Chair and Associate Professor: Squires
Professors: Hedeen, Nunn
Associate Professor: Klug
Assistant Professors: Helfrich, Jantz
 Emerita: Stenson

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The Department of School Psychology, Literacy, and Special Education is comprised of program areas to match each part of its name: Special Education, Literacy, and School Psychology (for these two, see the Graduate Catalog.

Individuals interested in becoming certified teachers of children who are deaf or hard of hearing in Idaho will need to meet all requirements of the Idaho State Board of Education. Undergraduate candidates preparing to do this should consult the Office of the Dean, College of Education, as well as the Teacher Education Program for details about admission into an undergraduate program in Elementary, Secondary or Special Education. Individuals who have completed the required undergraduate teacher education program should consult the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, and the Education of the Deaf, in the Kasiska College of Health Professions, for information about the graduate degree program in the ­Education of the Deaf.

The special education major provides candidates with a bachelor’s degree in special education and prepares candidates for professional certification as K-12 generalists in special education. This program also prepares individuals pursuing  non-teaching degrees in human exceptionality. The program also offers Master’s degrees; for information on the master’s degree offerings, please refer to the Graduate Catalog.

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

1.  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.

2.  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.

3.  Candidates will make instructional decisions based on reliable and valid data that are primarily objective in nature.

4.  Candidates will demonstrate instruction and behavior management strategies that are proactive and teach new skills, as opposed to being punitive in nature.

5.  Candidates will demonstrate professional and collaboration skills with teachers, parents, administrators, and other professionals.

Admission Requirements

Prior to acceptance to the B.A./B.S. in Special Education/Human Exceptionality Program, all applicants must complete SPED 3330 or SPED 3340 and earn a grade of at least C.  Candidates must also complete EDUC 2201 and EDUC 2204 with grades of C or better and pass performance assessments associated with these courses, have an overall GPA of at least 2.75, and be approved by a faculty screening committee following an admission interview. 

Retention and Exit Requirements

In addition to meeting all of the retention and exit requirements of the College of Education, candidates must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in the program courses.  If a candidate earns two grades of C or lower in any program courses, the candidate will not be allowed to progress in the program and must reapply to the program. Candidates in the program must also maintain an overall GPA of 2.75 or better.  If a candidate’s overall GPA falls below 2.75 for two consecutive semesters, the candidate will not be allowed to progress in the program and must reapply to the program. (Special Education majors must also meet the requirements for general teacher education.)

Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Special Education/Human Exceptionality

Prior to acceptance to the B.A./B.S. in Special Education/Human Exceptionality Program, all applicants must complete SPED 3330 and SPED 3340 and earn a grade of at least C in each course and an average of at least 3.0 across the two courses. Candidates must also complete EDUC 2201 and EDUC 2204 with grades of C or better and pass performance assessments associated with these courses, have an overall GPA of at least 2.75, and be approved by a faculty screening committee following an admission interview.

Course Requirements for the B.A. or B.S. degree (in addition to University requirements): 

EDUC 2201	Development and Individual Differences		3 cr
EDUC 2204	Families, Communities, Culture			3 cr
EDUC 3311	Instructional Technology			3 cr
EDUC 4401	Content Area Literacy				3 cr
PE 3300		Movement Therapy and Motor Development		3 cr	  
SPED 3312	Assistive Technology				3 cr
SPED 3330	The Exceptional Child				4 cr
SPED 3340	Principles of Behavior Management		3 cr
SPED 4423	Designing Instruction				3 cr
SPED 4424	Assessment Procedures in Special Education	3 cr
SPED 4429	Strategies: Severe Disabilities			3 cr
SPED 4430	Practicum in Individualized Instruction		3 cr
SPED 4432	Direct Instruction Systems			3 cr
SPED 4434	Language and Communication Methods 
		  in Special Education				3 cr
SPED 4435	Practicum in Small Group Instruction		3 cr
SPED 4436	Math Methods for Children with Disabilities	3 cr
SPED 4437	Practicum in Large Group Instruction		3 cr
SPED 4438	Policies and Procedures in Special Education	3 cr
SPED 4441	Classroom Behavior Management			3 cr
SPED 4443	Autism						3 cr
SPED 4446	Secondary Special Education			3 cr

Approved Electives (choose 9 credits)

EDUC 2215	Preparing to Teach with Technology			3 cr
SPED 4426	Assessment: Severe Disabilities				3 cr
SPED 4433	The Emotionally disturbed child				2 cr
SPED 4440	Biomedical Aspects of Physical Disability		3 cr
SPED 4448	Prepracticum, Moderately Handicapped			3 cr