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Special Education
The Department of Special Education at the University of Kansas provides students with opportunities to gain experience in real classroom settings with students with disabilities. Borrowing from the old adage that practice makes perfect, students are able to hone their teaching skills almost from the first semester in the master's program. Several field experience opportunities are offered to provide meaningful practice that allows students to increase their skills, competence, and confidence. Click on the following headings to learn more about practica in these specialty areas.
Field Experiences in Early Childhood Unified
The Department is currently accepting applications for our practicum and student teaching courses for the Summer and Fall 2008 semesters. Please click here to view the announcement on the KUPD page.
SPED 739 is currently accepting applications for both the Summer and Fall 2008 semesters. Click here to download the Word version of the application or contact Sue Lanyon (slanyon@ku.edu) for further details. The application deadline is April 1, 2008.
SPED 775 & 875 are also accepting applications for both the Summer and Fall 2008 semesters. Click here to download the Word version of the application or contact Deb Griswold (dgriz@ku.edu) for further details. The application deadline is April 1, 2008.
Provided here are descriptions of the field-based courses that prepare students for licensure in the specialty areas of High Incidence (Adaptive Kansas Licensure) and Low Incidence (Functional Kanas Licensure). Students preparing to teach children and youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) typically complete one or more practicum experiences in ASD and a practicum in the curriculum areas of High Incidence (Adaptive — LD/MR/BD) or Low Incidence (Functional — SMD), as determined by the academic advisor. For information on these field experiences, contact Deborah Griswold, Ph. D., at dgriz@ku.edu or 785-864-0701.
SPED 772 is a field experience that is recommended for students who are new to the field of special education or to a particular specialty area such as LD, MR, BD, ASD or SMD. Students in the Adaptive, Functional or Autism areas can take SPED 772 upon recommendation by their advisor. International students who would like to observe U.S. classrooms are also encouraged to enroll in this course after consulting with their advisor. The course requires 100 hours of teacher and related service provider observation in school or clinical settings. Students who enroll in this course participate with children and youth to the degree that they and the teacher or provider are willing and comfortable. Students who complete this course will:
SPED 775 is a practicum experience for the 5th year School of Education student as well as other graduate students who are seeking teaching licensure in the Adaptive, Functional and Autism Spectrum areas. The SPED 775 practicum is designed to provide intense and direct teaching experiences with children and youth who have sensory, learning and behavioral needs. This practicum must be completed under the supervision of a special education teacher who is qualified and licensed to teach in this area. Students are expected to demonstrate professional conduct, exhibit competency in their classroom teaching experience as well as completing portfolio assignments. This practicum is a requirement for provisional endorsement according to the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE).
SPED 875 is the advanced practicum experience. Graduate students who have completed their core courses and who are nearing the completion of their degree typically enroll in SPED 875 to obtain full endorsement. Most students will complete the 875 experience with a cooperating teacher. In some circumstances individuals who are teaching in a classroom under provisional certification in the area of their degree program may request permission to complete this practicum in his/her own classroom "on-the-job". For example, if at the time of their enrollment a teacher is teaching students in the adaptive area and is seeking full endorsement in the adaptive area they may request an on-the-job practicum. The Field Experience Coordinator and the student's academic advisor will review this request and determine if an "on-the-job" experience is appropriate. Students must demonstrate professional conduct, exhibit competency as a classroom teacher, and complete an action research requirement as well as portfolio assignments.
Students specializing in Autism Spectrum Disorders are required to complete SPED 775 and 875; however, since ASD is not a licensure area as determined by the KSDE, completing both practica in the ASD area does not lead to licensure. Thus, students who are in the ASD specialization area must also complete an Adaptive or Functional practicum in order to obtain Kansas licensure.
Students who complete the practica will:
Field experiences in Early Childhood Unified (blends Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education into one discipline) are offered as applied courses that support the supervised practice of professional skills in high quality programs serving infants, toddlers and preschoolers with and without disabilities and their families. These courses are intended for persons currently working toward the Kansas State Department of Education teaching license directed to Early Childhood Unified (Birth through Grade 3) as well as persons interested in expanding their skills in teaching infants, toddlers and young children with and without disabilities.
All field experience courses address the Kansas Professional Teaching Standards and the Kansas Early Childhood Unified (Birth through Grade 3) Teaching Standards, and reflect the Council for Exceptional Children–Division of Early Childhood (CEC-DEC), the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAYEC) and the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) joint positions on effective practices for the preparation of early childhood personnel. Pre-requisites include admittance to the School of Education Teacher Education Program (undergraduate program) or the ECU* graduate program and the approval of the academic faculty advisor. For additional information about ECU field experiences contact: Sue Lanyon, M.S.ED, at slanyon@ku.edu or 785-864-0740.
*Note that at this time the Graduate Program does not lead to Teacher Licensure. The licensure program is under development and will be submitted for approval.
The two field experience courses are required for students in the 5-year UEC (birth to grade three program) and may at times be recommended for students who are new to the field of Early Childhood Education in the ECU graduate program. The course requires 10 contact hours per week within an educational setting serving infants, toddlers or preschoolers with and without disabilities and their families. Students will observe and implement strategies under the supervision of qualified personnel in the field of Early Childhood Education. Other exposures might include: working with families and other support personnel (i.e., occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, etc.), team collaboration, and attendance at IFSP/IEP meetings. Ongoing meetings with university supervisors and cooperating professionals are designed to facilitate learning. Students are also required to maintain a reflective journal. Participation in all seminars held on related content areas throughout the semester is required.
The student teaching course(s) is an intense, direct teaching field-based experience that is required for all individuals working towards the Kansas teaching license in Unified Early Childhood program (birth through grade three). Two 3-credit-hour semester-long courses of SPED 739 are also required for the Early Childhood Unified Education (birth through Kindergarten) Master's Program. The Kansas Professional Education Standards, along with the Kansas Early Childhood Unified (Birth through Grade 3) Teaching Standards, are embedded into the course objectives and requirements. Competency of these standards must be demonstrated. Students will work directly under the supervision of qualified personnel in the field of Early Childhood Education and Early Childhood Special Education.
Depending on the age of the children served and the nature of the student teaching site, each student teaching experience includes either the development of a two-week lead teaching experience in the classroom or an equivalent lead role appropriate to the context and role of the mentor/cooperating professional. Students will be required to: (a) provide details about their classroom/program setting and describe the learning environment; (b) set learning goals/outcomes for a variety of classroom, playgroup activities, and/or home visit contexts; (c) devise and implement their instructional and home visit plans; (d) demonstrate competence in supporting families; (e) demonstrate competence in communicating and collaborating with program personnel (i.e., para-educators, related service personnel, etc.); and (f) maintain a reflective journal on their experiences with children, families, and colleagues. Ongoing meetings with mentor/cooperating professionals and university supervisors are designed to facilitate both reflective and instructional learning. Participation is required in all seminars held on related content areas throughout the semester.
Students completing the Unified Early Childhood Master's program must enroll in two 3-credit hour sections of student teaching (SPED 739). Students must choose two of the following thee options: an infant/toddler setting, a preschool setting, or a kindergarten setting. These settings will be determined together with the student, student’s academic advisor, and ECU field services coordinator. Each 3-credit-hour section is to fulfill a minimum of 240 hours in the field over a 14-week period. Only one 3-credit-hour section of SPED 739 may be taken during a single semester (Note: this restriction does not apply to 5th year UEC students).
Student must apply for assignment to a student teaching setting one semester prior to the experience. While students are asked to indicate various factors that may affect their specific assignments, the ECU faculty and the ECU field services coordinator make the selection of the actual sites and the onsite cooperating professional. The ECU Master's program has a number of approved student teaching sites that offer a range of excellent experiences for our students. Access to personal transportation is highly recommended since many sites are in neighboring communities and require car travel. For those students with no access to transportation, every attempt will be made to assign them to sites that may be reached via public transportation within the Lawrence community.
