Certification- Graduate Teacher Certification Program

 

Graduate Teacher Certification Program (GTCP)

Special Education Overview

 

Emphasis

 

The GTCP in Special Education currently emphasizes preparation for consultative and teaching roles in public and private early childhood, elementary or middle/intermediate/junior high school educational settings.

 

There is new Master of Arts in Special Education degree program available at Southern Maryland Higher Education Center offered by CUA.  To get more information on this program please click here Southern Maryland Higher Education Center.  Also, you may want to visit our VSA Arts Project website.  The project capitalizes on recent developments in the arts and education community that are encouraging partnerships between institutions of higher education and local school districts to enhance the professional development of teachers. Click VSA Arts Project in order to visit the site.   

 

The GTCP sequence in special education provides knowledge, theory, and practice in the development and education of children with mental retardation, learning disabilities, behavioral, speech and language difficulties, and related areas of need.  The program has a standard requirement of 30 credit hours as described below.

 

It is expected that candidates will come to the program with solid preparation in special education.  Canddiates will be prepared to act in consultative roles and to foster inclusion of children with special needs within the general curriculum in both private schools and public schools.  The program has existing partnerships with the Catholic Schools of the Archdiocese of Washington, the public schools of both the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County in Maryland, the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center and several specialty and charter schools, which provide a variety of choices for practical experiences. Candidates who are currently certified to teach and who successfully complete the program listed below are eligible for special education certification in the District of Columbia and, by reciprocity, in 44 other jurisdictions.  Candidates who do not currently hold any teaching certificate may require more course work than is listed below in order to obtain a special education certificate.  The Catholic University of America does not itself grant certification, as certification is the prerogative of the state in which one plans to teach.

 

Special Skills

 

Candidates in the GTCP in Special Education are expected to develop expertise in assessment and cognitive learning strategies, as well as skills in fostering and managing change in school environments, advocating for children with special needs, and consulting and supporting parents and other teachers.  Candidates are encouraged to approach their study and future work reflectively, considering the instructional, ethical, empathic, interpretative, and practical dimensions and consequences of their behaviors.  The GTCP in Special Education at Catholic University is designed to lead candidates from a child-focused to a systems-focused perspective.

 

 

Recommended Course Work for the MA (36 hours)

 

EDUC 522            Race, Class, Gender and Disability in Education

EDUC 525            Psychology of Learning for Diverse Populations

EDUC 531            Language and Literacy Development of Children with Disabilities

EDUC 532            Practicum in Modification and Adaptability of Curriculum

                         and Instruction for Exceptional Children

EDUC 533            Field Experience in Assessment

EDUC 534            Field Experience: Collaboration, Consultation and Systems Change

EDUC 535            Current Trends in Ethical and Legal Issues in Special Education

EDUC 536            Interpersonal Communication, Consultation, Collaboration

                         and the Process of Systems Change

EDUC 581            Educating Diverse Learners

EDUC 635            Psychological Measurement

 

Electives

 

EDUC 555            Classroom Management for Regular and Special Needs Children

EDUC 615            School and Community Relations

EDUC 639            Human Growth and Development

EDUC 669            Diagnosing and Remediating Reading Problems in the Classroom

EDUC 671            Understanding Learning Disabilities

EDUC 702            Advanced Foundations of Education

 

The GTCP in Special Education can be completed within two calendar years of part-time study. A part-time program of study, however, requires full-time availability during six weeks each summer, usually from the last week of June through the first week of August.

 

Requirements

 

Because of their non-degree status, GTCP students do not have to submit GRE or MAT scores for admission but must submit passing scores on the Praxis I tests in Reading, Writing and Mathematics. GTCP candidates do not have to take comprehensive examinations or produce a thesis, but they must pass the Praxis II test in the Core Knowledge of Special Education before becoming eligible for certification.  The coursework for certification candidates is approximately the same as that for MA candidates, one difference being that GTCP candidates substitute two electives for Education 699 and 702, two courses required in the MA program.

 

GTCP candidates may apply for admission to the MA program at any time during their course of study but will have to be accepted into the MA program and complete all MA requirements. If you are interested in more information on the MA program in Special Education, click here.