education 1 to 9 Credit Hours

Total Hours for Certification: 24 Semester Hours

Undergraduate students also are required to complete EDUC 2110 - Investigating Critical and Contemporary Issues in Education , EDUC 2120 - Exploring Socio-Cultural Perspectives on Diversity in Educational Contexts , and EDUC 2130 - Exploring Learning and Teaching .

Post-Baccalaureate students are required to complete 15 hours in a content concentration in social science, science, math, language arts, or reading if not already completed in an undergraduate program. This will be determined through a transcript review. Students can also take the 3 reading endorsement courses to satisfy requirements for “Highly Qualified.”