Master of Education and Licensure in Intervention Specialist, Mild to Moderate

On this page:

• Why Choose Intervention Specialist: Mild/Moderate?
• Careers
• Real-World Experience
• Success Stories
• Academics and Curriculum
• Admission
• Licensure Exams

Why Choose Intervention Specialist: Mild/Moderate?

The Intervention Specialist: Mild/Moderate is a Master’s of Education (M.Ed.) with licensure program offered at the graduate level. The program can be completed on either a part-time or full-time basis.  

If you have an undergraduate degree in education, you may have already met some of the program requirements. Please contact the intervention specialist program director for details. 

You will take courses that prepare you to work with individuals diagnosed with high-incidence disabilities (such as specific learning disabilities, ADHD, Autism, mild intellectual and physical disabilities, and emotional/behavioral disorders). 

After you complete the program and pass Ohio-required licensure exams, you are eligible for an Ohio Resident Educator Intervention Specialist license in Mild/Moderate Needs (K-12).  

Wright State’s programs are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, fully approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, and meet the requirements for the Ohio Department of Education 4 Year Resident Educator teaching license. These programs also provide relevant and up-to-date training, such as Youth Mental Health First Aid Training and other professional development opportunities in accordance with Ohio’s Strategic Plan for Education focused on the whole child. 

Program Highlights 

• Earn a master's degree and an Intervention Specialist Mild Moderate teaching license 
• Based on feedback from employers, Wright State prepares you especially well to collaborate effectively with other teachers, administrators, and staff.  
• Over the past five years, 97 percent of Wright State program completers passed the state’s licensure examinations.  
• Teachers prepared at Wright State consistently perform above the state average on the Ohio Teacher Evaluation System (OTES). 
• Intervention specialists have extensive job opportunities locally, statewide, and nationally 
• Hybrid program—online and face-to-face courses with flexible courses offerings (summer, evening) 

Contact Information

Morgan Ruppert, M.Ed.
morgan.ruppert@wright.edu

Careers

Demand for teachers is high, with many parts of the state and nation currently unable to hire as many teachers as they need. Areas with the highest need include special education (intervention specialist), math, science, world language, and teaching English as a second language (TESOL). Hiring for teachers is projected to grow 5 percent from 2018 to 2028, about as fast as the average for all occupations. About 512,900 new teaching jobs are projected to be added from 2018 to 2028 (bls.gov).  

Teaching is unique in that it provides you an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students, carry out your passion for your content area, and advocate for issues related to education. There are also plenty of opportunities to move up and through the education field, including becoming a lead teacher, administrator, school counselor, or further your specialties through endorsements and certificates. You may take an opportunity to move your career to advocacy, government agencies, or higher education.   

• The median annual wage for education occupations was $49,700 in May 2018 (bls.gov).  
• 90 percent of Wright State’s 2018-2019 intervention specialist graduates were employed in Ohio within a year of graduation (ODJFS Data Match, 2019).  
• Top employers include Dayton and Huber Heights City Schools (ODJFS Data Match, 2019). 
• Visit the Educator Quality Data page for additional details on employment and salary.  

The College of Health, Education, and Human Services has provided a dedicated career consultant to assist you in connecting your major to a career. The career consultant focuses on staying up to date on career trends in education, kinesiology and health, leadership, and human services. Our assigned career consultant is an extension of services offered through Wright State’s Career Services. 

View the intervention specialist program profile for sample occupations, average salary, and employment projections.  

Real-World Experience

You will enjoy extensive real-life experience and practice in P-12 schools because it is at the heart of Wright State’s teacher preparation programs. As an education major, you will benefit from the highest quality instruction interwoven with clinical practice throughout your program. Working in close partnership with nine local school districts and many other schools in the region, our programs provide you with the following advantages:    

• You will spend numerous hours on the ground in schools practicing and refining your skills. 
• All of your field experiences will be supervised by clinical faculty (trained former teachers, principals, and curriculum directors) who will provide quality, constructive feedback to improve your readiness to teach.   
• In addition to your regular field experiences, you will have one or more education courses (e.g. classroom management, science methods, etc.) in which your professor will deliver portions of your university class on-site at a local school district to enrich your experience and bridge the gap from theory to practice.  
• Your experience will culminate in a year-long student teaching internship where you will start and end the year with the same mentor teacher and classroom.    
• Our Office of Partnerships and Field Experiences works to place our candidates in a variety of school settings (urban, rural, suburban) to allow for varying experiences. 

Success Stories

Academics and Curriculum

View the Master of Education in Intervention Specialist program information and degree requirements in the Academic Catalog.

M.Ed. degree and Licensure Requirements

Admission

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution 
• 3.0 cumulative minimum undergraduate GPA OR 2.6 cumulative minimum undergraduate GPA and GRE or MAT score in the 50th percentile or better 
  • (Until further notice, GRE and MAT scores will not be required for those who have a cumulative GPA between 2.6 and 2.9) 
• Dispositional Assessment (PDF): Candidate Disposition Inventory (CDI) 
• Submit a clear FBI and BCI criminal background check.

Foundational Knowledge Competency: Candidates need to demonstrate foundational knowledge in reading, mathematics, and writing. These skills are measured through either the ACT, SAT, Praxis scores, and/or GRE scores in each area. The score requirements below are required to demonstrate foundational knowledge.

• One of the following Reading scores: 
  • ACT Reading score of 19 or better
  • SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 520 or better
  • ETS Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Reading score of 162 or better
  • GRE Verbal Reasoning (Reading) score of 151 or better 
• One of the following Math scores:
  • ACT Math score of 17 or better
  • SAT Math score of 510 or better
  • ETS Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Math score of 158 or better
  • GRE Quantitative Reasoning (Math) score of 153 or better 
• One of the following Writing scores:
  • ACT Writing score of 6 or better 
  • SAT Essay-Writing Dimension score of 5 or better 
  • ETS Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Writing score of 165 or better 
  • GRE Analytical Writing score of 4 or better 

Interventional Specialist candidates need to demonstrate competency in mathematical skills above and beyond that which is needed to demonstrate foundational skills. Mathematical competency may be demonstrated through a standardized test (ACT, SAT, Praxis, GRE, MAT) or by college-level mathematics coursework. If a candidate’s ACT/SAT/Praxis test does not meet the minimum required score for mathematical competency, the one may either retake one of the subtests, or take the GRE, or take the MAT, or evidence successful completion of a college-level mathematics course.

Mathematical Skills Competency: Any ONE of the following:

The Mathematical Skills Competency section will start being required for those applying for Summer 2021. 

• ACT Mathematics: 21 OR
• SAT Mathematics: 520  OR
• Praxis Mathematics: 158 OR
• GRE Mathematics subtest in the 50^th percentile or higher OR
• MAT Mathematics subtest in the 50^th percentile or higher OR
• Grade of “C” or higher in ONE college-level (non-developmental) mathematics course

Be aware that WHEN you took the test is an important factor in determining whether your score meets the minimum criteria for admission, due to revisions that have occurred over time in the ACT, SAT, and Praxis tests. Acceptable Test Scores for Admission to Teacher Education Programs (PDF)

PLEASE NOTE: The admissions requirements listed above are composed of required admissions materials for both the Graduate School AND the Teacher Education Department. The Graduate School requires completion of the Graduate School application. The Teacher Education Department requires submission of a program application (different from the Graduate School application), which includes the following: submission of nationally normed test scores as listed above, submission of a CDI assessment, and submission of clear BCI and FBI background checks. The Teacher Education Department (TED), NOT the Graduate School, tracks the TED required admissions materials.

The CDI assessment is to be completed by a supervisor as a part of a professional relationship and must be mailed to the Teacher Education Department directly from said supervisor.

BCI/FBI background checks must be submitted directly to the Teacher Education Department from the State of Ohio.

Nationally normed test scores can be submitted directly to WSU through undergraduate admissions. ACT/SAT/Praxis official scores must be sent directly from the vendor to WSU.

Deadlines:

To start in the Spring semester, all application materials must be submitted by November 15.

To start in the Summer A or B semester, all application materials must be submitted by March 15.

To start in the Fall semester, all application materials must be submitted by July 15.

*NOTE: All application materials include requirements from both the Graduate School and the Teacher Education Department. Materials include the Graduate School application, program application, required nationally normed test scores, CDI assessment, and clear BCI/FBI background checks. Be aware that nationally normed tests scores can take up to 4-6 weeks to arrive from the date of request. BCI/FBI background checks can take up to 4-6 weeks to arrive from the date of fingerprinting.

Admission Process

Licensure Exams

Intervention specialist candidates are required to pass specific Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE) tests before they are allowed to begin their student teaching experience. Information on the tests and preparation materials can be found on the OAE website.