Teaching Students with Disabilities - All Grades
This program prepares candidates already holding initial certification in Early Childhood (B-2), Childhood (1-6) or Adolescence (7-12) certificate to gain Initial and professional Certification in Students with Disabilities (All Grades).
This program offers flexibility to enroll full-time or part time to meet your scheduling needs.
NYS Certification for All Grades Special Education
Canisius is the first institution in Western New York to offer the newest NYS certification in Special Education - the All Grades Special Education certificate. Instead of only being certified in grades 1-6 or 7-12, upon program completion you will be prepared to work with students with disabilities from PreK-Grade 12
What this Means:
- Candidates will have a special education certification that allows them to work in primary, elementary, middle and high schools in New York State.
- This program leads to a certification shortage area in NYS and in the US. Recently, NYS was ranked as one of the best states for teaching opportunities.
- This program helps students to qualify for the TEACH grant, which can help with tuition costs. Learn more about the TEACH grant.
- Additional coursework to meet the requirements for New York State Certification in Early Childhood (Birth-2), Early Childhood/Special Education certification (Birth-2), or the Middle School Extension in content areas is also available.
The curriculum emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to meet the assessment and learning needs of a diverse range of students. Candidates will learn how to acquire knowledge of each student, and promote student development and learning achievement regardless of the student’s learning abilities. Coursework is complemented by several field work opportunities to provide hands-on experience in teaching students with disabilities, including learning, emotional and behavioral, and intellectual disorders at both the elementary and secondary levels, as well as experience working with general education students in grades 1-6.
Coursework includes childhood learning and development, classroom management, and methods of teaching math, science, social studies, and English language arts. Candidates will also master reading and writing strategies for students with disabilities, accommodation and assessment strategies, and writing individualized education programs. The student teaching semester gives candidates hands-on experience in a general education classroom (Grades 1-6) as well as a classroom serving students with disabilities (PreK-Grade 12).