Quick Facts
- Delivery: On-Campus
- Credits: 99
- Licenses for Exceptional Needs: Intense Interventions K-12 and Mild Interventions K-6
Ball State’s bachelor’s degree in Exceptional Needs: Intense Intervention is a K-12 licensure program that prepares you to teach students with intense intervention needs who require intensive, systematic, data-based instruction to meet their academic and behavioral goals. This population of students have a variety of intellectual and developmental disabilities (e.g., intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder), physical and health disabilities (e.g., orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, traumatic brain injury), or multiple disabilities. This comprehensive program includes coursework in mild intervention at the elementary level with the option to extend your mild license to K-12 with the addition of two classes (SPCE 475 & SPCE 476).
Our Council for Exceptional Children accredited program includes coursework specific to working with students with intellectual and developmental disabilities and students with physical, health, and multiple exceptionalities. In addition, this program includes two semesters of mentored practicum experience in intense intervention and one semester of practicum experience in mild intervention resulting in 252 hours of mentored field experience prior to student teaching. Your coursework will culminate in a 16-week student teaching experience divided evenly between an intense intervention setting and a mild intervention setting during your final semester in the program. You will graduate with eligibility for two Indiana-recognized licenses for Exceptional Needs: Intensive Intervention K-12 and Mild Intervention K-6.
What You Will Learn
As part of our comprehensive special education program, you will learn and apply evidence-based practices for instruction and assessment of students with both mild and intense intervention needs through our coursework and practicum experiences.
You will also:
- Work with a variety of learners with intense and mild intervention needs.
- Use multiple sources of information including formal and informal assessment and progress monitoring data and teacher, parent, and related service provider interviews to develop a comprehensive understanding of a student’s strengths and needs and prioritize short- and long-term learning goals.
- Apply the principles of explicit instruction and scaffolded supports to systematically design instruction towards a specific and measurable learning goal.
- Support students with intense intervention needs in meaningfully participating in the general education academic curriculum with appropriate accommodations and modifications.
- Implement appropriate assistive technologies.
- Implement appropriate augmentative and alternative communication strategies to support students with complex communication needs.
- Support development of life skills, functional academics, social-emotional-behavioral skills, and employment skills to enhance quality of life for individuals with intense intervention needs.
- Collaborate with families, school staff (teachers, paraeducators, administrators), related service providers, and other IEP team members to support positive outcomes for students with intense intervention needs.
Program Benefits
Our program includes field experiences in both mild and intense intervention settings at the elementary and secondary level prior to student teaching. This includes 84 hours of mentored teaching experience in a mild setting (e.g., resource and/or push-in special education settings) and 168 hours of mentored teaching experience in an intense intervention setting (e.g., self-contained settings). This program culminates in a 16-week student teaching experience in which you are placed in an intense setting for 8 weeks and a mild setting for 8 weeks. You can choose to student teach in local schools or return to your home school through Indiana’s Grow Your Own program.
Our special education program in Exceptional Needs: Intense Intervention is nationally recognized by the Council for Exceptional Children and Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation.
With persistent shortages of licensed special educators and a growing population of students eligible for special education services, there is a tremendous demand for special educators both within the state of Indiana and nationwide.
On top of the dozens of scholarships the university offers its students, our department gives awards every year to its own students to recognize them for their achievements. Learn more.
Questions?
For questions about our progams, get in touch with us!
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Take the Next Step
If you’d like to learn more about our Teaching Major in Exceptional Needs: Intense Interventions complete our online form. Or one of the best ways to get a true feel for Ball State is to see it for yourself, so schedule a visit today! And if you’re ready to apply, review our admission requirements and complete our online application.