On Campus Program: Teacher Candidates Seeking Initial Certification (LBSI)

 

          Graduate and Undergraduate candidates in special education (LBSI – with focus on Emotional/Behavior Disorders). The preservice teacher preparation program for candidates seeking initial certification with an emphasis on behavior intervention will be a two and a half-year program at the graduate or undergraduate levels. Students seeking graduate admission must have earned a baccalaureate degree prior to enrollment. In the undergraduate program, at least 10 students will be admitted each year, while 8-10 will be admitted each year into the graduate initial certification program.

          Teacher candidates will follow a state-approved program of required graduate and undergraduate coursework, which has been designed to meet state and national standards. However, in addition to the program requirements mandated by the state, teacher candidates will participate in coursework, seminars and field experience (practicum/a) that are specifically designed to address the development and implementation of appropriate and effective instructional and behavioral programs for students with EBD and challenging behavior.

          Program Activities for graduate and undergraduate special education majors:

         Concentrated Coursework. Through coursework and practicum during the first year of the program, focus will be placed on the development of the skills required to be an effective teacher (e.g., methods and curriculum development), with an emphasis on managing learning environments and instructional and behavior interventions. During the second year, focus will be on specialized course activities and practicum assignments for working with students with EBD or challenging behavior and collaboration skills for working with general education teachers, parents and other professionals.

         Seminar. In conjunction with practicum, students attend a seminar focused on reflective teaching, diversity, collaboration and challenging behavior. Seminars will include topics such as positive behavior supports, crisis intervention, bullying and peer victimization, social-emotional adjustment profiles and deviant behavior, cultural influences in examining behavior, and issues in urban education.

         Practicum/Student Teaching Experiences. Students in Project TIES will participate in practica with multiple opportunities to work with students with challenging behavior in general and special education classrooms. All students in Option I will have four clinical teaching placements plus an option for a summer internship in CPS. Candidates will receive extensive supervision through weekly observations and feedback and mid-semester and final (end of the semester) performance summaries for each placement.

         Externships in urban diverse settings. Experiences with diverse groups of students with challenging behaviors in a range of school settings are key to Project TIES. All graduate and undergraduate students in the initial certification program will participate in externships in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) during year one of their program.

Summer internships in the Chicago Public Schools. Beginning in the first summer of the project, a 6-8 week optional summer experience will be developed in collaboration with CPS. These schools will offer diverse urban experiences to those on-campus students interested in a summer internship. University credit will be offered to on-campus students who wish to have this experience.

Student Teaching Option. A CPS student teaching experience will be offered to on-campus students who want to have their final student teaching placement in an urban diverse school with students with social, emotional and behavior disorders. Students selecting this option will complete their final semester coursework through interactive video conferencing with their on-campus cohort.