Preliminary Level I Education Specialist
Credential Programs

Admission to Teacher Education Office
Admission requirements for the Education Specialist Credential Programs are found at the Admissions to Teacher Education Office. Contact this office for your admissions application needs.

PURPOSE OF PRELIMINARY LEVEL I Education Specialist Credential, Mild/Moderate
(California Commission on Teacher Credentialing)
Credentials in Mild/Moderate Disabilities authorize the provision of services to individuals in grades K through 12, including adults. Students with mild/moderate disabilities may be inefficient learners who have difficulties imposing structure on learning tasks. They may display delays in intellectual development, specific learning disabilities, and/or serious emotional disturbances. Frequently their behavior is characterized by under achievement, failure expectancy, and social competence deficits. They may be impulsive, easily distracted, and inattentive. Further, they may experience difficulties in generalizing skills and in predicting events or consequences of behavior. This credential authorizes the teaching of individuals with specific learning disabilities, mental retardation, other health impaired, and serious emotional disturbance. Educational specialists preparing to work with students who have mild to moderate disabilities must be skilled at creating, developing, and implementing individualized adaptations and accommodations to facilitate access to learning in a wide variety of environments, such as academic, vocational, social, and community. This includes access to the core curriculum, now emphasized in state and federal regulations or IEP mandates, specialized curricula, learning and transition strategies, and the use of current and adaptive technologies.*

Education Specialist Credential, Mild/Moderate (Level I) Program Requirements Plan

PURPOSE OF PRELIMINARY LEVEL I Education Specialist Credential, Moderate/severe
(California Commission on Teacher Credentialing)
Credentials in Moderate/Severe Disabilities authorize the provision of services to individuals in grades K through 12, including adults. Students with moderate/severe disabilities require specialized support to address unique learning needs resulting from a range of intellectual, behavioral, emotional, communication, sensory, and/or motor impairments. This credential authorizes the teaching of individuals with autism, mental retardation, deaf-blindness, serious emotional disturbance, and multiple disabilities.*

Education Specialist Credential, Moderate/Severe (Level I) Program Requirements Plan

PURPOSE OF PRELIMINARY LEVEL I Education Specialist Credential, EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION (California Commission on Teacher Credentialing)
Early childhood special education includes the provision of educational services to children from birth through pre-kindergarten who are eligible for early intervention, special education, and/or related services under federal and state laws. Children with a primary disability of deafness or hearing impairment, deaf-blindness, visual impairment including blindness, or orthopedic impairment must be served by a professional holding the authorization specific to the low incidence disability.*

Education Specialist Credential, Early Childhood Special Education (Level I) Program Requirements Plan

A certificate program in Early Childhood Special Education was adopted for holders of the Education Specialist Instruction Credentials in Mild/Moderate Disabilities and Moderate/Severe Disabilities, to be able to expand the authorization to include birth through Pre-K. However, any specialist credential holder may earn the certificate.*

Early Childhood Special Education Certificate Program Requirements Plan

(*From Standards of Quality and Effectiveness for Education Specialist Credentials.)

CREDENTIAL PREPARATION CENTER
The Credential Preparation Center at California State University, Fullerton acts as the liaison between the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the credential applicant. The Credential Preparation Center provides quality advisement and certification services to all professional educators it serves.   Contact the center for your credential preparation needs.

PROGRAM FACULTY

Mild/Moderate Coordinator:
Dr. Woo Jung, Associate Professor, wjung@fullerton.edu  

Moderate/Severe Coordinators: 
Dr. Jan Weiner, Associate Professor, jweiner@fullerton.edu  and
Dr. Suzanne Robinson, Assistant Professor, srobinson@fullerton.edu

Early Childhood Special Education:
Dr. Janice Myck-Wayne, Assistant Professor, jmyck-wayne@fullerton.edu