Gate 1 - Admission to Program
Undergraduate students may seek certification in one of the following programs:
Previous Catalogue Programs
- Learning Disabilities
- Learning Disabilities & Elementary Education*
- Cognitive Disabilities
- Cognitive Disabilities & Elementary Education*
- Cognitive Disabilities & Learning Disabilities
- Early Childhood Special Education
- Learning Disabilities Minor (MC-EA or EA-A)
2007-08 Catalogue Programs
- Cognitive Disabilities & Learning Disabilities
- Learning Disabilities & Elementary Education*
- Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities & Elementary Education*
- Early Childhood Special Education
- Learning Disabilities Minor (MC-EA or EA-A)
*Students seeking certification in elementary or secondary education must follow an additional procedure for admission to the PROGRAMS in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.
Application to Undergraduate Program:
Applications for department approval will be accepted in the Department of Special Education office twice a year with deadlines of March 1 and October 1 (if those dates are on the weekend, applications will be due the Friday prior). A recommendation for admission to program will be made by a faculty review committee.
Approval for admission to major and minor programs will be determined by competitive rankings. Objective criteria will be applied to rate the applicants. Students who are denied admission may request a meeting with the faculty review committee chairperson. Students will be provided their ratings and informed of the cutoff number for acceptance. Students may resubmit an application the following semester.
Students should be aware that in order to be recommended for the professional semester, they must have earned at least a C- in SPED 200, B- in specified “methods” courses, and a 2.67 grade point average on specialization courses. In order to be recommended for licensure, students need a minimum of a 2.75 grade point average based on a combination of all course work in the major, minor (where certifiable), and professional education courses exclusive of student teaching (see current University Catalogue , College of Education and Human Sciences for additional criteria).
If a student is put on academic probation after admission to program, they will not be able to take courses that require admission to program until their semester GPA is at or above 2.0. Students who remain on probation for two semesters or more will be dropped from the program. If a student is experiencing difficulty during the semester, they must meet with their advisor.
Prerequisites for Admission: (these will be shown on the degree audit)
- minimum 30 credits exclusive of education prefix
- Completion of SPED 200 (C-)
- Completion of SPED 205 (Pass)
- minimum 2.75 total and resident GPA
- Pass the PPST
Your application must include and be in this order :
- Admission to Program Applicant Information (included in this packet and on our website).
- Resume with statement of intent that also includes a chronological listing of all experiences related to the helping professions including a description of the required 50 hours of experience and any other experiences, and involvement in pre-professional organizations (e.g., Student Council for Exceptional Children).
- A current degree audit along with a list of transfer credits and credits by exam .
- Portfolio with evidence from Wisconsin Teaching Standards 1, 3, 9, and 10.
Your admission portfolio should be organized around the ten Wisconsin Teaching Standards. Your portfolio will be returned to you so you can continue to document your growth related to the standards. During student teaching, your complete portfolio will be evaluated. The evidence you provide will determine if you are recommended for certification.
- Standard 1 : Paper 1 or Paper 2 from Baccalaureate Portfolio Project. Paper 1 - Evaluating Diverse Points if View. Attach an assignment from either your First Year Experience Course or any other course taken since you've entered college in which you evaluated different points of view on a subject/issue. Diverse points of view means differing or opposing ideas on a given subject. Paper 2 - Synthesizing Information. Attach a research paper from either your First Year Experience Course or any other course taken since you've entered college where you selected data and synthesized information from a variety of sources and drew conclusions, comparisons, and generalizations. Papers 1 or 2 must be an individually written and the graded copy is preferred. (see attached submission sheets)
- Standard 3 : Provide a copy of your cooperating teacher's evaluation from SPED 205. Letters of recommendation* may also be submitted to show that you understand how children and adolescents differ in their approaches to learning and the barriers that impede learning.
- Standard 9 : Select an entry from your journal in SPED 205, 210, or 220 that shows you are a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effect of his or her choices and actions on pupils, parents, professionals in the learning community and others.
- Standard 10 : Attach validation forms that verify that you have 50 hours of experience with people and that 25 of those hours are with people who have disabilities. Letters of recommendation* may also be submitted to show that you are able to foster relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support pupil learning and well being and that you act with integrity, fairness and in an ethical manner.
* Letters of recommendation can be from anyone familiar with your work with children and adolescents. It is helpful if the letter is from someone who signed a validation form.
As part of your SPED 205 Final Exam, you will be asked one of a series of essay questions. Your responses will be kept and added to your Gate 1 application after you submit it. The SPED 205 final exam will be left in your application binder after the review period and returned to you when you pick up your application.
Other tips:
- Make sure that the major on the information page, resume, and degree audit are all the same.
- Proofread your application for errors.
- We strongly suggest that you submit letters of recommendation under Standards 3 and/or 10.
- Put your application in a 1” view binder. Put a title page in the clear cover that contains your name and the program you are applying for. Insert index dividers for Standards 1, 3, 9, and 10. See model in department reception area.
- Your application will be returned to you except for the Information Sheet and resume.
After you have been accepted into a special education program and then wish to change your program within the department, you need to complete the "Change of Major Request" form which is available from the department office or on our web page and submit by admission deadlines.
Online Forms:
