This course provides an overview of the 13 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) educational disabilities and the opportunity to explore the implications of disability on learning. Students will develop knowledge of specific disabilities including: definition, diagnosis, etiology, prevalence, characteristics, adaptive behavior, and systems of support and resources. Students will explore how disability impacts learning and access to the general education curriculum. Students will research and identify teaching strategies, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies, interventions, and educational and assistive technologies to enhance learning and provide equity in the classroom for students with disabilities.

In this course, students develop a comprehensive personal philosophy of reading/writing instruction. The development of this personal philosophy is based on in-depth research and analysis of this research, and is the foundation for program development, implementation and evaluation at both the school and district levels. Additionally, the students develops a personal three-year professional development plan to address areas of needed growth.

This clinical course is the culminating experience in the plan of study towards NH teacher certification. The culminating teaching experience meets the state standards for certification. The course gives students an opportunity to be mentored in their field of certification by experienced teachers and to practice the variety of methods and strategies that they have studied in their education program. Students have the opportunity to share their experiences, beliefs and best practices with other students during the culminating experience. Students enrolled in this course may be at different stages of acquiring the 360-400 minimum hours of clinical experience. PREREQUISITE: Full admission to the post-baccalaureate teacher certification program and completion of all program requirements. This is the final course in the student's plan of study. The student must complete all New Hampshire Department of Education test requirements and receive approval from Field Placement Faculty prior to registering for this course.

In this course, students use procedures involved in the evaluation process for determination of eligibility for special education. Students develop the skills necessary to administer and interpret assessment tools commonly used by early intervention staff and early childhood special education teachers. Under the supervision of the district mentor, students review early support and services records and/or school records, gather information, observe an evaluation team meeting, consult with district evaluators, and review a variety of assessment tools and evaluation reports for young children through age 8. Students participate in preparing an assessment plan, administering chosen assessment tools, and writing assessment reports. Emphasis is placed on working with team members in the evaluation process.