Preliminary Education Specialist Authorization: Mild to Moderate Support Needs Teaching Credential with Internship option (California)

Program Overview

The preliminary Education Specialist Credential Mild to Moderate Support Needs (MMSN) program is aligned with the new Education Specialist Authorizations and Standards of the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC). Approved in 2022. The program allows candidates to obtain a Preliminary Education Specialist Mild to Moderate Support Needs: (MMSN) Credential with Intern Option (CA). The program provides the knowledge and skills needed to successfully teach and impact the lives of students who have mild to moderate learning support needs. This program explores the range of educational learning problems and applies the latest teaching strategies to enhance the performance of students, no matter their abilities. The program focusses on practical field-based experience that helps candidates understand and critically evaluate educational practices and provides strategies that can be immediately applied in teaching practices.

The preliminary credential Mild to Moderate Support Needs (MMSN) program is designed for courses to be taken in sequential order and provides candidates with the opportunity to gain professional understanding, integrate research-based teaching practices with appropriate assessment of student work, meet the needs of diverse learners, and learn and apply the principles of specially designed instruction in the 21st century classroom and global learning community.

Please Note: Students need to satisfy/pass the Basic Skills Requirements (e.g., CBEST) and Subject Matter Competency Requirements (e.g., CSET) early into their program (prior to Credential Area Methods coursework) to avoid interruptions to the program progress and/or financial aid arrangements.

For additional information on credential requirements, please see the Sanford College of Education information section of the catalog.

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accredits public and private schools, colleges, and universities in the U.S.

Program Requirements

20-22 Courses; 76.5 – 81quarter units

Core Requirements Mild/Moderate

11 courses; 49.5 quarter units

Foundational preparation in special education pedagogy, law, typical/atypical human development, classroom/behavior management, SEL, literacy, inclusive HLP, UDL, technology, diversity, and teaching English learners. This is one of three courses to meet the required 120 hours course contact time, as one of the requirements for an internship.

Prerequisite: SED 601

This course will address how to design ways to establish, maintain, and monitor inclusive learning environments by using an array of positive behavior supports ensuring each student is treated fairly and respectfully by adults and peers, thrives through social-emotional growth, and expresses appropriate developmental and individual responsibility.

Examines psychological, socio-cultural, linguistic, and other factors influencing development, learning, and the full range of learners, including English Learners, standard-English learners, students with exceptionalities, and students with other needs. Considers a variety of data to identify appropriate strategies and community-based resources to support all learners and their families.

Prerequisite: ITL 604

Examines theories and research regarding typical and atypical child and adolescent development and learning. Considers various data collection and assessment techniques guiding the selection of effective instructional strategies, practices, resources, and technologies needed to create environments supporting the full range of learners and provide equitable access to the curriculum.

Prerequisite: ITL 606

Candidates integrate principles of learning theories and factors influencing human development when designing instruction and evaluating instructional effectiveness. Candidates will utilize a four-stage cyclical model of planning, teaching, analyzing and reflecting in the process of learning-and-teaching to ensure all students equitable access to the curriculum.

Prerequisite: SED 605; ITL 608

The course will address the legal responsibilities of teachers related to student health care plans to support a safe environment and implement specialized health care regulations and technology, including how to support movement, mobility, and sensory, procedures and assistive technology, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The course includes an introductory study of atypical development associated with various disabilities as well as resilience and protective factors. The course will utilize assessment data for planning and implementing appropriate transition options including issues related to traumatic brain injury and providing support for students with disabilities to acquire responsibility for learning and self-advocacy. This course will also include effective conflict resolutions techniques that use communication, collaboration, and mediation approaches to address conflicts and disagreements that may arise during the facilitation of an IEP meeting or collaboration with other professionals.

Prerequisite: SED 606

Using research-based theories, methods, and strategies designed for students with disabilities, aligned with CA-CCSS and the California ELA/ELD framework, Education Specialist candidates will learn to assess, instruct and provide interventions for foundational listening, speaking, reading, writing, and language for all learners in the PK-12 classrooms.

Prerequisite: SED 607

Course provides substantive, research-based instruction that effectively prepares candidates to assess and teach literacy to students with MMSN and ESN. Through a case study, candidates will administer and analyze a variety of reading/writing assessments, develop IEP goals specific to data from the assessments and plan lessons that promote student access and achievement in mastering literacy standards.

Prerequisite: ITL 512

Analysis of how elementary children think and learn mathematics. Research-based approaches enabling students to think critically and develop math proficiency. Developmentally appropriate instructional strategies for an integrative approach to teaching mathematics using content areas of visual and performing arts, social science, and STEM.

Prerequisite: ITL 516

Research-based assessments and strategies within multi-tiered systems address the behavioral and social emotional needs of learners with disabilities. Will explore development of functional behavioral assessments, positive behavior support plans, and behavioral intervention plans. Will work collaboratively to minimize disruptive behaviors and increase adaptive behaviors and social emotional learning skills.

Prerequisite: SED 610

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the professional, legal, and ethical practices for educators. Candidates explore in-depth federal/case law that contribute to the placement, instruction, and service delivery in addition to the privacy issues in special education. The course addresses federal and state courts’ interpretation of statutes and regulations of special education service delivery, IEPs, transition plans, and related services for learners with mild to moderate support needs and with extensive support needs.

Mild/Moderate Specialized Requirements

3 courses; 13.5 quarter units

Prerequisite: SED 615

This course provides candidates with knowledge in identifying students with mild/moderate disabilities and their needs for service delivery, placement, IEP development and instruction. The course will address how to apply knowledge of the purposes, characteristics, and appropriate uses of different types of assessments and how to apply evidenced-based high leverage practices with a range of student needs. Candidates will recognize how mild/moderate disabilities affect students in their ability to learn the California core curriculum. In addition, candidates will examine effective strategies to coordinate and collaborate with paraprofessionals and other adults in the classroom.

Prerequisite: MMS 617

Emphasize the use of formal and informal assessments and curriculum-based measures to determine learning strengths/challenges of students with MMSN. Examine appropriate selection of assessment tools and methods, administration, and analysis of data to determine present level of performance, write IEP goals, and plan instruction for students with MMSN.

Prerequisite: MMS 623

Examine the roles and responsibilities of the educational specialist in a multi-disciplinary team to develop effective multi-tiered intervention plans. Design a comprehensive process for the collaboration and coordination of services and transition support across grade levels for students with MMSN.

Student Teaching Mild/Moderate

4 courses; 9 quarter units

Prerequisite: MMS 623; Corequisite: MMS 625A OR; MMS 627A

Student Teaching “A” Courses Description: This is the culminating course taken concurrently with Student Teaching for preliminary authorization programs in Mild/Moderate Support Needs or Extensive Support Needs -Moderate/Severe. The seminar courses are 2.25 quarter units each and will be taken concurrently with clinical practice courses.

Prerequisite: MMS 623; Corequisite: MMS 629A OR; MMS 627A

First half (8 weeks) of supervised student teaching for M/M authorization. Establishment of 300 of 600 total hours. Clinical practice placement in a district-university approved California TK-12 special education classroom. Grading is S, U or In Progress (IP).

Prerequisite: MMS 629A; Corequisite: MMS 625B OR; MMS 629B

Student Teaching “B” Courses Description: This is the culminating course taken concurrently with Student Teaching for preliminary authorization programs in Mild/Moderate Support Needs or Extensive Support Needs -Moderate/Severe. The seminar courses are 2.25 quarter units each and will be taken concurrently with clinical practice courses.

Prerequisite: MMS 625A; Corequisite: MMS 629B

Second half (8 weeks) of student teaching experience toward the M/M authorization. Establishment of 300 of 600 total hours. Clinical practice placement in a district-university approved California TK-12 special education classroom. Grading is S, U or In Progress (IP).

OR Internship Mild to Moderate Support Needs

4 courses; 9 quarter units

Prerequisite: MMS 623; Corequisite: MMS 629A

First half (4 months) of intern experiences as a teacher of record required for an Education Specialist Credential with a M/M authorization. Grading is S, U or In Progress (IP).

Prerequisite: MMS 627A; Corequisite: MMS 629B

Second half (4 months) of intern experiences as a teacher of record in second half of practicum experience required for an Education Specialist Credential with a M/M authorization. Grading is S, U or In Progress (IP).

Prerequisite: MMS 623; Corequisite: MMS 625A OR; MMS 627A

Student Teaching “A” Courses Description: This is the culminating course taken concurrently with Student Teaching for preliminary authorization programs in Mild/Moderate Support Needs or Extensive Support Needs -Moderate/Severe. The seminar courses are 2.25 quarter units each and will be taken concurrently with clinical practice courses.

Prerequisite: MMS 629A; Corequisite: MMS 625B OR; MMS 629B

Student Teaching “B” Courses Description: This is the culminating course taken concurrently with Student Teaching for preliminary authorization programs in Mild/Moderate Support Needs or Extensive Support Needs -Moderate/Severe. The seminar courses are 2.25 quarter units each and will be taken concurrently with clinical practice courses.

Additional Internship Clinical Support

1-4 courses; 2.25-9 quarter units

CTC mandates that interns must be supported during their entire clinical practice experience. Students who do not complete the credential program by the end of MMS 627B, will be required to enroll in additional clinical supervision support classes until all requirements are satisfied.

Continued Internship Support for Mild/Moderate teacher candidates, which provides targeted support for their internship as required by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC). This 4-month (2.25 units) course will be repeated by individual interns until they have successfully completed all the credential requirements for the Preliminary Education Specialist Credential with Authorization in Mild/Moderate. Does not grant graduate units towards graduate degree.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

Integrate knowledge/skills to engage and support all mild/moderate support needs students in learning.
Integrate knowledge/skills to create and maintain effective environments for learning for students with mild/moderate support needs.
Synthesize and apply knowledge of how to organize subject matter for learning̶̶ of students with mild/moderate support needs.
Integrate knowledge needed for planning instruction and designing learning experiences for Students with mild/moderate support needs.
Integrate knowledge /skills to administer and analyze formal and informal assessments to determine eligibility, inform instruction, and identify research-based interventions for all learners with mild/moderate support needs.
Integrate the knowledge to meet legal, ethical, and professional obligations to advocate for all leaners with mild/moderate support needs.
Reflect critically on the application of professional beliefs and teaching/learning principles necessary to work collaboratively with all stakeholders including families, other professionals, and community members serving students with mild/moderate support needs.
Critique current research in special education theory and practices within inclusive and culturally responsive frameworks.

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