The Special Education program is organized into cohorts that are under the mentorship of one faculty member who is responsible for assuring that each student meets standards and competencies needed for Special Education General Curriculum certification in the state of Georgia. Cohort admission requirements include completing an application packet, three professional letters of recommendation using the GC format, a passing score or exemption on the GACE Program Admission Assessment, a Pre-service Certificate from the PSC, verified structured experience with children of the level the applicant wishes to teach, an interview by a faculty admissions committee, and documentation of having completed Educator Ethics 350.
The conceptual framework of this program is constructed on a professional knowledge base that focuses on the following core concepts: foundation in liberal arts, foundation in professional preparation, foundation for addressing human relations and diversity issues and development of dynamic leadership abilities. This program offers a degree that leads to certification for teachers in Grades PK-12.
The special education program has been approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission and recognized by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). The John H. Lounsbury College of Education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). In 2016, the Special Education program was ranked 19th out of 400 colleges analyzed across the United States by Teacher.org and was the only Georgia university listed in the top 20.
