Mission Statement
Program Philosophy
Description of Credential Program
Additional Requirements: Level I Credential
Additional Requirements: Level II Credential
Appendix: Course Work for Education Specialist Credential: Visual Impairments
Timelines

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PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY

The pre-service component of the Program in Visual Impairments addresses issues in the following areas across age ranges and degree of visual impairment:

1. Theoretical Framework/Program Guidelines

2. Social Emotional Development and Learning

3. Special Populations: Development and Learning

4. Assessment of Learners with Visual Impairments

5. Curriculum and Instruction of Learners with Visual Impairments including Braille Literacy

6. Promotion of Functional Vision

7. Working with Families

Derived from this knowledge-base, the following philosophy and objectives guide the Program in Visual Impairments.

1. Learners with visual impairments benefit from educational experiences that take into account their unique learning needs requiring the acquisition of knowledge and skills in alternative ways including tactile, visual, and auditory . Candidates are expected to demonstrate competence in assessment and instruction to promote functional literacy in braille, print, and auditory methodologies and to design educational environments utilizing the most appropriate media to promote learning.

2. Students with visual impairments are a heterogeneous population, requiring the availability of a wide range of curricular and placement options in order to foster participation in the home, school, and community in ways that meet the particular needs of individual learners. The program stresses the development of instructional programs utilizing a variety of approaches to meet the range of potential placement options and curricular needs of learners with visual impairments. Candidates are expected to demonstrate skills in working with an array of professionals as well as families in order to facilitate learner participation and growth within the context of their educational experience.

3. Competencies to instruct learners with visual impairments must address individual needs across a broad age range (birth to 22 years), a variety of visual conditions (mild visual impairment to total blindness), as well as learners who have visual impairments and multiple disabilities. The program combines intensive didactic training for specific skill acquisition along with field work to promote these competencies.

4. Addressing cultural and linguistic diversity is emphasized throughout the program in didactic course work and field experiences. Candidates are expected to participate in field assignments that include diverse populations, and issues related to the effects of cultural and linguistic differences are infused throughout the curriculum.

5. Methods to promote academic and learning skills, social interaction skills, recreation and leisure skills, use of assistive technology, basic orientation and mobility, independent living and self-advocacy skills, career education including transition, and optimization of visual functioning must be addressed in programs for learners with visual impairments. Candidates are expected to demonstrate the ability to provide appropriate assessment and instruction using a variety of techniques in all these areas to promote learner competence leading to active participation in school, home, and community environments.

6. The program emphasizes an individual differences approach to developmental issues related to visual impairment, looking at both learner characteristics and environmental circumstances in order to develop appropriate instructional strategies. Candidates are expected to demonstrate knowledge and skills regarding the effects of adventitious and congenital visual impairments as well as the impact of various conditions on learning and development given the unique life circumstances of each individual.

7. Families and social networks have a profound impact on the social-emotional development of learners with visual impairments across the age ranges which must be taken into account in any educational program. Competencies related to understanding the effects of visual impairment on family dynamics and social interaction as well as techniques to promote effective interaction with families and peers are stressed throughout the program.

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DESCRIPTION OF CURRENT CREDENTIAL PROGRAM

SFSUís specialist credential program in the area of visual impairments is a two-tier program. The emphasis of the program is to prepare teachers to serve students with visual impairments from birth through 22.

Visual impairments range from mild low vision to functional or total blindness. Many students have additional disabilities such as a physical impairments, learning disability, or cognitive delays. Studentís abilities may range from those who are gifted to those who are severely and multiply handicapped. Roles will vary according to teaching assignment, but credential candidates in the visual impairments area are prepared to teach in infant and preschool programs for children with visual impairments, resource room programs, itinerant programs, and residential school programs.

This Specialist Credential program includes competencies generic to the teaching of all children with disabilities, as well as those specific to the preparation of teachers of students with visual impairments. Course work is designed to provide students with both the theoretical and philosophical foundations, as well as methodological and curricular considerations and adaptations.

Four essential components comprise the preliminary credential program or Level I: (1) the basic generic program (9 units); (2) general education requirements (6 units); (3) core methods courses (25 units); and (4) student teaching (12 units). The Professional Credential Program or Level II includes 9 to 12 units of specialized course-work designed for the professional development of the credential candidate.

Generic Program

The generic program (9 units) covers basic areas common to all area programs in Special Education.

SPED 702

Professional, Legal and Ethical Practices (3)

Designed to provide an overview of professional, legal, and ethical practices related to providing meaningful learning opportunities for students with disabilities. This course includes discussions of laws, practices, procedural safeguards, and regulations pertaining to the education of individuals with disabilities, as well as the ethics and values of the professional educator. Other content areas are: (a) an exploration of major general and special education theorists; (b) current research on learning effective teaching practices and curricula; (c) an introduction to skills in designing and managing learning environments; and (d) a presentation of basic principles and strategies of assessment, curriculum, and instruction appropriate for individuals with diverse backgrounds, including those with disabilities. In addition, students participate in practicum experiences.

SPED 803

Communication, Diversity and Exceptionality (3)

Addresses issues related to diversity and exceptionality in a communication context. The closely interwoven constructs of communicative and cultural competence will be analyzed as a composite of social, linguistic, and cultural knowledge. The impact of a variety of disabilities, risk factors, and cultural contexts on the acquisition of communicative competence will be discussed along with their implications for intervention. Students learn about a variety of disabilities from their collective fieldwork experiences. These carefully selected experiences allow for the application of theoretical constructs to classroom and community contexts. Groups are composed so that a range of disabling conditions is represented. Additional group assignments are given to endure that students will indeed learn about a variety of disabilities across cultural contexts.

CD 750

English Language Learning and Exceptionality (3)

Examination and analsysis of the processes of bilingual language acquisition; theories and techniques of assessment and intervention, situated within the contexts of home, classroom, family and community; home- and classroom-based strategies for the speech-language pathologist and classroom teacher.

General Education Requirements

The general education requirements (6 units) provide the candidate with course work and experience for teaching students in general education classrooms.

E ED 684

Curriculum and Instruction in Mathematics (3)

Planning, developing, and evaluating learning experiences in mathematics. Evaluation of instructional materials. Performance based objectives. Class work, one unit; laboratory, two units.

EED 882

Literacy Instruction in the K-12 classroom (3)

Methods, materials, and assessment for teaching diverse reading/language arts to linguistically and culturally diverse students in grades K-12; linguistic and print concepts; reading comprehension; developmental strategies; guided experiences in schools. Preliminary Level 1 primarily intended for Education Specialist Credential students.

Core Methods Courses: Level 1

The core methods courses in Level I (31 units) and Level II (5 units) afford the candidate additional course work to expand and apply the content acquired in generic courses as it pertains to the education of students with visual impairments.

SPED 749

Medical, Educational, and Rehabilitative Implications of Visual Impairment (4)

Anatomy and physiology of the eye, disorders of the eye, and the functional/educational implications of vision loss. Functional assessment of low vision, use of prescriptive and non-prescriptive low vision aids. Optimizing use of vision. Application to individualized program planning and implementation. Related research in visual impairment.

SPED 750

Assessment for Learners with Visual Impairments:(3)

Formal and informal assessment procedures related to learners with visual impairments. Determination of unique educational needs and appropriate learning media. Selection, adaptation, and preparation of instructional materials: print, Braille, and auditory. Evaluation of learning environment. Alternative forms of service delivery. Related research in assessment methodology and visual impairment.

SPED 751

Instruction for Learners with Visual Impairments:(3)

Implementation of appropriate learning media for learners with visual impairments. Selection, adaptation, and preparation of instructional materials and design of learning environments. Disability-specific academic skills and accessing specialized resources. Adaptation of regular education curriculum for learners with visual impairments. Related research in assessment, instruction, and visual impairment.

SPED 753

Living Skills Assessment and Instruction for Learners with Visual Impairments (3)

Methods and instructional strategies for teaching specialized functional skills to individuals with visual impairments including: self-help skills, personal management skills, social skills, and skills for academic and social inclusion. Design and implement functional and age appropriate instructional programs for learners of different cognitive abilities. Related research in visual impairment.

SPED 754

Basic Communication Skills for Learners with Visual Impairments (3)

Mastery of literary Braille. Assessment and teaching of Braille reading and writing. Computer generated translations and electronic note takers. Relevant research and methodology for teaching Braille reading. Equipment and methods of producing Braille materials. Introduction to Braille production including Braille slate and stylus. Related research in Braille and visual impairment.

SPED 655

Basic Orientation and Mobility for Learners with Visual Impairments (3)

Basic mobility techniques. Development of spatial and environmental concepts and sensorimotor skills in young learners with visual impairment. Practical application of O&M related concepts to travel in home, school and community environments. Related research in O&M and visual impairment.

SPED 757

Visual Impairment: Special Populations (3)

Impact of visual impairment on growth and development. Impact of multiple disabilities on learning and development of learners with visual impairment. Transdisciplinary approach to serving learners 0-22 yrs. who have multiple impairments. Related research in disability.

SPED 758

Advanced Communication Skills for Learners with Visual Impairments (3)

Advanced formats of Braille codes: literary, mathematical, computer, foreign language, and music. Teaching Braille slate and stylus. Related research in Braille and visual impairment.

Student Teaching Experience

SPED 723

Student Teaching Workshop: Visual Impairment (3)

Seminars to discuss experiences and issues related to field placement, special issues, and direction for Level II professional credential induction plan.

SPED 730

Student Teaching: Visual Impairments (9)

Student teaching practicum/field experience, placement in special education settings or classrooms serving learners with visual impairments. This 15 week practicum provides monitored teaching experience with a range of students with visual impairments

STUDENT TEACHING APPLICATION

To qualify, students must apply for student teaching evidence must be provided of the following:

For those students who already hold a California multiple or single subject credential, some of the above items may not be necessary. Please contact the Credentials Analyst at (415) 338-1758 for more information.

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ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: LEVEL I CREDENTIAL

Basic Skills Requirement

Any student applying to the VI Program and planning to teach in the state of California must show compency n Basic Skills. The can be accomplished through one of the following:

• Passage of the CBEST;

Information about test schedules and preparation workshops for the CBEST can be obtained from the University Testing Office, New Administration Building, Room 152 (phone 415 338-2271). (Applicants from out-of-state should contact the Department of Special Education (415-338-1161) regarding the CBEST requirements since application requirements may differ slightly for people living outside of California.)
• Passage of a basic skills examination from another state; or
• Passage of the revised CSET: Multiple Subjects examination (CSET: Multiple Subjects  Plus Writing Skills) which includes an assessment of writing skills.

Subject Matter Competency Requirement

Beginning Spring, 2004, Subject Matter Competence Requirement must be demonstrated for admission into the VI credential program. Liberal studies waiver based on undergraduate studies may qualify some students. In most instances, students are expected to pass a subject matter examination, such as the CSET, prior to program admission. Contact the Credentials Office, Burk Hall 244 (phone 415-338-1758) for information.

RICA Requirement

Students are expected to pass the RICA, a test evaluating the ability to teach reading, prior to completion of prelilminary credential (Level I) requirements. Information about this test can be obtained from the Credentials Office, Burk Hall 244 (phone 415 338-1758)

US Constitution Course

A U.S. Constitution course is required prior to student teaching. Contact the Credentials Office, Burk Hall 257 (phone 415 338-1758) for assistance in reviewing your records and for information about class options.

Other Requirements

Requirements prior to student teaching in addition to course work and completion of competency tests include fingerprinting, a tuberculin test, and an audiovisual requirement. See the Appendix to this Handbook for more information about these additional requirements.

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ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS: LEVEL II CREDENTIAL

Students must formally apply to the Level II Program. Contact the Department of Special Education for details.

These requirements are detailed in the Student Handbook for the Education Specialist Credential, Level II. For handbook availability, contact the Department of Special Education, Burk Hall 154, 415 338-1161 or download at http://www.sfsu.edu/~spedcd/programs/sped/credentials/Level2/level2.htm.

Student Advisors

Dr. Amanda Hall Lueck  and Dr. Sunggye Hong are the faculty advisors. (See cover for office location and contact information.). It is recommended that students seek advising immediately upon entering the program. Students enrolled in the credential program of the Program in Visual Impairments must meet with their advisor once per semester to discuss student course scheduling.  It is the students' responsibility to schedule advising appointments at the beginning or at the end of each semester. Office hours are posted each semester outside faculty office and in the Special Education office. Please schedule appointments for those hours posted.

Applying for the preliminary credential
Once student teaching and all Level I requirements are completed, the student can apply for either a) a Certificate of Eligibility for the preliminary credential if not employed or, b) with a completed Verification of Employment Form, a Preliminary Level I Credential which is issued for 5 years. The Preliminary Level I Credential is only granted with employment as a special education teacher in the specific area of concentration.

It is the student's responsibility to meet all credential requirements/prerequisites and deadlines as well as to arrange for submission of all forms for advisor's signature no later than one week in advance of posted deadlines. Deadlines for the current school year are posted in the Special Education office, Burk Hall 154.  Candidates must formally apply for their credential through their designated Credential Analyst at SFSU.
 

Level II - Professional credential

Students must formally apply to the Level II Program. Contact the Department of Special Education for details. The Level II program of the Visual Impairments Specialist Credential at San Francisco State University is a 5-unit core program plus 2 units of a special class designed to assist in completing Level II credential requirements. In addition, according to their individualized needs and professional goals, candidates will select either a) one 3-unit course from a menu of courses in an area of special interest or b) complete 45 clock hours of non-university work in that area of interest.

Core Methods Courses: Level II

SPED 735

Technology for Learners with Visual Impairments (2)

Specialized technology for individuals with visual impairment. Use of devices such as closed circuit television, word processors with large print displays, voice output capabilities, electronic note takers, and adaptive materials such as talking calculators and tactile graphics. Related research in technology and its application to teaching learners with visual impairment.

SPED 752

Issues in Visual Impairment (3)

Psychosocial and vocational implications of visual impairment. Instructional methods and strategies for transition. Historical foundations and their implications for field of visual impairment. Local, state, and national legislation. Overview of related research.
 

Requests to substitute relevant courses previously taken at other institutions are handled on an individual basis and require approval of the advisor.

Instructions for obtaining course substitution approval from SFSU's Department of Special Education for courses taken at another university to meet the credential or Masters requirements.

• Check with your faculty advisor to determine which SFSU courses are required for your program.
• If you are planning to take a course at another university to meet an SFSU course requirement, it is strongly suggested that you have that course pre-approved by the appropriate person before taking it.
• Your faculty advisor can approve courses taken in your disability-specific area (e.g., VI). To do this, provide your advisor with a copy of your transcript with the completed course and a course description from the course syllabus or university bulletin. Your advisor can also pre-approve courses in your disability-specific area. Provide your advisor with a course description pre-approval. Full approval will be given with the provision of a transcript showing successful course completion.
• Generic special education courses or elementary education courses required for the credential or Masters degree in Special Education must be approved or pre-approved by the Department Chair Special Education (for SPED and CD classes) or Elementary Education (for Elementary Education -EED- classes). To obtain this, follow the instructions on the Petition for Course Substitution form available from the Department of Special Education, BH 154, (415) 338-1161. This requires a letter addressed to the Chairperson, Department of Special Education or Elementary Education with the following information:
1. The name and course number of the SFSU course under consideration,
2. The name and course number of the course to be substituted from another university,
3. The year and semester the substituted course was taken if applicable (This is not necessary for pre-approval.),
4. A description of the course to be substituted from the course syllabus or university bulletin,
5. A copy of your transcript showing successful course completion (This is not required for pre-approval but is required for final approval.),
6. Your name, credential program area, mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address,
7. Your disability specific area of study (e.g. Visual Impairments).
8. IMPORTANT: Send a copy of this letter to your faculty advisor as well.

Candidates must obtain a Certificate of Eligibility or Credential application packet in the Credential Office, BH 244. Relevant deadlines are posted in the Special Education office. Candidates are solely responsible for meeting all deadlines.

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Level I

Generic Components Units

SPED 702 Professional, Legal, & Ethical Practices: Creating Opportunities for Students with Disabilities (3)

SPED 803 Communication, Diversity, & Exceptionality, Cultural & Communicative Competence (3)

CD 750  English Language Learning and Exceptionality

General Education

EED 684 Curriculum & Instruction in Mathematics (3)

EED 882  Literacy Instruction in the K-12 classroom (3)

Credential-Specific Courses

SPED 723 Student Teaching Seminar: Visual Impairment (3)

SPED 730 Student Teaching: Visual Impairment (9)

SPED 749 Medical, Educational, & Rehabilitative Implications of Visual Impairment (4)

SPED 750 Assessment for Learners with Visual Impairments (3)

SPED 751 Instruction for Learners with Visual Impairments  (3)

SPED 753 Living Skills Assessment & Instruction for Learners with Visual Impairments (3)

SPED 754 Basic Communication Skills for Learners with Visual Impairments (3)

SPED 655 Basic Orientation & Mobility for Learners with Visual Impairments (3)

SPED 757 Visual Impairment: Special Populations (3)

SPED 758 Advanced Communication Skills for Learners with Visual Impairments (3)

Total Level I..............................52 units

Level II

SPED 735 Technology for Learners with Visual Impairments (2)

SPED 752 Issues in Visual Impairment (3)

SPED 740 Induction Plan (taken twice) (1)*

Individualized Requirements 45 clock hours or 3 units

Total Level II.............................. 7-10 units**

*2-units total. This course is to be taken twice, once at the beginning and once at the end of the Induction Plan.

**Students are required to take an additional 3 units of university course work or 45 contact hours of non-university activities in a designated area of emphasis in addition to the 7 required units in Level II as determined in each studentís professional induction plan.
 
 

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NOTE: STUDENTS ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR MEETING ALL DEADLINES!
 

• No more than 6 units may be applied from another university or SFSU's Open University toward an MA. Students taking Distance VI courses should contact the faculty advisor regarding this 6-unit regulation.
• No course work over 6 years (at the time GAP is filed) can be applied towards an MA.
• No units may be transferred in the Open University/Extended Education at another University.

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last modified June 12, 2007 by Amanda Lueck