Special Education Approval Program
College of Education

The increased practice of including students with disabilities in regular classrooms has created a need for teachers who are skilled and experienced practitioners and have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to provide exemplary learning experiences for all children.  Roosevelt University offers the sequence of courses needed for state approval in special education under the LBSI classification for students completing a certification program in early childhood, elementary and secondary education.

By adding three additional courses (11 sem. Hrs.) to your certification program, you can earn an approval to teach children with disabilities in the areas of specific learning disabilities, behavior and emotional disturbance, autism, other health impairments, cognitive disability, physical disabilities and traumatic brain injury limited only by the grade range of your initial certificate.  This additional training will not only allow you to teach children with exceptional needs in self contained, resource, and inclusion settings, but will also make you more employable as a general education classroom teacher in a district that utilizes a model of inclusion for students with disabilities.

The special education program at Roosevelt University like all other programs in teacher preparation is build on a foundation of devotion to social justice and global responsibility, respect for knowledge and learning for all children, and passion for the educator’s craft.  Grounded in the belief that all children can learn, the special education program values specialized knowledge and understanding of children who require a different approach to learning.  In the ever increasingly diverse and challenging world of classrooms today, this additional training could assist all teachers in helping every child, with and without disabilities, reach their full potential.

The program focuses on collaborative training and problem solving, assessment, and teaching strategies that include behavioral interventions and curriculum adaptations that maximize the learning of all students.  The approval program is designed for persons who already have teacher certification credentials in the State of Illinois or those undergraduate students completing a teacher certification program in early childhood, elementary, or secondary education.

Eligibility and Admission Requirements

The program is available to current undergraduate level students who:

• have a 2.5 gpa or higher
• have junior status
• are enrolled in a teacher certification program at Roosevelt University

Special Education Approval Course Requirements

Students wishing to add a special education approval on a Type 03, Type 04, or Type 09 certificate need to enroll in the following courses in addition to the SPED 319 - Survey of Exceptional Children course required of all teachers:

• SPED 340– Assessment in Special Education (3 sem. Hrs.)

PLUS

(One of two courses that focus on moderate to severe disabilities and stress functional curriculum, transition planning and self determination)

• SPED 342– Characteristics and Methods of Teaching Students with Disabilitites:  Focus Cognition (4 sem hrs.)
  OR
• SPED 345– Characteristics and Methods of Teaching Students with Disabilities:  Focus Physical and Other Health-Related Impairments (4 sem. Hrs.)

AND

(One of two courses that focus on mild to moderate disabilities and focus on inclusion, adaptation and modification of lessons, and the functional analysis of behavior)

• SPED 343– Characteristics and Methods of Teaching Students with Disabilities:  Focus Behavior Problems (4 sem. Hrs.)

OR

• SPED 346– Characteristics and Methods of Teaching Students with Disabilities:  Focus Perception and Other Specific Learning Disabilities (4 sem. Hrs.)

All courses in the approval program are offered at both the Chicago and Schaumburg campuses at convenient night time hours and in one-week intensive format during summer session.