Teacher Education

Bachelor of Science in Education and Licensure: Intervention Specialist - Mild/Moderate

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Why Choose Intervention Specialist: Mild/Moderate?

You can earn a Bachelor of Science in Education degree with a multi age-licensure in the area of mild to moderate disabilities in Wright State's intervention specialist program. You can also choose two content concentration areas from language arts, mathematics, social studies, and/or science. The degree program is designed for you to complete general education and content courses as a freshman and sophomore and begin the intervention specialist cohort program as a junior. 

The cohort portion of the program consists of three semesters of integrated coursework and field experiences and one semester of student teaching. Courses include multi-cultural and global perspectives in the general education requirements. Additionally, specific courses ensure that you develop theoretical and practical knowledge in humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and biological and physical sciences. You will take courses that prepare you to work with individuals who are 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 University’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.  Moreover, our programs 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 

  • Early and frequent field experiences provide learning and networking opportunities for you in Kindergarten to grade 12 classrooms.  
  • Cohort model allows students to move through the program as a group and take the same courses together. This creates more connection and support among peers.  
  • 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 

Contact Information

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

For general questions, admission information, licensure information, and transcript evaluation contact an academic advisor in the CHEH Academic Advising Office.

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 our 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 our 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:    

  • Early in your program, you will have the opportunity to begin serving in schools through ED 2100 Education in a Democracy, a designated service-learning course.  
  • You will be in the schools early and often, including at least three semesters in which you are in the field.  
  • You will spend more hours on the ground in schools practicing and refining your skills than in nearly any other program in the state. Although the state only requires 100 hours prior to student teaching, Wright State’s intervention specialist program requires 575.   
  • 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, Curriculum, and Advising Information

View the Bachelor of Science in Education in Intervention Specialist program information, degree requirements, and graduation planning strategy in the Academic Catalog.

Intervention Specialist Handbook (PDF)

Intervention Specialist Program of Study (DOCX)

Intervention Specialist GPS (PDF)

Admission

Admissions Requirements

  • 60 hours of coursework that count toward the IS B.S.Ed. program
  • A minimum cumulative undergraduate GPA of 2.6
  • Grade of “C” or better in all completed Concentration Area courses
  • ED  2100, ED  2600, ED  2700, and ED 2800, EDS 2900 – all with a grade of "C" or better
  • ED 2650 with a grade of “P”

Dispositional Assessment

  • Candidates must receive ratings of 3 or higher on all components of the Candidate Disposition Inventory (CDI) from ED 2650.

Foundational Knowledge Competency: Candidates need to demonstrate foundational knowledge in reading, mathematics, and writing. These skills are measured through either the ACT, SAT, or Praxis scores. 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
  • 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
  • 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

If you are a Wright Path student who is following an articulation agreement, courses required for program admission slightly differ. Please refer to the articulation agreements on the Wright Path webpage and work with your academic advisor to confirm you are ready to enter the B.S.Ed. program. 

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)

**Due to accreditation requirement changes, admissions requirements are subject to change. You should continue to check for updates, and work with your advisor to be informed of upcoming changes. 

Admission Process

New Students

1

Apply to the University. You will be admitted as a pre-major until you meet the criteria for acceptance into the major.

Current Wright State Students

2

Complete the program application.

New cohorts begin in the Fall Semester only. Applications are due January 15 to begin in the Fall Semester.

3

If your reading, writing, or math ACT/SAT scores do not meet the minimum scores listed above, complete the appropriate ETS Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators test.

You have until June 1 to submit final test scores to meet admission criteria.

4

Applicants also have the option to appeal one or more admission requirements or an admission decision through our Educator Preparation Appeal 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


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