Special Education, M.A.T. (Traditional Program)

This program prepares candidates for a variety of roles working with children and adolescents with exceptional needs. It is designed for students with baccalaureate degrees seeking the a Professional Educator License endorsed for LBS I (K to age 22). Visit Licensure and Endorsements at NLU for more details.

For more information on state licensure and certification information please visit NLU’s Public Disclosures page.

Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):

Candidates will apply ethical and legal requirements of disability procedures and practices.
Candidates will explore special education and disabilities studies through social, cultural, economic, and equitable contexts in order to engage in advocacy with and for people with disabilities.
Candidates will employ culturally responsive, evidence-based pedagogy, assessment and instruction to meet individual differences in academic, social/emotional and cultural contexts.
Candidates will use and critique research in the field to inform effective, culturally responsive teaching through multiple forms of practitioner research.
Candidates will cultivate culturally responsive, collaborative relationships with families and other stakeholders in the school and community.
Candidates will use an intersectional lens of social justice and equitable educational access for people with disabilities to analyze and critique systems in order to intentionally act to change systems that reinforce inequity and oppression.
Candidates will demonstrate teaching competencies in practicums and student teaching: lesson plan development and implementation, assessment of learning, Individual Education Plan participation and collaboration, and individual and small group instruction.
Candidates will implement instructional and assistive technologies to support student accessibility, learning and inclusive school experiences.

Program Details:

Requires 42 SH for completion
Please note, any candidate who wishes to teach in a preK special education setting must have completed SPE 510, SPE 532, SPE 533 and SPE 534
Requires practicum/ student teaching. Student teachers spend a minimum of 11 weeks in the classroom at an assigned school.

Required Courses

MAT Core - 4 SH

EDU 510	Social Justice Perspectives on the History and Philosophy of American Education	2
LSE 511	Human Learning and Development in Instructional Contexts	2

Program Requirements - 38 SH

SPE 500	Introduction to and Methods of Teaching Students with Disabilities	3
SPE 501	Educational and Diagnostic Assessment in Special Education	3
SPE 502	Language Development, Differences, and Challenges in Children and Adolescents	2 OR 3
SPE 506	Frameworks, Perspectives, and Collaboration in Special Education	3
SPE 507	Methods of Social/Emotional Support	3
SPE 508	Methods of Instruction: Literacy Across the Curriculum for Special Education	3
SPE 509	Methods of Instruction in Foundational Literacy for Diverse Learners	3
SPE 523	Methods and Content in Mathematics for Students with Disabilities	3
SPE 572	Practicum 1: Roles, Responsibilities, and Practices of the Special Educator	2 OR 3
SPE 573	Methods for Low Incidence Differentiated & Inclusionary Curriculum & Instruction	3
SPE 576	Practicum II: Curricular Content Strategies for the Inclusive Classroom	3
SPE 592C	Practicum/Teaching Children and Adolescents with Special Needs	5

Notes: SPE 502 and SPE 572 must be taken for 3 semester hours. SPE 592C must be taken for a total of 5 semester hours. SPE 500 may be waived per advisor.

Special Education Practicum/Student Teaching Enrollment Requirements

Admission to and continuance in student teaching are contingent on the following actions.
Candidates must:

Be accepted into the graduate program of National College of Education
File, by the designated deadline, the application form for student teaching
Submit to their advisor a report of a TB test taken within 90 days of the student teaching placement, results of criminal background check and acknowledgement of Mandated Reporter status form
Turn in a signed log of all the pre-clinical hours specified in their pre-clinical hours required for the program
Pass the Learning Behavior Specialist 1 Content Area Exam (290) before SPE 592C Student Teaching
Complete all of their licensure courses except for SPE 592C
Pass all methods courses at National Louis University with a grade no lower than a B
Participate in faculty assessment and receive approval of his or her portfolio (Livetext)
Provide evidence of emotional stability, adequate personality adjustment and competency as indicated by licensure coursework and departmental assessments