Special Education
Online Graduate Education Programs

Starting in Fall 2021 Eastern Washington University will offer two online options for the Special Education program:

Master of Education


The Master of Education program is a full Master's degree, designed for teachers who do not currently hold a master's degree and wish to receive an endorsement in Special Education.

Certificate


The Graduate Certificate is a shorter, graduate level program, designed for teachers who already hold a master's degree and wish to receive an endorsement in Special Education.

Sequence of Courses

The Sequence of Courses is a document that serves to outline the order in which courses are offered and can be completed.

In most cases there is a choice between full-time (two courses per session/6-weeks), or part-time (one course per session/6-weeks), or a combination of full- and part-time depending upon candidate needs. Some students choose to follow the Sequence of Courses as written, others will need a customized sequence based on personal needs, schedules, work, etc.

If you need to make changes to your Course Sequence at any time or intend to transfer in any courses, please click on "Request Custom Sequence" tab below and complete the form.

Information

The Sequence of Courses serves to outline the order in which courses are to be completed. Please use this sequence to complete your final Program Plan using the online form. Contact the School of Education for: 1. Transfer course review and/or 2. Customized needs, such as sitting out a session.

Session 1 course sections are A01-A09. Session 2 course sections are A50-A59. Most courses are offered twice per year. If you change your sequence this may result in waiting for the course to be offered which may delay your graduation.

If applying for Financial Aid, please register for sessions 1 and 2 at the same time.

Please contact the School of Education Online Program Coordinator at 509-359-2500 or educgrad@ewu.edu with questions

Program & University Resources

It is important for students to review the dates and deadlines for the Online Accelerated program as they are different from posted university dates and deadlines. Deadlines for the Online Accelerated program are extremely strict and exceptions are not made. Please contact the School of Education with questions.

View textbooks required for all courses in your program. This list will be updated as new book information becomes available.

An online master's student has full access to Eastern Washington University resources. Click here for quick access to:

    • Bookstore
    • Library
    • Financial Aid
    • Writers' Center
    • Veterans Resource Center
    • Disability Support Services
    • and more

Internship

The purpose of the three-session internship course is to provide you with the opportunity to demonstrate the skills required of special education teachers and ensure you achieve the “skills” portion of the State of Washington Professional Educator Standards Board Endorsement Competencies required for state certification. Additionally, internship activities will facilitate the development of your program-required portfolio. The internship course meets the Eastern Washington University program requirements for offering opportunities for experiential learning.

Before Your Internship

  1. Internship Information – You must self-identify your internship location. EWU does not place graduate students in internship locations. The internship location must be within a K-12 public school setting that provides special education services to students with disabilities.
  2. Internship Special Education Mentor Teacher – You must self-identify a special education mentor teacher for each internship. The same special education mentor teacher may serve across all three internships. The special education mentor teacher must be certified in special education and have worked as a special education teacher for at least two years in the State where the internship will be completed. The special education mentor teacher is also required to be currently teaching in special education. The special education mentor teacher will be required to participate in the following ways:
    1. Provide opportunities for you to engage in special education service delivery to students with disabilities
    2. Provide mentorship to you as you engage in special education service delivery to students with disabilities
    3. Verify your internship time logs documenting the time you have engaged in special education service delivery to students with disabilities
    4. Verify your acceptable completion of performance tasks required for internship
    5. Communicate with the instructor of the internship course if there is concern about your performance

You should give your potential special education mentor teacher a copy of this letter along with the descriptions of the performance tasks required for internship.

  1. Internship Enrollment – You will enroll in three separate internship courses in three separate six-week sessions. It is best to enroll in internship courses toward the end of your program course sequence so that you have had an opportunity to learn the skills needed to complete the internship requirements. Unless given permission, you should not enroll in two internship courses simultaneously.
  2. Internship Application Process
    1. Once you have decided upon your internship location, please complete (must complete all of the following):
      1. Internship Verification Form (below)
      2. Building Acknowledgement Form (below)
      3. Videotaping Permissions:
        1. During your internship, you will be required to videotape lessons and/or activities with students throughout the program and will need to obtain parent permission for videotaping each student. Please locate instructions below, depending upon your school/setting choice:
          1. Setting/school with blanket permissions: Submit a class roster of students regarding videotaping permissions to educgrad@ewu.edu.
          2. Setting/school without blanket permissions: You will need to get permission from parents by printing and signing the following Video Permission Form below and submit a list of students to educgrad@ewu.edu.

During Your Internship

  1. Internship Time Requirements – You must complete a minimum total of 180 hours (across all 3 sessions of internship) engaged in activities associated with special education service delivery to students with disabilities in the K-12 public school setting. We expect you to attempt to fulfill 60 hours of internship time per session (again for a total of 180 hours).
  2. Internship Lesson Delivery Requirements – You must write and deliver at least two lesson plans to a student(s) with disabilities during each internship. One lesson plan will be to teach an academic skill while the other lesson plan will be to teach a functional skill.
  3. Internship Performance Tasks Requirements – Eighteen specific performance tasks described within the Canvas course must be completed by you across the three sessions of SPED internship. We recommend that you complete at least one-third of the activities (6 of the 18) needed to support the development of the SPED portfolio during each session so that all 18 tasks are completed at the end of your 3rd internship session. The expectations for each performance task are attached to this letter as well as described within the Canvas internship course. It is recommended that you give a copy of the performance task descriptions to your special education mentor teacher so that he/she has a clear understanding of the types of activities that you will need to complete during internship.

Portfolio

SPED 610 - The purpose of this course is for the student to prepare reflections and evidence to document her/his knowledge and competence in the Washington State Special Education Competencies for an add-on endorsement in special education as established by the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB). The student provides a formal presentation of her/his electronic portfolio as a culminating experience in the program.

Steps to Apply for State Endorsement

For candidates holding a Washington State teaching certification:

This test is not required for completing the master's program. This test is taken by students who wish to add the SPED endorsement to an existing K-12 Washington State teaching certification.

Steps for adding on the SPED endorsement:

  1. Complete coursework
  2. Complete candidacy form (linked above) and send to Graduate Programs
  3. Complete the graduation application through EagleNET (steps outlined below)
  4. Pass West-E 070 test: Click HERE for test information.
  5. Contact Certification Officer, Jill Stinson at jstinson1@ewu.edu and Graduate Director, Dr. Ann Van Wig at avanwig@ewu.edu with your request for recommendation to OSPI.
  6. DO NOT APPLY TO OSPI UNTIL YOU HAVE HEARD FROM THE CERTIFICATION OFFICER
  7. Upon completion of above:
    1. Certification Officer - sends a recommendation to OSPI
    2. Certification Officer - sends notice to candidate to apply for add-on endorsement (now you may apply to OSPI)
    3. Candidate applies on OSPI website ($)
  8. The Graduate Programs Office will send out the student diploma or certificate of program completion.

For those who hold a P-12 Teaching Certification Outside the State of Washington: 

Graduates of Eastern Washington University’s programs complete requirements to be recommended for endorsement in the state of Washington. Except for Washington State, EWU has made no determination if this program will lead to licensure in your state or the state in which you are seeking licensure. Please use the link below to the Certification Office webpage and reference the “Out-of-State Certification and/or Reciprocity Information” section to determine licensure requirements and/or transfer policies in your state.

https://inside.ewu.edu/education/certification/

 

For questions regarding certification please contact the Graduate Director, Dr. Ann Van Wig at avanwig@ewu.edu.

Graduation

The final step in completing the program is submitting the Graduation Application Form. All graduate students are required to complete a Graduation Application. This form is used by EWU's Graduate Studies Office to ensure completion of all coursework necessary for the master's degree or graduate certificate. Deadlines for Graduation Applications are as follows:

Spring Sessions
February 1

Summer Session
April 1

Fall Sessions
June 1

Winter Sessions
November 1

If you miss the graduation application deadline, your degree may be delayed and your name will not appear in the graduation program.

To complete your Graduation Application: go to EagleNet then click on your Student Record tab and find Apply to Graduate.


Commencement Ceremony

Students are not required to participate in commencement; however, we encourage students to take part in the EWU commencement ceremonies held in June. To have your name included in the commencement program, the graduation application must be submitted by February 1. At that time, you will receive instructions to purchase your gown and hood which are ordered through the bookstore.

If you have questions regarding the Graduation Application or commencement, please contact gradprograms@ewu.edu.