Early Childhood Education/Special Education (Birth-Grade 2) – BS

Program Overview:

The dual major in Early Childhood Education/Special Education: Birth-Grade 2 is a four-year program of study and practice that leads to a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education/Special Education and prepares candidates for teaching in birth to grade 2 general education, special education, and inclusive settings that serve young children with a full range of abilities and needs. Upon the successful completion of this program, the achievement of passing grades on examinations required by the New York State Education Department and fingerprint clearance, students are eligible for New York State initial teaching certification in both early childhood (Birth-Grade 2) and early childhood special education (Birth-Grade 2).

Guidelines developed by the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) were utilized in the development of this program. The Early Childhood Education/Special Education program provides pre-service teachers with integrated course content across the disciplines of child development, special education, early childhood education, communication disorders, literacy, educational psychology, and instructional technology. The program prepares future educators to meet the cognitive, academic and social-emotional needs of a diverse population of young children, collaborate with colleagues, and exhibit leadership in their professional endeavors. The program is delivered by experienced faculty and supervisors who focus on the elements of diversity, instructional planning, individualizing instruction, reflective practice, technology, research-supported practices, and collaboration. The program requires that students have an academic concentration in the liberal arts or sciences (see below for descriptions of academic concentrations), and complete the College’s 41-credit Liberal Education requirements. For this requirement, students need 3 credits of “further disciplinary study” in the liberal arts, selected in consultation with the advisor. The majority of the major and the academic concentration must be completed at The College of Saint Rose.

Program Contacts:

To email the Department Chairs,

Dr. Theresa Ward, Special Education

Program Webpage:

Early Childhood Education/Special Education, BS

Program Requirements:

Major in Early Childhood Education/Special Education (Birth-Grade 2) (56 credits)

American Studies Concentration (33 credits)

Note: The minimum number of credits (7 credits) in the range for course categories below must be met, and the maximum number of credits (12 credits) in the range should not be exceeded.

American Aesthetics and Cultural Practices (7-12 credits):

Diversity and Social Justice courses (7-12 credits):

Critical Race Studies courses (7-12 credits):

Biology Concentration (30 credits)

Computing and Logic Concentration (33- 35 credits)

Studying fundamental computer science lays the groundwork for a career of applied computational thinking applicable to any field. Computer science emphasizes algebra and mathematical reasoning, hence strengthening the overall preparation of a future teacher. A concentration in Computing and Logic goes far beyond providing knowledge of a computer-based toolset to use in the classroom. Students in this concentration will become better equipped in conceptualization, problem-solving and abstract thinking. This concentration supports the STEM coalition efforts to improve the way our students learn science, mathematics, technology and engineering.

Computer Science Courses (20-22 Credits)

Required Courses:

Choose two of the following courses: (6-8 credits)

Mathematics Courses (13 Credits)

Required Courses:

Additional Courses:

Earth Science Concentration (30 credits)

English/Language Arts Concentration (33 credits)

One early literature course (200 level) (4)

One later literature course (200 level) (4)

One diverse literature course (4 credits)

Writing/language course(s) (3 or 4 credits)

One communication course (3 credits)

One performance arts course (4 credits)

One additional literature course from those listed above or two credits in teaching topics courses (2 or 4 credits)

French/Spanish Concentration (30 credits)

General Science Concentration (30 credits)

Mathematics Concentration (30-32 credits)

Choose one course from the following:

Depth of Study: (9-11 credits)

Choose two courses chosen from the following

Choose one:

Social Studies Concentration (33 credits)

One course from the following: (4 credits)

Two courses, each from a different geographic area: (8 credits)

Africa:

Asia:

Europe:

Latin America:

Choose one sociology course: (3 credits)

Spanish Concentration (30 credits)

One additional course chosen from: (3 credits)

Two Spanish elective courses (300 - 400 level) (6 credits)

Bilingual Education Extension-Spanish (12 credits)

Extensions are not required as part of the Special Education/Childhood Education major at Saint Rose. The New York State Education Department offers an extension for bilingual education to the initial or permanent/professional teaching certificate obtained for Special Education/Childhood Education (Grade 1-6). An extension will show that the certified special education/childhood education teacher has additional expertise to teach bilingual education in early childhood education. Special Education/Childhood Education majors who wish the College to recommend them to the New York State Education Department for an extension must complete all requirements for the Special Education/Childhood Education (Grade 1-6) program and all requirements for initial teacher certification; obtain fingerprint clearance prior to beginning all field experiences; obtain passing scores on the New York State English Language Proficiency Assessment and Target Language (Spanish) Proficiency Assessment Exams (prior to SPA 308 BLE 455); and, complete the following additional requirements:

Academic Concentrations for Early Childhood Education/Special Education Majors (Birth-Grade 2)

All Early Childhood Education/Special Education students must fulfill the College’s Liberal Education requirements and must fulfill the requirements for an academic concentration to comply with New York State teacher certification regulations. The purpose of the academic concentration in a liberal arts or sciences discipline or an interdisciplinary field is to provide a focused depth and breadth of preparation and study, beyond the broad general education requirement, that will enable the Early Childhood Education/Special Education major to develop a degree of expertise in a chosen discipline or interdisciplinary field.

Early Childhood Education/Special Education majors are required to complete an academic concentration of 30-33 credits in one of the following disciplines: American Studies, Biology, Earth Science, English/Language Arts, French/Spanish, General Science, Mathematics, Social Studies or Spanish. The requirements of the academic concentrations are listed below. Note: While students must complete the total credits necessary for graduation, 6 credits in a 30-credit concentration and 9 credits in a 33-credit concentration may be shared between the Liberal Education requirements and the academic concentration.

Internship/Field Experiences/Service:

Students are required to complete a total of 150 hours of field experience prior to student teaching. Field experiences require students to observe, complete course-related assignments, and teach in a variety of settings across all age levels within the certification and complete experiences in high-needs/urban schools. Student teaching occurs at both the pre-kindergarten or kindergarten level and at the primary (1-2) grades during one semester of the senior year with one of the placements in a special education or inclusive education setting and one placement in a general education setting. All student teaching experiences must be completed through The College of Saint Rose.

Field experiences ranging from 5 to 21 hours are required for the following courses:

Fingerprinting clearance from The New York State Department of Education is required for all field experiences. Fingerprinting information is available on the New York State Department of Education “TEACH” website http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/teach. Students should note that education courses with field experiences have catalog course descriptions that include a statement on mandatory fingerprinting.

Admission into the College does not ensure good standing in the program in Early Childhood Education/Special Education, nor does good standing in the Early Childhood Education/Special Education program ensure admission to student teaching. In order to maintain good standing through all stages of the Early Childhood Education/Special Education program, students are required to maintain the following academic standards: 2.5 cumulative index, 2.75 index in the education sequence, 2.25 index in the academic concentration and a minimum grade of C+ in each course of the major. Students are allowed to repeat courses in the major only one time. More than two repeated courses by a student will result in the student’s dismissal from the major. Students must apply for student teaching in accordance with program guidelines which includes satisfactory completion of all major courses with the exception of SEE 481, SEE 482, SEE 492, and completion of most concentration courses. No additional courses beyond SEE 481, SEE 482, and SEE 492 should be taken during the student teaching semester.

Culminating Academic Experiences:

Required Courses

Professional Accreditation:

The College of Saint Rose, sponsored by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet, Albany Province, is chartered by the Board of Regents of New York State. All of its degrees and programs are registered and its professional programs fully approved by the Board of Regents through the New York State Education Department.

The College of Saint Rose is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. (267-284-5000) The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. http://www.msche.org/

Programs offered by The College of Saint Rose for the preparation of all school professionals, leading to initial and advanced certifications, are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, a specialized accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. http://www.ncate.org/

Career Opportunities and Graduate Study:

In order to be eligible for initial teacher certification in New York State, students must pass required New York State Teacher Certification Examinations. The School of Education offers preparation workshops for these exams. Information about test dates, sample questions, and scoring are available online at www.nystce.nesinc.com. The pass rate on New York State Teacher Certification Examinations for students at The College of Saint Rose was 97% for the 2008-2009 academic year. Within five years, teachers with initial certification must apply for professional certification, which is contingent upon earning a relevant master’s degree and obtaining teaching experience that includes mentoring.

Minor(s):

Admissions and Financial Aid Information:

The Undergraduate Admissions Office begins review of Freshman applications each fall in late September for the following Fall. Students are encouraged to submit a complete an application as early as November. The Admissions Team will return a decision on complete applications within just three weeks. The College awards academic scholarships at the same time.

What Makes an Application Complete

• Online or Paper application (fee waived for online applicants!)
• Official High School Transcripts
• Official Transcripts for any College Level Courses
• SAT or ACT scores  (See Test Optional FAQ's)
• Letter of Recommendation from a Counselor or Teacher
• Essay or Graded Paper
• Applicants may also apply via the Common Application Online.
• Art applicants are required to complete a portfolio review.

Admissions contact information (telephone number, admissions web pages)

Scholarships and Financial Aid

See Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid section for more information.

The Bottom Line

The total cost of The College of Saint Rose (including tuition, fees, room and board) is one of the lowest of any private college in the Northeast, and we still award more than $25 million in Saint Rose scholarships, grants and financial aid.

Take a look at our bottom line, and view a cost comparison with a four-year public institution.

More about Financial Aid

Financial Aid is defined as any grant, scholarship, loan, or employment opportunity given with the express purpose of assisting you with education-related expenses to make you education affordable. Financial Aid is awarded on the basis of student need and the availability of funds.

The Admission and Financial Aid teams have designed a Guide to Scholarships and Financial Aid to help prospective students and families get to the bottom line and find that The College of Saint Rose is one of the lowest of any private college in the Northeast--while maintaining powerful academic opportunities.

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