Multicategorical Special Education, M.A.

The College of Education and Human Development  graduate major in Multicategorical Special Education prepares individuals to teach in special education settings covering the full range of students encompassed by the Illinois LBS I Unlimited credential, i.e., students with LD, S/ED, ID, PH, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and autism. Graduates of the MCSE program serve across the continuum of services instructional, resource, and including settings and as collaborators/consultants to educators, administrators, staff, and parents.

Licensure/Endorsement

The program is approved by the Illinois State Board of Education and prepares candidates for the Learning Behavior Specialist I Unlimited license.

To be recommended for licensure, the student must present evidence of having passed the examinations required by the Illinois State Board of Education. Currently those include SPED Licensure Content Test 163, LBSI Content Test 155, and edTPA. To earn the LBSI endorsement on a current license, a candidate must pass the LBSI Content Test 155.

Option I: Students Holding a Professional Educator License for Teaching

Students holding a Professional Educators License for Teaching will complete three Practica (SPED - 8400 Special Education Practicum I (1) , SPED - 8500 Special Education Practicum II (1) , and  SPED - 8963 Special Education Practicum III (1) ) in lieu of student teaching.

Option II: Students without Teaching License

Students who do not hold a Professional Educator License for Teaching must have a bachelor’s degree and complete SPED - 6999: Student Teaching . Please see an education advisor for further details.

Program Requirements

After meeting the university admission requirements, in order to continue in the program, students must submit to the College of Education and Human Development a supplemental application packet containing:

• transcripts showing a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.5 with a 3.0 or higher in content area courses and all grades in graduate course work at a “B” or better;
• submit a writing sample;
• for Option I: a valid Illinois or comparable out-of-state Professional Educator License for Teaching;
• for Option II: candidates must successfully complete the following 9 credit course prerequisites with a C or better: Foundations in Education, Educational Psychology II, and Survey of Students with Exceptionalities;
• complete FERPA and Mandatory Reporter training; and
• Criminal background clearance.

After the student has completed SPED-8619  and SPED-8200 , the faculty will review this information and recommend that the student be permitted to continue in the program, continue in the program conditionally, or be dismissed from the program. To receive a recommendation to continue, the student must earn a grade of “B” or better in SPED-8619  and SPED-8200  which must be taken at Governors State University.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. The program will prepare candidates to practice within ethical and legal guidelines; advocate for improved outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities and their families while considering their social, cultural, and linguistic diversity; and engage in ongoing self-reflection to design and implement professional learning activities.
2. The program will prepare candidates to use their understanding of human growth and development, the multiple influences on development, individual differences, diversity, including exceptionalities, and families and communities to plan and implement inclusive learning environments and experiences that provide individuals with exceptionalities high quality learning experiences reflective of each individual’s strengths and needs.
3. The program will prepare candidates to apply their understanding of the academic subject matter content of the general curriculum and specialized curricula to inform their programmatic and instructional decisions for learners with exceptionalities.
4. The program will prepare candidates to assess students’ learning, behavior, and the classroom environment in order to evaluate and support classroom and school-based problem-solving systems of intervention and instruction. Further, the program will prepare candidates to evaluate students to determine their strengths and needs, contribute to students’ eligibility determination, communicate students’ progress, inform short and long-term instructional planning, and make ongoing adjustments to instruction using technology as appropriate.
5. The program will prepare candidates to use knowledge of individuals’ development, learning needs, and assessment data to inform decisions about effective instruction. Further, the program will prepare candidates to use explicit instructional strategies and employ strategies to promote active engagement and increased motivation to individualize instruction to support each individual. In addition, the program will prepare candidates to use whole group instruction, flexible grouping, small group instruction, and individual instruction. Finally, the program will prepare candidates to teach individuals to use meta-/cognitive strategies to support and self-regulate learning.
6. The program will prepare candidates to create and contribute to safe, respectful, and productive learning environments for individuals with exceptionalities through the use of effective routines and procedures and use a range of preventive and responsive practices to support social, emotional and educational well-being. The program will prepare candidates to follow ethical and legal guidelines and work collaboratively with families and other professionals to conduct behavioral assessments for intervention and program development.
7. The program will prepare candidates to apply team processes and communication strategies to collaborate in a culturally responsive manner with families, paraprofessionals, and other professionals within the school, other educational settings, and the community to plan programs and access services for individuals with exceptionalities and their families.

Conditional Continuation

The faculty may permit a student to progress conditionally. In such cases, faculty review of the applicant’s record identifies evidence that the student will likely be successful in the program. The status of all students permitted to progress conditionally is reviewed by the faculty each semester, and students are informed in writing of the conditions necessary for them to be transferred to good standing status. When conditions are met, students are informed in writing of the transfer to good standing status. A student may not be admitted to the culminating project without achieving good standing status.

For Option II: Approval for Student Teaching: Students required to student teach must:

1. complete all professional education requirements maintaining a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher, with a grade of “B” or better in a graduate level SPED course, and a grade of “C” or better in all other coursework,
2. have passed the Special Education General Curriculum Test (163) and the Learning Behavior Specialist I Test (155) of the Illinois Licensure Testing System.

Admission to Candidacy

To continue in the program, the student must be accepted as a candidate for the M.A. in Multicategorical Special Education degree after completing SPED-8619 , SPED-8200 , and two additional courses on the approved study plan. Students must submit to the Division of Education Graduate Advising Office an application for candidacy in the semester that they expect to have completed the courses required for candidacy: September 30 for fall term, January 31 for spring term, or May 31 for summer term. Application forms are available via the student portal of the GovState website - College of Education and Human Development Graduate Programs.

To qualify for candidacy, a student must:

1. have completed all undergraduate prerequisites for courses on the study plan;
2. have completed all coursework applicable to the degree with a G.P.A. of 3.0 or higher, with a grade of “B” or better in SPED-8619  and SPED-8200  and with a grade of “C” or better in all other courses;
3. display, or be judged as developing, the dispositions expected of graduate students as listed in the section Licensure of Teachers and Other School Professionals ; and
4. be recommended for candidacy by the M.A. in Multicategorical Special Education program faculty.

Further information about candidacy is available in the M.A. in Special Education Student Handbook accessed via the student portal of the GovState website.

Students admitted to candidacy will be assigned to a faculty advisor. Students not admitted to candidacy will be dropped from the program and will not be permitted to register in courses at Governors State University until they have changed their major to a major outside the Division of Education and Leadership.