Special Education

Overview

No more rewarding experience exists than helping a student reach their potential. The WMCC Special Education Certificate provides teachers and paraprofessionals with the skill sets needed to effectively support students with disabilities.

Today’s classroom requires teachers and paraprofessionals to have strategies that address the needs of integrated classrooms. This certificate provides teachers and paraprofessionals with the knowledge, skills and strategies for supporting students with disabilities. The program focuses on the origins of special education, legal issues and strategies, and techniques for teaching a diverse population. Students demonstrate proficiency in adaptive techniques, as well as strategies for building positive classroom and school environments for all students.

Health Considerations

Candidates for positions and careers in education are encouraged to explore health requirements associated with employment in a school setting. Prospective students with special needs requiring accommodations that may affect their learning are encouraged to contact the Accessibility Services Coordinator.

Character Expectations

The health and safety of children, adolescents and other learners is of paramount concern to the program.  Applicants for teaching positions in public and private schools in New Hampshire should be aware that background checks through the New Hampshire Department of Safety must be completed by potential employers prior to employment.  Students must also be aware that the college requires national criminal background checks for admission into the Teacher Education, Special Education Certificate and Career and Technical Education Certificate Programs.  The cost of the background check is the responsibility of the student.  Applicants, who have been in difficulty with the law, depending upon the nature of their experience, may not be employable or even eligible for field experience.  Applicants are advised that such matters may be discussed during an admission interview so that future goals to be a teacher will not be compromised.

Technical Standards

Technical standards have been established to provide guidance to students as to skills and abilities required to function successfully in the program and ultimately in the public and/or private school classroom as teachers. Applicants who think they may not be able to meet one or more of the technical standards should contact program faculty members to discuss individual cases. Department faculty will give serious consideration to all academically qualified candidates providing that the technical standards can be met with reasonable accommodations. Students in the program must have sufficient strength, stamina and motor coordination to perform the following:

• Sufficient hearing and visual acuity to ensure a safe environment and ability to respond quickly in the event of emergency;
• Sufficient verbal ability to express and exchange information and ideas, as well as to interpret important instructions to children, adolescents, colleagues and parents;
• Sufficient writing skills to accurately record students’ daily progress and milestones, as well as a variety of reports;
• Ability to work with frequent interruptions, to respond appropriately to unexpected situations, and to cope with extreme variations in workload and stress levels.

This certificate is a prerequisite for the North Country Teacher Certification Program.

Program available in Berlin.

Program Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be prepared to:

• Demonstrate knowledge of typical and atypical development and characteristics
  of students with disabilities and other special needs.
• Identify learning strategies and environments to meet diverse student learning
• Integrate best practices, apply learning theories, methodologies, technology
  tools, and assessments across content areas to manage, monitor, and engage
  student learning.
• Demonstrate the ability to focus on student learning using technology tools
  through reflection of one’s own teaching practices and through shared
  knowledge gained from professional learning communities