Additional Certification Requirements
Students seeking teacher certification must meet all Pennsylvania Teacher Certification requirements as communicated by the LVC Education Department. These include a minimum GPA and the following coursework:
1. Completion of one English composition course.
2. Completion of one approved literature course.
3. Completion of two college-level mathematics courses.
4. Completion of required Special Education coursework:
SPE 250 Cognitive Development of Diverse
Learners| This course is designed to introduce all
categories of disability. Specific attention will
be given to the potential cognitive, physical,
social, behavioral, and language differences in
children with disabilities. Delivery approach
will include, but not be limited to lecture,
case study discussions, and writing instruction.
Students will be expected to write two papers
(totaling 3,000 words) researching various
aspects of disability. Writing instruction will
be provided throughout this course. The
instructor will provide substantive written
and/or oral feedback through individual writing
conferences, which will be held throughout the
semester. In addition, this course has a two hour
per week required field experience. Fulfills requirement: Critical Thinking through Writing. Course restricted to Education majors. 3 credits. |
| This course will begin with a historical overview
of the field of special education, including key
legislation and litigation that drives current
practice. Assessment tools for diagnosing
disability will be introduced, as well as
assessment tools for documenting student
progress. In addition, collaboration and
communication skills essential for working as a
part of the special education team will be
practiced and further developed. Delivery
approach will include, but not be limited to
lecture, field experiences, and hands-on
experience with various assessments. Two hours
per week of fieldwork is required. 3 credits. |
Embedded Special Education Modules
The following course is required for music education majors and may also be required for students transfering credits into any certification program from other institutions:
SPE 258 Effective Instructional and Behavioral
Strategies for Students with
Disabilities| The focus of this course content will be on (a)
behavioral principles and their application in
the
classroom, (b) literacy development and literacy
interventions for students with disabilities, and
(c) evidence-based instructional strategies in
other content areas, such as creative arts,
mathematics, social, studies, and science.
Delivery approach will include, but not be
limited to: lecture, case study applications,
field
experiences, hands-on experience with various
literacy programs, and student presentations. Fulfills requirement: Social Scientific Inquiry. Prerequisite: Restricted to Music majors and transfer
students. 3 credits. |
5. Completion of one of the following ESL courses:
For early childhood/special education certification: EDU 240 Language, Cultural Diversity, and
Academic Achievement: PreK - Grade 8
| This course is designed for the pre-service
elementary educator (and other majors) to gain an
understanding of the complex factors impacting the
education and language acquisition of diverse
language and cultural minority groups of the
United States. A focus will be the examination of
relevant cultural issues such as communication and
interaction styles, values, socio-cultural
characteristics, and demographics, as well as the
development of the teacher's individual
cross-cultural competence. Fulfills requirement: Human Diversity. This course may be repeated for credit as topic changes. 3 credits. |
For secondary education certification: EDU 245 Language, Cultural Diversity, and
Academic Achievement: Grade 7 - Grade 12
| This course is designed to allow the pre-service
music, art, language, or grade 7 - grade 12
secondary teacher certification candidate to gain
an understanding of the complex factors impacting
the education and language acquisition of the
diverse language and cultural minority groups of
the United States. This course is required under
Act 49-2 and may be taken by early childhood,
special education, and secondary education
students while student teaching. Music education
students may not take this course while student
teaching. Fulfills requirement: Human Diversity. 3 credits. |
K-12 certification (languages and music) candidates may take either course.