Endorsement in Severe or Profound Disabilities: On-line Courses
The Florida Endorsement in Severe or Profound Disabilities prepares professionals to teach learners with severe/profound cognitive disability, autism, and dual sensory impairment. The Endorsement requires a Bachelor's degree or higher with certification in any area of special education with an additional 12 semester hours of coursework. Individuals may take the courses for the Endorsement as a student in a Bachelor's or Master's degree program in an appropriate discipline or as an FSU special non-degree-seeking student. Application for the endorsement is made to the Florida Department of Education. For information about applying for the Endorsement, please visit: http://www.fldoe.org/edcert/rules/6A-4-01793.asp
At Florida State University, the 12 semester hours (each course is 3 semester hours) are developed around the state's requirements for the Endorsement. The requirements, along with the classes offered at FSU are listed and described below.
State requirement: Coursework in atypical child development and assessment of students with profound disabilities to include use of student assessment for individual educational planning and program planning
FSU course: EEX 5234--Development and Assessment of Individuals with Severe Disabilities
State requirement: Coursework in interdisciplinary teaming to include available resources; the recognition of the role of parents, teachers, and other professionals; functional community-based curriculum; employability skills; and transition planning
FSU course: EEX 5774--Collaborative Transition and Career Planning for Students with Severe/Profound Disabilities
State requirement: Completion of one of the areas as follows:
Area 1:
Coursework in nature of autism and intervention strategies for educating students who are autistic to include student characteristics, appropriate learning goals, teaching approaches, and environmental arrangements
AND
Three (3) semester hours of supervised field-based experience with students who are autistic
FSU courses:
EEX 5298: Teaching Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder
EEX 5836: Practicum in Autism
Area 2:
Coursework in nature of profound mental disabilities and intervention strategies for educating students with profound mental disabilities to include student characteristics, appropriate learning goals, teaching approaches, and environmental arrangements
AND
Three (3) semester hours of supervised field-based experience with students with profound mental disabilities
FSU courses:
EMR 5235: Teaching the Student with Profound Disabilities
EMR 5803: Advanced Practicum in Mental Retardation
Area 3:
Coursework in nature of deaf-blindness and intervention strategies for educating students who are deaf-blind to include student characteristics, appropriate learning goals, teaching approaches, and environmental arrangements
AND
Three (3) semester hours of supervised field-based experience with students who are deaf-blind
FSU courses:
EVI 5131: Teaching Deaf-Blind/Multisensory Impaired Individuals
EVI 5931: Practicum in Dual Sensory Impairment
Courses are offered on-line according to the following schedule:
Spring semester:
- EEX 5234: Development and Assessment of Individuals with Severe Disabilities
Summer semester:
- EEX 5774: Collaborative Transition and Career Planning for Students with Severe/Profound Disabilities
- EMR 5235: Teaching the Student with Profound Disabilities
Fall semester:
- EEX 5238: Practicum in Autism
- EEX 5298: Teacher Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder
- EMR 5803: Advanced Practicum in Mental Retardation
EVI courses are offered when needed
Applying to FSU and registering for courses
Students may take the courses as FSU special students or as degree-seeking students. For information about applying to FSU, please visit the website: https://admissions.fsu.edu. Please note that these are graduate-level courses. Students must have completed a Bachelor's degree with an overall GPA of 2.00 or above in order to take the courses. When applying to take the endorsement courses as a non-degree seeking student, apply for graduate study in the EH/LD Program, distance learning.
For assistance in registering for courses once accepted to FSU, please contact Ms. Leigh Brown at lbrown@coe.fsu.edu
Technology Requirements
In order to complete class requirements, class participants will need to be able to:
- Access the Internet,
- Download and upload Word documents,
- Download, view, construct, and listen to PowerPoint documents,
- Download PDF files,
- Utilize RealPlayer or Windows Media Player to view and listen to digitized videotapes, and
- Send and receive e-mails.
For more information about the technology requirements for online courses, please see: http://learningforlife.fsu.edu/online/prospective/faq.cfm
For more information about classes, please contact:
Dr. Mary Frances Hanline
School of Teacher Education
Florida State University
mhanline@fsu.edu