Special Education, BAE

Department of Education Leadership and Inclusive Teaching, Woodring College of Education

114 credits

Introduction

Inclusive Educators need to have extensive knowledge in four areas: they need to know about students and how they learn; they need to know about effective instruction; they need to know about the content of the lessons they will teach; and, they need to know about the context (social, legal, and political) in which they will work. Therefore, training to become an inclusive educator will include work in each of these areas. The program includes coursework and extensive supervised practicum experiences in the public schools. The program is rigorous and the expectations are high. However, the rewards are also high. This program will prepare you to be an excellent teacher in whatever position you eventually choose. Our graduates are actively recruited by school districts to work in a variety of rewarding special education and general education settings.

Why Consider a Special Education Major?

There are two definitions of Special Education. One is the education of students with disabilities. The other is the application of exceptional teaching. We in the Department of Education Leadership and Inclusive Teaching at Western Washington University believe very strongly in the second definition. We think that it is our mission to prepare exceptional teachers and, while students who have disabilities often require the services of such teachers, we also believe that there are many other students who can benefit from high quality instruction. We also think that there is much satisfaction to be gained from the acquisition of the highest levels of teaching skill and that the teachers trained in our program benefit professionally and personally from the acquisition of these skills.

How to Declare (Admission and Declaration Process):

Admission to Western Washington University and admission to the Department of Special Education are required before a student may begin taking courses in education. Requirements include:

• completion of a minimum of 45 credits (see list of recommended GUR courses).
• cumulative grade point average of 2.75 or higher for the last 45 credits.
• completion of an English composition course, with grade of B- or higher.
• Meet the basic skills requirement. This may be met by: a) Taking the West-B exam, b) SAT  scores, c) ACT  scores. There is no minimum score requirement for admission. See the Woodring admissions website: wce.wwu.edu/admissions/basic-skills.

Enrollment restrictions apply in all teacher education programs. Meeting the above criteria makes the applicant eligible for admission but does not guarantee admission. Students who meet all criteria are further evaluated by the Department to determine the most qualified applicants. For more information on the application process, contact Teacher Education Admissions in Miller Hall 254F, call 360-650-6161, or visit the website at wce.wwu.edu/admissions/contact.

Retention in the program requires continuous demonstration of competence in standard oral and written English in all coursework. Retention also requires maintenance of a 2.75 quarterly GPA including the quarter in which the application was reviewed by the department. The State of Washington requires students to earn a “C” or better in all major endorsement and education courses.

See the Education Leadership and Inclusive Teaching  section of this catalog for program admission, completion, and teacher certification requirements.

Certification Advisement

Each student will be assigned an adviser when admitted to the department. Students will be assisted and monitored by their adviser on a regular basis throughout their program.

Grade Requirements

Students must earn a grade of C (2.0) or better in the special education professional program and in all courses required for the endorsement.