The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree and focus in special education both lead to the Illinois Learning/Behavior Specialist 1 Endorsement and qualifies educators to teach PreK-21.
The role of a special educator varies greatly depending upon the school, district and students being served. Special educators may work in a team teaching setting, a resource setting, a self-contained classroom or a combination of the three.
At Olivet, the special education program teaches students to support their future students both academically and emotionally. Teacher candidates in this program will learn to plan lessons and manage a classroom.
Field Experience
Before the student teaching experience, teacher candidates complete 130 hours of field experiences, including 85 hours working with students with disabilities in a multi-cultural setting. Once completed, they spend 60 supervised days teaching in a real classroom.
Licensure
Each teaching program that is offered at Olivet has been individually approved for licensure, meaning that when a teaching candidate graduates with a teaching degree they will also have earned an Illinois Professional Educators License.
