Special Education

• LIENNE MEDFORD, Dean
• KELLY HARRISON-MAGUIRE, Associate Dean
• REED CHEWNING, Chair
• D. WAYNE CHESER
• WILLIAM CORDER
• ELAINA GHIONIS
• JULIE JONES
• MARGARET LEE
• MARGARET PARK
• SEAL NISBET WILSON

The Institutional Standards

Professional education courses and experiences, combined with liberal arts courses, promote the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and dispositions essential for education. These learning outcomes embody the following “Institutional Standards” to ensure candidates develop an understanding of the critical concepts and principles of their discipline and facilitate candidates' reflection of their potential biases to increase their understanding and practice of equity, diversity, and inclusion.  

Education Program Completers

1. Demonstrates knowledge of and application of critical concepts and principles of learner development (INTASC Standard 1), learning differences (INTASC Standard 2).
2. Create safe and supportive learning environments to work with diverse students and families  (INTASC Standard 3). 
3. Demonstrate knowledge of central concepts in their content areas (INTASC standard 4).
4. Implement instructional strategies for diverse learners (INTASC Standard 5).
5. Demonstrate ability to assess student work, plan for instruction, and differentiated instructional strategies for diverse learners (INTASC Standards, 6, 7, & 8).
6. Demonstrate knowledge of technological pedagogical knowledge to engage and improve learning for all students. 
7. Demonstrate knowledge of professional responsibility and engage in professional development, act ethically, take responsibility for student learning, and collaborate with students and families (INTASC Standards 9. &10)

The Converse University Department of Education is the central undergraduate home for teacher education programs in Education. The Department of Education offers the Bachelor of Arts degree in the following teacher education programs: art (PK– 12), early childhood (PK–3), elementary (2–6), comprehensive special education (PK–12), deaf and hard of hearing (PK–12), intellectual disabilities (PK–12), learning disabilities (PK–12), English (9–12), and social studies (9–12).

Bachelor of Music degree in music education (choral and instrumental) (PK–12), resides in the Petrie School of Music. This degree has a specific course of study. Details are in the Petrie School of Music Student Handbook and the Undergraduate Catalog. The Department of Art and Design offers the Bachelor of Arts in Art Education (PK-12). Details are in the Undergraduate Catalog. Full-time Converse faculty members teach a majority of the education courses in each program. Students interested in teaching as a career may complete one or more of the programs described in this section. Students who fulfill the requirements of one or more of these programs can meet the certification requirements for teachers in South Carolina and in several other states. Those who wish to teach on the secondary level complete a 30-hour minor (32 for science teachers) in secondary education to complement appropriate liberal arts major.

The teacher education certification program prepares teacher candidates to become well-qualified teachers and licensed professionals who possess knowledge and skills in innovative teaching methods and research-based practice. Candidates follow the teacher education program as outlined in the Teacher Education Handbook found on the Converse University website. Student teaching is the capstone experience for all teacher education programs.

All education majors must take the CORE PRAXIS (or have qualifying SAT/ACT scores) for admission to Teacher Education. PRAXIS II examinations as well as the Principles of Learning and Teaching (PLT) examinations must be taken before graduation.

Admission to Teacher Education

Teacher candidates should be familiar with the department website that contains descriptions of programs, The Teacher Education Handbook, the Clinical Experience Handbook, the Student Teaching Handbook, important details, policies, and announcements.

Apply for admission to the Teacher Education Admission Program after completion of EDU 360, Introduction to Education, and after you have met all of the following criteria:

1. Completion of 45 hours of coursework
2. 2.75 minimum cumulative GPA
3. A passing grade for first major clinical in their major program
4. Passing scores on the Core Praxis exams (reading, writing, and math) or have qualifying SAT/ACT scores
5. Completion of required items on the Student Worklist in Canvas: (Livetext subscription, SLED check, Negative TB test, Negative Sex Offender Registry, Travel Form, Blood Borne Pathogens Test, Education Economic Development Test, and Phase II Interview Questions and Answers (within the same semester as EDU360)
6. Secondary Education minor candidates require 3.0 in content area courses.
7. Statement of Disclosure-prior felony misdemeanor convictions

Resources are available to help a student prepare for the CORE PRAXIS exams. Admission to the Teacher Education Program is a prerequisite to enrolling in Benchmark II courses. For transfer students, Converse uses all attempted coursework prior to enrollment at Converse and all coursework at Converse to determine cumulative GPA. Converse will cancel a failing grade at another institution if a student retakes and passes a comparable course at Converse, and if the Registrar approves. Such cancellation makes the policy for transfers compatible with the Converse policy for retaking courses.

During the senior year, students are eligible for placement in student teaching. A student planning to student teach in the Fall Term of her senior year must submit her request for placement by February 15 of the junior year. A student planning to student teach in the Spring Term of her senior year must submit her request for placement by June 15 before the senior year. Only those students currently accepted in a degree program can be eligible for student teaching. 

Other requirements prior to student teaching include an application for certification to the South Carolina State Department of Education and an FBI background check. Details about this application and other requirements are available on the department webpage at www.converse.edu., on the South Carolina State Department website: https://ed.sc.gov, and from departmental staff. Generally, the applications for certification are due to the Education Department by February 15, a year in advance of Fall Term student teaching, and by June 15, a year in advance of Spring Term student teaching. Passing scores on both the CORE PRAXIS and the appropriate PRAXIS Subject Assessments are among the requirements for certification. Because test requirements change, students should consult the State Department website: https://ed.sc.gov to be sure they register for the appropriate PRAXIS II test(s). Students must request that the Educational Testing Service submit their scores for CORE PRAXIS and PRAXIS Subject Assessments both to Converse and to the South Carolina State Department of Education.

The General Education Program is a requirement for all degrees. The requirements listed below are approved for the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Fine Arts. 

Graduation requirements but not a separate course:

• First-Year Seminar
• Writing Intensive course
• Non-European/non-Anglophone course Capstone experience
  • For more information see GEP requirements in this catalog.