The Preliminary Education Specialist Level I (Mild/Moderate or Moderate/Severe) Credential Program prepares future teachers to serve children, youth, and adults who have special learning or emotional needs. The Education Specialist credential may be used in K-12 resource rooms, special day classes, or alternative settings.
Education specialists function in public schools or private settings as instructors and as consultants to teachers and families. As a student teacher, you may choose to pursue either:
- The Level I Education Specialist Credential in Mild/Moderate Disabilities, which authorizes teachers to instruct individuals in grades K-12 and adults who have specific learning disabilities, mild/moderate mental retardation, other health impairments, and/or serious emotional disturbance.
- The Level I Education Specialist Credential in Moderate/Severe Disabilities, which authorizes teachers to instruct individuals in grades K-12 and adults who have autism, moderate/severe mental retardation, deaf-blindness, serious emotional disturbance and/or multiple disabilities.
The School of Education is a recognized leader in preparing educators to meet the needs of a diverse, democratic, and sustainable society through inquiry, collaboration, and service toward a socially and ecologically just world.
We believe in the power of education to create a strong democratic and sustainable society that honors diversity and inclusivity. The mission of the SOE, in collaboration with our community partners, is to support the development of effective, reflective, and engaged educators who value the identities of all students, their families, and the communities they serve. We are committed to scholar-practitioner inquiry and responsible praxis–based pedagogies that serve as tools toward cultivating socially and ecologically just practices in classrooms, local communities, and beyond.