Special Education, BSEd

Those prepared as special educators are teachers who have received specialized training and certification to teach students with cognitive, behavior, and/or physical disabilities. Special education, arguably one of the most challenging fields of education, requires teachers to use a variety of creative and critical thinking skills to develop and implement alternative instructional strategies and/or accommodations for individuals complex needs. The Special Education Program is nationally accredited and is highly regarded throughout the Mid-Atlantic region as a producer of high quality and skillful teachers. Personnel from school districts throughout the United States regularly visit PennWest’s campuses to recruit graduates from the Special Education Program. Students who are accepted in PennWest’s Special Education Program will work with faculty who are experts in the field and earn the opportunity to participate in a variety of field experiences involving increasing levels of responsibility and culminating in a student teaching experience. Early in the professional studies, students focus on an in-depth understanding of the specific disabling conditions, relevant variables and assessment procedures and their related implications for learning, intervention and instruction. During this period of study, the student is required to engage in specified field experiences that move the student from observation into direct experience and application of empirically-based strategies and instruction with individuals with disabilities. In the next phase, the student further extends and refines the knowledge and skill base through applications in specifically selected field placements and supervised projects. During the final undergraduate semester, the student engages in student teaching experiences under joint supervision and guidance of a selected cooperating professional and department faculty.

The program is currently approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Advisement Sheet