Earn a Special Education - Moderate Disabilities certificate online with this four-course, 12-credit program that allows students to qualify for a Moderate Disabilities license in Massachusetts.
Initial License
You will qualify for an initial license in Moderate Disabilities upon completion of this program if you are an educator who currently holds a Massachusetts initial license in a core academic area.
Provisional license
You will qualify for a Massachusetts Provisional license in Moderate Disabilities after completing the Special Education Certificate program if you are a pre-service educator or an educator who does not currently hold a teaching license, and have also passed the relevant MTELs for the license.
Students will gain practical experience in teaching and design for inclusion classrooms, as well as self-contained classrooms through a 150-hours, semester-long practicum/internship experience.
The program can be completed in as little as one year.
Licensure in Moderate Disabilities PreK-8 or 5-12 can be added to any Initial License in a core academic area such as elementary, English, history, biology, physics, general science, or math.
Required courses (12 credits)
- EDU 547 Introduction to Special Education or *EDU 611 Developmental Reading
- EDU 548 Classroom Management for Mildly and Moderately Disabled Students in Inclusive Settings (pre-req/Co-Requisite EDU 547 or equivalent)
- EDU 549 Diagnostic and Remedial Assessment for Students with Moderate Disabilities (pre-req EDU 547 or equivalent)
- EDU 550 Differentiated Instruction and Evidence Based Practice (pre-req EDU 547 or equivalent)
*Students will complete EDU 611 Developmental Reading in lieu of EDU 547 Introduction to Special Education if they have previously completed an Introductory Special Education course as part of their teacher preparation program.
Program curriculum includes:
- Special Education Law and foundations
- Individualized Education Programs (IEP’s)
- Response to Intervention (RTI)
- Differentiated Instruction (DI)
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Assessment techniques
- Behavioral Interventions
- Classroom Management
- Report Writing
- English Language Learners (ELLs)
- Research and theories related to Special Education and Inclusive Practices
Program Sequence
Fall Semester
- EDU 547 Introduction to Special Education or EDU 611 Developmental Reading
- EDU 548 Classroom Mgt for Mild/Moderate Disabilities
Spring Semester
- EDU 549 Diagnostic and Remedial Assessment for Mild/Mod Dis
- EDU 550 Instruction and Evidence-Based Practices
Add a Special Education endorsement to your existing (or in-process) initial license.
Candidates should have evidence of passing the following MTEL tests:
Elementary
- Communication and Literacy Skills
- Foundations of Reading or Reading Specialist Subject Matter Test
- General Curriculum (multi-subject and math subtests)
Middle/Secondary
- Communication and Literacy Skills
- Foundations of Reading or Reading Specialist subject matter test
- Subject matter test in one of the core academic subjects taught in 5-8 or 8-12 for which the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education issues licenses or the General Curriculum.
Application Requirements
- Completed Special Education Certificate program application
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited University with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA.
- Personal statement describing your beliefs about teaching and learning and why you have chosen teaching as a profession.
- Two letters of recommendation from someone who can attest to your ability/potential as a teacher. References can be provided by employers, colleagues, or professors.
- Resume
- $60 application fee
- Copy of a Massachusetts Teaching License, if applicable
Contact
Online & Continuing Education
Foster Administration, 001
285 Old Westport Road
Dartmouth, MA 02747-2300
508.999.9202
508.910.9060
online@umassd.edu
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