Broadly stated, the objectives of the Special Education Program are:

  • Candidates will demonstrate an understanding of a wide variety of disability categories and their instructional implications, as well as the legal and ethical considerations for educating individuals with disabilities.
  • Candidates will demonstrate understanding of instructional methodologies and curricula that have an extensive experimental research base to support their effectiveness for all individuals, especially those with learning difficulties.
  • Candidates will make instructional decisions based on reliable and valid data that are primarily objective in nature.
  • Candidates will demonstrate instruction and behavior management strategies that are proactive and teach new skills, as opposed to being punitive in nature.
  • Candidates will demonstrate professional and collaboration skills with teachers, parents, administrators, and other professionals.