BSU Catalog Home | Graduate Professional Education Course Descriptions

Significant Changes in Special Education at BSU

Licenses Available: As of September 1, 2001, BSU offers only the Specific Learning Disabilities, Emotional Behavioral Disorders, and Developmental Adapted Physical Education license programs. The requirements for these three programs are available thr ough the department web site, the Graduate Catalog, or special education faculty. The Mild to Moderate Mental Impairment license and the Early Childhood Special Education license programs were dropped and are no longer offered through BSU.

Content Test: All individuals applying for an initial special education teaching license after September 1, 2001 will have to meet the new State special education license requirements, which includes taking a content competency test in special educ ation. For further information, contact Dr. Gritzmacher.

Practicum Revisions: Significant changes to the licenses were made at Bemidji State University. The most prominent was that the culminating practicum experience was eliminated from the program. In its place, a series of early and on-going experienc es are required. Although the courses in the new licenses may appear similar in name and content to the courses in the old program, practicum experiences have been embedded in the new licensure courses. The new license requires students to fulfill a serie s of early and on-going experiences. Students will have to either take the new courses or complete a practicum experience. BSU has determined that individuals who have taken more than 50% of their courses in the old licensure program will not meet the new program requirement of an early and on-going experience. Consequently, students not meeting this requirement will be have to complete a separate practicum experience to meet the requirement for licensure after September 1, 2001.

Enrollment Caps: The Department of Professional Education has established caps for both undergraduate and graduate classes. As of fall 2001, all special education instructors will adhere to the caps. The caps for double numbered courses (ED 3600/5600, ED 3608/5608, ED 3640/5640, ED 3650/5650, ED 4715/5715, ED 3620/5620, and ED 3630/5630) are 25 students. The caps for 6000 level courses (ED 6230, ED 6237, ED 6610, ED 6620, ED 6630) are 20 students. The caps for 6000-level seminar or assessment classes (ED 6608 and ED 6609) are 15 students. Because instructors will be holding to the cap sizes, students should enroll early to secure enrollment in a class.

Prerequisites Enforced: In the new licensure programs, there are a minimum number of course prerequisites. These prerequisites will be check the first class session and students not having the appropriate prerequisites will be dropped from the course.