Nov 21, 2024

Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2023-2024

Undergraduate/Graduate Catalog 2023-2024 [ARCHIVED CATALOG] See drop-down menu above to access other catalogs.

Elementary Education, Special Education Concentration, BSE

Leading to Special Education, Teacher of Students with Moderate Disabilities (PreK-8), (Initial Licensure), MEd

Departments: Elementary and Early Childhood Education; Special Education

Students who select the Elementary Education, Special Education Concentration, BSE, wish to be elementary teachers or special education teachers and are pursuing a public school teaching license for grades 1-6. Students are also required to select a second major outside of the Elementary and Early Childhood Education Department. A second major is a requirement of Bridgewater State University. Students who successfully complete their Elementary Education major and a second major are then eligible to apply for an Initial License with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for Elementary Education (Grades 1-6).

The Special Education Concentration is a joint program between the Department of Elementary and Early Childhood Education and the Department of Special Education. The program provides a BSE in Elementary Education with initial license in elementary education (grades 1-6) and leads to an MEd in Special Education for initial license as a teacher of students with moderate disabilities (PreK-8). The purpose of this program is to develop general education teachers and special education teachers who have an in-depth understanding of both special education and the elementary school classroom. Students in this program can take their first graduate course during their final semester of undergraduate course work.

Early Acceptance to the MEd Program

Students enrolled in the Elementary Education, Special Education Concentration, may apply to the College of Graduate Studies for early acceptance into the MEd program during their senior year. No application fee will be required. Application for early acceptance requires that the student:

be a Bridgewater State University senior, enrolled in the Elementary Education, Special Education Concentration, BSE;
be enrolled in Education Cluster III of their elementary education major; and
file an application for admission to the College of Graduate Studies, MEd in Special Education, Teacher of Students with Moderate Disabilities (PreK-8) (Initial Licensure) to begin graduate course work during the Practicum semester of the BSE program.

Although students may be accepted into the graduate program during their senior year, they will be classified as undergraduate students until all requirements of the Bachelor’s degree have been fulfilled and the Bachelor’s degree has been awarded. Graduate student status will be granted the semester immediately following conferral of the Bachelor’s degree. Students accepted under the early acceptance program may begin taking graduate courses the semester immediately after receipt of their Bachelor’s degree.

Undergraduate Program Requirements

Students must apply for admission and be accepted into Professional Education after completion of SPED 202 - Introduction to Special Education and in order to enter Education Cluster I in their junior year. This requires a formal application to the College of Education and Health Sciences, a cumulative 2.8 GPA, and successfully passing the Communication and Literacy Skills Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure^® (MTEL).

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires three Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure^® (MTEL) for Elementary licensure: Communication and Literacy Skills, General Curriculum (made of two subtests: Multi-Subject and Mathematics), and Foundations of Reading. All three of these exams must be passed in order to enter ELED 492 - Supervised Teaching in Public Schools: Elementary , which is a full-time, semester-long student teaching experience in a local school under the joint supervision of a university supervisor and a supervising practitioner.

All undergraduate students seeking licensure must consult the Educator Preparation and Licensure Policies and Procedures section of this catalog for information pertaining to admission to Professional Education and the state regulations for the Licensure of Educational Personnel and important institutional deadlines.

Students will complete a series of field experiences (prepractica) throughout their Foundation courses and Education Cluster courses. Students will be asked to authorize a Criminal Offender Record Inquiry (CORI) as a requirement for access to schools and agencies during their prepractica and practicum. Additional criminal background checks, including Statewide Applicant Fingerprint Identification Services (SAFIS), are required for field placement in schools and agencies according to Massachusetts laws and regulations. Students who are rejected for field placement by public school districts or other educational institutions due to CORI or SAFIS results or professional dispositional concerns may be unable to successfully complete the Elementary Education, BSE, at BSU.

This program has been approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and includes licensure reciprocity with signatory states under the Interstate Certification Compact.

Learning Outcomes: CAEP Standards, Massachusetts Professional Standards for Teachers, Massachusetts Subject Matter Knowledge Requirements and Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.

Grade Requirement

A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.8 is required for acceptance into the professional education program, and it must be maintained throughout the program.

Foundation courses (6 credits)

Cognate courses (13 credits)

ENGL 254 - Literature for Elementary Education Majors
or LASP 171 - Intermediate Spanish for Elementary Education
GEOG 121 - Physical Geography *
or PHYS 116 - Physical Science for Elementary Education Majors
MATH 112 - Mathematics for Elementary Teachers I **
MATH 113 - Mathematics for Elementary Teachers II **
or MATH 114 - Mathematics for Elementary Teachers III

*Students with a double major in Biology and Elementary Education may meet this requirement with BIOL 122/122L.

**Students with a double major in Mathematics and Elementary Education must take MATH 112. MATH 325 will meet the requirement of MATH 113, and MATH 403 will meet the requirement of MATH 114.

Special Education courses (12 credits)

SPED 202 - Introduction to Special Education
SPED 302 - Behavior Management and Interventions *
SPED 303 - Principles and Procedures of Assessment of Students with Special Needs **
SPED 501 - Professional Practices in Special Education ***
*SPED 302 should be taken during Education Cluster II.
**SPED 303 should be taken during Education Cluster III.
***SPED 501 should be taken concurrently with ELED 492 upon successful admission to the Special Education, MEd program.

Education Cluster I (7 credits)

Students must have junior status and be admitted to Professional Education, which requires a formal application to the College of Education and Health Sciences, a cumulative 2.8 GPA, completion of ELED 220, and successfully passing the Communication and Literacy Skills Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure^® (MTEL).

Education Cluster II (7 credits)

Education Cluster III (10 credits)

Practicum (9 credits)

Students must be admitted to student teaching, which requires a formal application to the College of Education and Health Sciences, a cumulative 2.8 GPA, completion of all prerequisite course work for education, and successfully passing all required Massachusetts Tests for Educator Licensure^® (MTEL). Students should be finished with all other undergraduate course work to proceed into student teaching (consideration for an exception to this should be sent to the Elementary and Early Childhood Education Department practicum coordinator).

ELED 492 - Supervised Teaching in Public Schools: Elementary (9 credits)
or

INTD 492 - International Student Teaching Experience (3 credits) and ELED 492 - Supervised Teaching in Public Schools: Elementary (6 credits)

Total minimum undergraduate credits: 64

Core Curriculum Requirements

A minimum of 120 earned credit hours is required for graduation. These earned hours include the Core Curriculum Requirements as specified in the Core Curriculum section of this catalog and at the Core Curriculum website, www.bridgew.edu/corecurriculum. For additional graduation requirements, see the Undergraduate Academic Policies and Procedures section of this catalog.