5-Year Program with Certification in Special Education (K-12) and Elementary Education (K-6)

Program Overview

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The 5-Year Program with Certification in Special Education (K-12) and Elementary Education (K-6) prepares students to address the instructional needs of students with mild and moderate cognitive disabilities and explores foundational topics in elementary education including the principles of classroom learning and organization, evaluation and assessment, literacy development, and educational psychology. Through the required core coursework, students will develop competencies in the assessment and remediation of students with learning disabilities, learn collaborative teaching and consultation skills, and consider principles of New Jersey special education law. In alignment with the GSE’s mission, all teacher preparation programs and courses prepare teacher candidates to be culturally responsive practitioners and effectively teach diverse learners by fostering a deep understanding of students from historically underserved linguistic, economic, and cultural backgrounds and communities. Successful completion of this program will lead to a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree in education, and initial teacher certification in special education (K-12) and elementary education (K-6). Graduates can expect to be effective practitioners knowledgeable about current research in learning, teaching, and child development, and prepared to make informed decisions about their educational practice.

To complete the program in 5 years, Rutgers undergraduates must complete specific pre-admission coursework and field placements during their sophomore and junior years. Students then apply for the 5-year program before the Spring semester of their junior year and if admitted, enter the professional education sequence in the summer before senior year. After senior year, students qualify to have their bachelor’s degree awarded by the undergraduate liberal arts college and continue with the professional sequence in the summer after graduation. Students will return in the fall to complete a full-time student-teaching internship and continue with full-time graduate study, including a field-based research project in the spring. 

After the master’s degree is awarded, the GSE will make a recommendation to the New Jersey State Department of Education on behalf of the graduate to receive their Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing (CEAS) as a teacher.

Program Goals as of 2022-2023
(Last updated: 7/28/2022)

Knowledge/Understanding 

• Teacher candidates will build deep understanding of how their students learn and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually (across cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical domains) and are shaped by diverse cultures, communities, and experiences. 
• Teacher candidates will develop, expand, and deepen content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, drawing on current research to plan and implement high-quality P-12 instruction and design effective learning environments. 
• Teacher candidates will understand the historical and philosophical contexts of the discipline that they are teaching and how their curriculum and pedagogy can support equity and justice. 

Communication/Community Building 

• Teacher candidates will develop strategies for communicating and collaborating with their students, families, community members, and other educators to support inclusive learning environments that empower each learner.  
• Teacher candidates will participate in professional, scholarly, and community-engaged networks and activities using all modes of communication, while centering the experiences of their students, families, and communities (e.g., research, presentations, and service).  

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) 

• Teacher candidates will examine social justice issues and act guided by the importance of the role of social justice in educational settings. 
• Teacher candidates will strive to ensure educational equity by creating an environment where diverse backgrounds and perspectives (personal, social, economic, educational, linguistic, cultural, immigration, racial/ethnic) are an integral part of the learning experience. 
• Teacher candidates will develop an understanding of what culturally responsive teaching is and how instruction can be responsive, consequential, and just for their students. 
• Teacher candidates will seek to proactively interrupt practices, policies, and curriculum that silence, discount, or harm the diverse students in their classrooms. 

Research/Professional Practice 

• Teacher candidates will conduct original research and use that research, as well as interpret and evaluate evidence from other research studies, to inform their professional practice and address problems of practice that may require change in policy, programs, and practice.
• Teacher candidates will engage in inquiry/research experiences to better understand how discipline-specific knowledge develops.
• Teacher candidates will develop knowledge of how to apply the results of current research to their practice.  

Assessment 

• Teacher candidates will evaluate, identify, and use models and approaches that will be effective in the successful design and implementation of assessment.   
• Teacher candidates will use multiple methods of standards-informed assessment and data sources in making educational decisions and in the monitoring of student learning progress.   

Professional Development/Self-Reflection 

• Teacher candidates will proactively seek out opportunities for continuous professional learning and development, including reflective self-inquiry, in order to improve their practice and contribute to the teaching profession. 
• Teacher candidates will understand their intersectional identities and positionality, recognizing the implicit biases that may result from that positionality, and mitigate how implicit bias can adversely impact their planning, instruction, and assessment.  

For more information about this program:

• Prospective students should download the revised proposed program guide (with fewer required credits) effective September 2025*. The program guide includes a proposed course list and application requirements for the anticipated new program.
• The current program guide is effective through Summer 2025 and is applicable to all current students.
• For more information about the pending changes to the program, please attend a GSE Initial Licensure Information Session or watch this video of an information session, password: ?0fzQs9I
• Contact Ken Tufo, Student Counselor in the Office of Student and Academic Services for further information.

*Pending final approval from the New Jersey Department of Education and Rutgers University.

Program Details