California State University Channel Islands Announces Special Education Credential, Master's Programs

To answer the region's critical need for special education teachers, California State University Channel Islands will launch its Education Specialist Mild/Moderate Level II credential program this fall.

The Level II credential program, which was recently approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, will be complemented by the University's new master's of education degree with an emphasis in special education, which is scheduled to begin in the 2007-08 academic year.

"The need for special education teachers is great," said Joan Karp, CSUCI professor of special education and chair of Education Programs. "There are more than 100 teachers in Ventura County who have been hired on emergency permits and who are teaching students with mild or moderate disabilities."

The two-year Level II credential program is designed for teachers who are in their first few years of teaching in special education programs in Ventura or Santa Barbara Counties. The program not only provides advanced coursework and workshops but also offers professional support for teachers in their classrooms. "Students will write their individual coursework and design an area of emphasis," Karp said. "Then they can apply what they've learned in CSUCI classrooms to their own program settings. It's a marriage of theory, research, and practice."

Individuals pursuing the master's degree program will gain skills in understanding and using research and data-based decision-making. They will complete action research projects that enable them to study the effectiveness of the programs they conduct.

Media Contact: Richard Suenaga, 805-437-8940