Course Sequence

The following sequence outlines the required special education course work. All candidates must complete a subject area endorsement, as approved by the institution awarding the degree. Several participating institutions require the online reading endorsement made available for the Collaborative Online Paraeducator-to-Teacher Alternate Route; these courses are also outlined below. Candidates who pursue some other endorsement will need to work with their institutional contact to adjust their course of study.

Candidates can count on taking the special education and online reading endorsement courses as scheduled below. They will be offered only once online in the one-time offering, however, and may be unavailable to candidates who are unable to take courses as offered each semester.

All candidates must meet institutional requirements that include a minimum of 12 credits of required course work; these credits have been tentatively sequenced below. Some candidates may be required to take more than 12 credits to satisfy institutional requirements; these credits have not been listed below. All candidates must also complete a minimum of 14 credits in practicum, internship, and student teaching; these have not been listed below. Candidates are highly encouraged to work with their institutional contact to develop a specific course of study that accounts for these variables.

Spring 2008

Special Education Law (3 credits)
Behavior Management (3 credits)

Summer 2008

Institutional course (3+ credits)
Endorsement course (3+ credits)

  • Candidates pursuing the collaborative online reading endorsement will take Foundations of Literacy (3 credits)

Fall 2008

Access to General Education (3 credits)
Endorsement course (3+ credits)

  • Candidates pursuing the collaborative online reading endorsement will take Content Area Literacy (3 credits)

Spring 2009

Collaboration and Consultation (3 credits)
Endorsement course (3+ credits)

  • Candidates pursuing the collaborative online reading endorsement will take Children’s Literature (3 credits)

Summer 2009

Institutional course (3+ credits)

Fall 2009

Instruction for Students with Severe Disabilities (3 credits)
Language and Communication Instruction for Students with Disabilities (3 credits)

  • Note: this course also fulfills a requirement for the collaborative online reading endorsement

Spring 2010

Endorsement courses (6+ credits)

  • Candidates pursuing the collaborative online reading endorsement will take Corrective/Diagnostic Reading (3 credits) and Psycholinguistics (3 credits)

Summer 2010

Institutional course (3+ credits)

Fall 2010

Reading Instruction for Students with Disabilities (3 credits). Note: this course also fulfills a requirement for the collaborative online reading endorsement

Mathematics Instruction for Students with Disabilities (3 credits)

Spring 2011

Introduction to Assistive Technology (1 credit)
Secondary Special Education and Transition Planning (2 credits)
Formal Assessment for Eligibility and Program Planning (3 credits)

Summer 2011

Institutional course (3+ credits)