IPTE Special Education Program

Program Areas:

If you have questions regarding application and admission to this program, please contact:

Meredith Lopez, Academic Advisor

Student Services Center, North Classroom 5012

meredith.lopez@cudenver.edu 303-556-4478

Philosophical Rationale

Our program philosophy was influenced by current developments in research in several fields including cognitive and developmental psychology, educational psychology, humanities, sociology, literacy, speech and language, medicine, early childhood counseling psychology, as well as general and special education. In addition, Special Education has a strong advocacy and legal foundation, which has shaped our history and current practices. Lastly, the professional standards developed by the Council for Exceptional Children, and those developed by the Colorado Department of Education served as guidelines for the development of our philosophy. An advisory council, composed of a group of special education administrators and teachers, general educators, teacher c andidates, site coordinators, teachers and administrators representing the Initial Professional Teacher Education’s professional development schools, representatives from local advocacy organizations, and parents of children with disabilities have had input on the roles and responsibilities that teachers in the field were expected to assume. As a result of these inputs, our current program competencies emerged. Competencies were then clustered to form course offerings. Our Dual and Generalist programs reflects an orientation on the part of faculty that there is more about assessment, curriculum and instruction that is common to students than there is information or skills that are specific to a type of disability. Hence, all general education and special education teacher c andidates take the same core of 15 courses. Beyond that shared set of content, teacher c andidates in the Generalist program complete an intensive study with 7 additional courses.

Special Education Pathways

Individuals can pursue a career in special education through one of the following four PATHWAYS:

INITIAL LICENSE AS A SPECIAL EDUCATION GENERALIST : Colorado teacher preparation requirements for a special education generalist emphasize literacy and mathematics instruction, understanding standards and assessment, as well as differentiated instruction and technology. Generalists will also have expertise in providing appropriate behavior supports and accommodations for teaching and developing learning.

ADDED ENDORSEMENT AS A SPECIAL EDUCATION GENERALIST : Teachers who already hold a teaching license in elementary or secondary education are able to enhance their expertise with a special education generalist license. School professionals who hold a license in physical education, art, music, health, early childhood or speech/language may be required to complete additional coursework to fulfill Colorado teacher education standards and special education standards.

DUAL LICENSURE IN ELEMENTARY OR SECONDARY EDUCATION AND A SPECIAL EDUCATION GENERALIST :The IPTE program prepares general and special education teachers based on a set of shared beliefs about students as well as teaching and learning. Additionally, the program faculty promotes joint development and implementation of curriculum for inclusive classrooms, the necessity to hold high expectations for all learners; and a commitment to shared responsibilities for all students. To further enhance teachers’ skills, a dual program offering is available with dual licensure in general education (elementary or secondary level) and special education (generalist).

MASTERS DEGREE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION: Students may pursue a stand-alone Masters degree in special education which does not lead to a teaching license. Students pursuing a Master’s degree complete a minimum of thirty hours including a set of core research courses. Program length and a personalized plan of study are crafted through consultation with an advisor. Development of the plan of study follows a thorough transcript review and an in-dept interview with the advisor.

University of Colorado Denver Special Education Program Philosophy

The UC Denver Special Education program emphasizes the development of reflective practitioners through trans-disciplinary training. The Initial Professional Teacher Education including both the General Education and Special Education faculty at UC Denver foster critically reflective inquiry about teaching and learning and the development of the content skills necessary to work effectively in the elementary and secondary classroom. These programs strive to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population of students, and to productively participate in and lead school renewal by applying democratic principles in educational settings. In addition to these common values and beliefs, the Special Education program’s conceptual framework incorporates components very specific to our profession. Our Special Education conceptual framework attempts to address the complexity within our field while also emphasizing the values that we, as a faculty, believe in and adhere to. Through performance based assessments, teacher c andidates are challenged in each course and internship experience to translate these ideals into reality in schools through a variety of reflective experiences and activities. Reflection and inquiry provide an informed and integrated basis for advocating for all learners. Through this process, UC Denver teacher c andidates develop the disposition, knowledge and skills to:

Integrate theory and practice;
Guide students to construct their own knowledge;
Understand the contextual nature of learning;
Collaborate with students, teacher, administrators, parents, policy maker and the community at large; and
Engage in meaningful inquiry endeavors.

Mission

As a member of the National Network for Educational Renewal, the University of Colorado’s School of Education mission is to foster in the nation's youth the skills, dispositions, and knowledge necessary for effective participation in a social and political democracy; ensure that the young have access to those understandings and skills required for satisfying and responsible lives; develop educators who nurture the learning and well-being of every student; and ensure each educators' competence in and commitment to serving as stewards of schools. To achieve those lofty aims, individuals choosing the UC Denver program will be expected to demonstrate knowledge and competencies in the following areas:

Cultural, Ethnic, Linguistic, Sexual, Age, Religious and Ability Differences. We strongly believe in inclusive practices that honor diversity as we design and support differentiated educational programs to meet the needs of all learners.
Creating Equitable Student Access to Learning Opportunities. We are committed to ongoing improvements and enrichments that foster school equity for all learners.
Research-based Approaches. We emphasize the collective research and development efforts that span best practices for learners with special needs from direct instruction (systematic, teacher-led approach) to indirect instruction (learner strives to make meaning from environmental experiences).
Transition Planning for Life Long Learning. Teachers learn to plan for transitions from neonatal units to home to preschool, kindergarten, elementary, middle, secondary, and eventually to adult life as they help learners develop self-advocacy skills.
Standards-based Curriculum. Students are encouraged to reference the development of curriculum and instruction to state standards and to skills that will generalize to the domains of education, community, family and vocation.
Positive Behavior Supports. Students learn to implement proactive strategies that prevent behavioral challenges. Individualized and whole group behavioral planning focuses on environmental accommodations as well as reactive behavioral management strategies. Teacher c andidates are also encouraged to teach developmentally appropriate pro-social skills.
Family-School Partnerships. The interaction between families and schools should promote family leadership in developing individualized educational plans and individualized family service plans.
Ecological Approaches to Assessment. Teachers should be able to determine student needs through assessments that acknowledge linguistic, cultural, ethnic and economic differences among learners as well as intra-learner characteristics in cognitive, affective, communicative and physical domains.
Consultation & Collaboration Skills. In order to work effectively with families, other educators, members of the trans-disciplinary team, paraprofessionals, and community agency representatives, special educators need the skills to function effectively as team members and collaborators.
Systematic, Data-Based Instruction. Decisions about how to teach should be based on the careful and consistent evaluation of instructional outcomes for individual learners. Refinements to the teaching process should be based on student performance.
Leadership for School Renewal. We emphasize the students’ responsibility to uphold the principles of social justice and democracy and encourage leadership for school renewal.