I. Course Title: Teaching Internships in Early Childhood Special Education: School-Based
Services
II. Course Number: EDSP 741
III. Credit Hours: 9 credits
IV. Prerequisites: Admission to the Teacher Education Program
V. Course Description:
This course provides students with supervised experiences at the early childhood level
with children with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 5 in a school-based setting.
These are structured and supervised clinical field experiences.
Note(s): Field Experience grades are recorded as 鈥淧ass鈥� or 鈥淔ail.鈥� A fee of $110 will be
charged to students taking EDSP 741.
VI. Detailed Description of Content of the Course:
Students will be provided with supervised experiences at the early childhood level
with children with disabilities between the ages of 3 and 5 in a school-based and/or
community-based setting.
Course content includes:
- Evidence-based and recommended practices for young children that make adaptations
to their unique developmental and learning needs, including those from diverse backgrounds
- Development and matching of learning experiences and strategies to characteristics
of young children
- Development, implementation, and evaluation of individualized plans, with family members
and other professionals, as a member of a team
- Facilitation of child-initiated development and learning
- Implementation of developmentally and functionally appropriate activities, using a
variety of formations, based on systematic instructions
- Integration of family systems theories and principles into professional practice
- Respect for family choices and goals
- Use of teacher-scaffolded and 鈥搃nitiated instruction to complement child-initiated
learning
VI. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course:
Students work closely with their cooperating teachers each week to gain experience
and skills needed to be effective instructors of young children with disabilities
and their families. Students are required to participate in the full range of duties
of public school teachers in classrooms with 3 to 5 year olds with disabilities for
the duration of the placement and are expected to demonstrate commitment to the professions鈥�
code of ethical conduct.
VII. Goals and Objectives of the Course:
Goals, objectives, and assignments address the Virginia Department of Education regulations
for preparing educators and the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Initial Preparation
Standards and Specialty Set Knowledge and Skill Items. Specialty set included in this
course cover competencies for Early Childhood Special Education.
In order to provide supervised experiences at the early childhood level with children
with disabilities under the age of 5 in an early intervention, home-based, school-based,
or community-based setting, this course will prepare each student to:
- Advocate on behalf of infants and young children and their families
- Integrate goals from IEPs and IFSPs into daily learning activities and routines.
- Link development, learning experiences, and instruction to promote educational transitions.
- Implement developmentally and functionally appropriate activities that match learning
experiences and strategies to characteristics of infants and young children.
- Implement processes and strategies that support transitions among settings for infants
and young children.
- Use teacher-scaffolded and -initiated instruction to complement child-initiated learning
- Create and maintain records and use informal and formal assessment to make decisions
about infants and young children鈥檚 development and learning.
- Participate as a team member to integrate assessment results in the development and
implementation of individualized plans.
- Work with paraeducators.
- Use technology and multimedia effectively to assist instruction.
- Reflect upon practices, articulating a philosophy and rationale for decisions, and
continually engaging in self-assessment and professional improvement and development
- Use verbal, nonverbal, and written language effectively.
- Demonstrate ethical professional behaviors in interactions in class, with children
and families, and professionals within the community and reflect upon their practices
in improve instruction and professional growth.
VIII. Assessment Measures:
Assessment measures may include, but are not limited to:
- Feedback, observations, and evaluations from cooperating professionals and university
supervisors
- Student self-analysis
- Attendance in placement and regularly scheduled seminar
- Written assignments applying best practices to instruction with children and families
- Key CAEP Performance Assessment: 鈥淭eaching Intern Evaluation
- Key CAEP Performance Assessment: 鈥淧rofessional Characteristics and Dispositions
- Key CAEP Performance Assessment: 鈥淩esearch-Based Intervention for a Child with Disabilities:
Action Research Assignment
Review and Approval
Spring 2004
April 24, 2009
May 11, 2015
May 5, 2022