This Early Childhood/Special Education (ECSP) program is designed to assist students in becoming highly qualified, competent, and effective teachers of all learners in grades preK through 4. The program has an emphasis on best practices in both early childhood education and special education. Students in this program will meet the academic requirements for Pennsylvania certification in preK to grade 4 as well as special education preK to grade 8.
This program, combining course work in both early childhood education and special education with extensive field experiences, prepares students to be professional educators who are well-qualified to utilize appropriate techniques and strategies to expand all children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. Field experiences will take place in a variety of settings encompassing diverse learning needs as well as learners in birth to grade 3 classrooms, preschool classrooms, K-1 classrooms, and classrooms in grades 2-4.
Admission to this program requires entering students to meet the guidelines for admission to the College of Education and Communications. Additionally, students must achieve a 3.0 GPA to apply for Step 1 of the Teacher Education process, to enroll in major courses, to student teach, and to be recommended for certification. Students must meet the requirements leading to teacher certification as outlined in this catalog.
The Urban Track, within the ECSP program offered by the departments of Professional Studies in Education and Communication Disorders, Special Education, and Disability Services, prepares students for teaching in urban school districts, especially in low-income communities with high minority enrollments where the need for high-quality teachers is great. Course work and field experiences emphasize the historical, economic, political, and socioeconomic contexts of urban schools and seek to develop within future teachers the skills, knowledge base, and sensitivities for working with students whose backgrounds and life experiences often differ in significant ways from their own.
See requirements leading to teacher certification, titled “3-Step Process for Teacher Education,” in the College of Education and Communications section of this catalog.
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