Stonehill’s Special Education program equips future educators with the knowledge and skills needed to be highly effective special education teachers in prekindergarten through grade eight.
A major in special education provides graduates with the foundational knowledge and skills needed to successfully enter the field with initial licensure from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE): Teacher of Students with Moderate Disabilities, PreK-8.
The three pillars of the Special Education program include:
The comprehensive curriculum in the Special Education program provides students with the core content and pedagogical knowledge necessary for supporting students with disabilities in various classroom settings. Coursework covers fundamental topics including key legislation related to disability, evaluation and identification procedures for special education, instructional strategies to teach core academic content for students with disabilities, and Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Unique to Stonehill’s Special Education program is the increased focus placed on reading and writing in course curricula. Students take specialized literacy courses that provide them with the knowledge base necessary for assessment and specialized instruction for their future students experiencing reading and writing difficulties. This program also offers students the opportunity to participate in field-based experiences earlier in their academic careers.
To complement their coursework, the Special Education program includes a comprehensive pre-practicum / practicum sequence designed to ensure that our graduates have experience working with students and teachers across the grade levels covered by their licensure. All special education majors have the opportunity as early as their first semester in the program to complete field placements alongside general education and special education teachers in a variety of school and community settings.
Students also complete pre-practica alongside specific courses to enhance their connections between the theory of the college classroom and the reality of the prekindergarten through grade eight practice. These experiences more than prepare our students to complete a full semester practicum (student teaching) alongside a supervising practitioner during their senior year.
Education majors desiring teacher licensure must also complete a major from the following list:
Photo from Camp Shriver at Stonehill College
Stonehill’s small class sizes allow licensure candidates to receive career-focused mentoring. Through experiences both inside and outside the classroom, dedicated faculty and staff with decades of experience across the PreK-12 spectrum work with licensure candidates to individualize their program to meet their interests and future career goals.
Faculty teaching in the Special Education program have extensive teaching experience in public and private PreK-12 settings; deliver professional development to teachers, schools and districts across the Commonwealth and across the nation; present their research at local, regional and national conferences; have specializations in such areas as autism research and behavioral analysis; and serve on the boards of several professional organizations. This wealth of experience and connection to PreK-12 schools and teachers enables the faculty to provide high quality, practical educational experiences to Stonehill students.
Whether learning in a Stonehill classroom or working in the field as practicum students (student teaching), special education candidates learn to use the knowledge and skills gained from coursework to become global citizens dedicated to creating inclusive learning environment for all students.
Our professors are not only focused on teaching students what they need to know to secure a teaching license, but also educating them on the necessity of approaching their work in special education with an abundance of care and compassion.
The Stonehill Career Development offers extensive assistance to students seeking employment, pursuing advanced studies or participating in postgraduate service opportunities. By working with our mentors, students are empowered to build lifelong career management skills.
Elementary education students also have access to other opportunities that bolster their professional experience before they even graduate. The Stonehill Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) is an opportunity for students who have completed their first year at Stonehill to perform significant, publishable full time research under the guidance of and in collaboration with an experienced faculty researcher.
The experience helps to solidify and define students' career choices, both through graduate school decisions and in post-college employment. All SURE Scholars and faculty mentors receive a stipend for an 8- or 10-week full-time summer session.
