Dr. Kathryn Alves, Graduate Program Director
434.395.2340, alveskd@longwood.edu
The concentration in Special Education: General Curriculum provides strategies for effective teaching of students with special needs in the general education classroom. Graduate students learn assessment and diagnosis of students, effective instructional procedures, collaborative and transitional techniques, and behavior management strategies. The concentration offers three tracks with each track designed to meet the specific needs of either Longwood undergraduate students, licensed teachers seeking a master’s degree with the special education endorsement, or individuals seeking an initial teaching license in special education.
5th Year Track
This track is open only to Longwood students who have successfully completed all requirements for the Longwood Liberal Studies/Special Education undergraduate degree program as described in the Longwood University undergraduate catalog. Successful completion of this graduate concentration leads to the Master of Science degree and meets current eligibility requirements for the Virginia Postgraduate Professional License in Special Education: General Curriculum K-12.
Licensed Teacher Track
This track is designed for individuals (new bachelors degree graduates or practicing teachers) who have completed a teacher licensure program in an area other than special education. Successful completion of this track within the concentration leads to the Master of Science degree and meets current eligibility requirements for the Virginia Postgraduate Professional License in Special Education: General Curriculum K-12.
Initial Licensure Track
This track is designed for individuals with a bachelor’s degree who do not hold a valid teaching license and wish to meet eligibility requirements for a Virginia teaching license with an endorsement in special education. Successful completion of this track within the concentration leads to the Master of Science degree and meets current eligibility requirements for the Virginia Postgraduate Professional License in Special Education: General Curriculum K-12.
Admission
General Admission Requirements
Prior to starting their graduate program, students must hold a conferred bachelor’s degree or international equivalent from a college or university accredited by the appropriate institutional (formerly regional) accreditation agency. Additionally, all applicants to this concentration must have:
- a 2.75 cumulative GPA (on a 4.0 scale);
- a 500-word personal essay;
- a résumé
Additional Admission Requirements by Track
5th Year Track
Applicants must complete their undergraduate degree from Longwood University in Liberal Studies concentrating in Special Education.
Licensed Teacher Track
Applicants must have:
- a valid Virginia Collegiate Professional License or equivalent from another state at the time of admission;
- a minimum of two recommendations;
- official transcripts sent of the bachelor’s degree and any course work completed after that degree; (Longwood undergraduates will have the transcript provided in-house)
- Course Prerequisite -
*Foundations in Special Education - can be satisfied by completion of SPED 202 or 389 or 489 or SPED 515 or a program agreed upon course.
Initial Licensure Track
Applicants must have:
- a minimum of two recommendations;
- official transcripts sent of the bachelor’s degree and any course work completed after that degree; (Longwood undergraduates will have the transcript provided in-house)
- test results for the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (VCLA) with Reading and Writing subtest scores of 235 OR a composite score of 470.
- Course Prerequisites -
Foundations in Special Education - can be satisfied by completion of SPED 202 or 389 or 489 or SPED 515 or a program agreed upon course.
Human Growth and Development - can be satisfied by completion of EDUC 245 or EDUC 521 or COUN 507 or a program agreed upon course.
Teacher Preparation Program Requirements
Completion of the Special Education: General Curriculum concentration leads to the initial teaching license for the 5th Year Track and Initial Licensure Track, and to the special education endorsement to an existing teaching license for the Licensed Teacher Track. Completers of all three tracks meet eligibility requirements for the Postgraduate Professional license indicating completion of a master’s degree. Students in all three tracks must be admitted to teacher preparation as part of their program of study. 5th Year Track students complete this process while undergraduates. Licensed Teacher and Initial Licensure tracks must be admitted no later than the end of their first semester of enrollment after admission to the graduate program. The residency requirement is used to meet the supervised clinical experience required by the Virginia Department of Education and includes use of teaching under a Provisional or Special Education Conditional License.
To be admitted to the Teacher Preparation Program, the teacher candidate must:
- Complete the Admission Application to Teacher Preparation in Tk20 observing all deadlines. Components of the application that require additional steps before submission include:
* a criminal background check;
* a negative TB test;
* automobile insurance information on the required form;
* Child Abuse and Neglect Recognition and Intervention Training module - certificate of completion;
* Dyslexia Awareness Training module - certificate of completion
* Restraint and Seclusion module - certificate of completion.
- Qualifying VCLA test scores used for admission to the graduate program must be submitted with the Admission Application to Teacher Preparation.
- Meet teacher prep GPA requirement with no GPA below 2.50.
- Two faculty recommendations; teacher candidates request the recommendations through myLongwood.
Prior to enrollment in SPED 559 - Supervised Experience in Special Education, Licensed Teacher and Initial Licensure students must meet the following:
- maintaining an overall GPA of 3.0;
- passing RVE scores;
- Emergency First Aid & CPR with AED for adults & children, card or certificate of completion;
- if any changes since the original submission to OTP, updates to criminal background check; TB test; or automobile insurance information.
Residency
The completion of residency is mandatory in the Special Education graduate concentration. For Residency Requirements, students will complete 3-6 credit hours (depending on their tracks). Students in the 5th Year Track enroll in SPED 512, Graduate Residency 1. In this course, special education teacher candidates will be supervised in a classroom clinical experience during this graduate residency semester. Students will also have a chance to collect and reflect on formative assessment data. Students in the Licensed Teacher and Initial Licensure Tracks enroll in SPED 512, Graduate Residency 1 and SPED 559, Supervised Experience in Special Education Grading is pass (P) / satisfactory progress (SP) / not pass (NP). Only the grade of ‘P’ will meet degree requirements. A grade of incomplete (I) may be assigned at the discretion of the instructor ONLY if all field clock hours have been successfully completed. Students cannot begin a placement prior to registering for the required course in the semester they wish to begin observing all applicable deadlines.
Comprehensive Examination
The Special Education graduate concentration requires a comprehensive examination as its culmination. Students take the Praxis II - Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications (5354). Students must be enrolled to allow for completion of 30 semester hours of course work, must have a B average (3.0 GPA) in all courses completed, and must have already filed the Application for Graduate Degree to be eligible to enroll in the comprehensive examination.
Students must register for the comprehensive examination (EDUC 699 ) no later than the last day to add a course in the semester in which they wish to take the examination. Registration must be done by submission of the Graduate Course Enrollment Request form to the Registrar’s Office when all of the above criteria have been met. The course does not carry any credit hours.
The Praxis II (5354) is a multiple-choice test administered by Educational Testing Service (ETS) at testing centers. Immediately upon completion of the exam at the testing center, examinees must print a copy of their results and deliver them to the Special Education graduate program director by the date required.
The grading system for the evaluation of the examination will be pass (P)/not pass (NP). Students who do not pass the examination shall be allowed one re-examination. The re-examination will be administered at a time set by the Special Education Graduate Program Director within the same semester. The re-examination will test the same material as the original sections of the Praxis II, but will be a subjective question on each section designed and graded by the Special Education faculty. Students will only be required to retake the subjective question on the section(s) they did not pass. Failure of the examination for a second time will be final, and students will be dismissed from the graduate master’s program.
Concentration Outcomes
The mission of the Longwood University Master’s degree with a concentration in Special Education is to prepare educators to become reflective citizen leaders in professional settings within the Commonwealth and across the nation. This is a residency program. Our students work in the school system during the weekdays and take classes during the weekend. Our students learn assessment and diagnosis, effective instructional procedures, collaborative and transitional techniques, and behavior management strategies. Our graduate students uphold the highest standards of professionalism according to the Code of Ethics and Standards of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). This concentration offers three tracks, with each track designed to meet the specific needs of either Longwood undergraduate students, licensed teachers seeking a master’s degree with the special education endorsement, or individuals seeking an initial teaching license in special education.
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Beginning special education professionals understand how exceptionalities may interact with development and learning and use this knowledge to provide meaningful and challenging learning experiences for individuals with exceptionalities.
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Beginning special education professionals create safe, inclusive, culturally responsive learning environments so that individuals with exceptionalities become active and effective learners and develop emotional well being, positive social interactions, and self-determination.
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Beginning special education professionals use knowledge of general and specialized curricula to individualize learning for individuals with exceptionalities.
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Beginning special education professionals use multiple methods of assessment and data sources in making educational decisions.
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Beginning special education professionals select, adapt, and use a repertoire of evidence-based instructional strategies to advance learning of individuals with exceptionalities.
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Beginning special education professionals use foundational knowledge of the field and their professional ethical principles and practice standards to inform special education practice, to engage in lifelong learning, and to advance the profession.
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Beginning special education professionals collaborate with families, other educators, related service providers, individuals with exceptionalities, and personnel from community agencies in culturally responsive ways to address the needs of individuals with exceptionalities across a range of learning experiences.
