Indiana Licensure in Exceptional Needs: Intense Intervention K-12

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As a result of a grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education, Purdue University Calumet's School of Education is offering a tuition-free program for teachers to become licensed in Intense Intervention.

The two-year part-time program begins in Fall, 2009. The program includes content on characteristics, instruction, and issues related to serving students who have significant cognitive, behavioral, and/or physical disabilities with a focus on autism and working with diverse families.

Program of Study*

• Fall, 2009
  • Individuals with Severe Disabilities: Historical Perspectives, Etiology, & Characteristics
  • Advanced Technological Applications in Special Education
• Spring, 2010
  • Intervention Strategies & Research for Teaching Individuals with Severe Disabilities I
  • Seminar in Special Education: Diversity, Families, and Disability
• Summer, 2010
  • Internship I: Intense Intervention
• Fall, 2010
  • Intervention Strategies & Research for Teaching Individuals with Severe Disabilities II
  • Seminar in Special Education: Serving Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Spring, 2011
  • Internship II: Intense Intervention (for candidates employed in Intense Intervention positions on emergency permits)
• Summer, 2011
  • Internship II: Intense Intervention (for candidates who need placement in sites for students with intense needs)

  *Prerequisite: Teachers must (a) hold a Mild Intervention License or (b) take four additional tuition-free courses (integrating Students with Special Needs; Identification, Evaluation, and Assessment of Individuals with Exceptionalities; Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers; and Seminar in Special Education: Collaboration) to be eligible for Intense Intervention license.

Send letter of interest and current resume to Dr. Rita Brusca-Vega, Project Director, at vegar@calumet.purdue.edu. The review process will begin June 19 and continue until openings are filled. The letter of interest and resume must be attached as a single document to the email and labeled with the applicant's name. Applicants who meet initial requirements will be contacted for an interview.

The application process is competitive. Teachers selected for the program must:

1. hold a valid teaching license in general or special education;
2. have a 3.0 or B grade average;
3. currently serve students with intense intervention needs or plan to do so in the future;
4. and meet other requirements for admission to the graduate program.

The letter of interest should include reasons for seeking licensure in Intense Intervention, and indicate a commitment to pursuing graduate study.

The Purdue University Calumet Intense Intervention Licensure Program in the Department of Graduate Studies in Education is supported by the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education; the Child Development Center at Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis; the Purdue University Calumet School of Nursing; and the Purdue University Calumet Institute for Social and Policy Research.

Curriculum and Assessment

Standards-Based Curriculum

Candidates seeking the Intense Intervention K-12 license demonstrate mastery of the Indiana Department of Education standards for Teachers of Students with Exceptional Needs and Graduate Studies in Education Standards. Syllabi reflect these standards and include key assignments to be submitted through TaskStream, an online assessment system.

TaskStream is a program evaluation tool which supports accreditation documentation and encourages candidates to create an electronic portfolio. Whether you create a portfolio is optional; however, as a candidate for licensure, you will be required to use the system to submit specific artifacts (assignments) in your courses, as directed by your instructors. A TaskStream account costs $75, which is good for two years, with an option for renewal. To get an account, please make arrangements to see Virginia Rhodes (rhodesv@calumet.purdue.edu or 989-2326) in the Graduate Studies in Education office (ANNX-122).

Candidates may also complete a Master of Science in Special Education, which requires additional courses.

Performance-Based Assessment

Course syllabi contain one or more assignments which are scored using a rubric that documents successful performance on the State standards toward licensure. These artifacts include papers, projects, computer-based teaching materials, videotaped instruction, K-12 student products, and evidence of reflective practice.

Unit Assessment System (Gates)

The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and the Indiana Office of Educator Licensing and Development require that a unit assessment system provides for a data driven monitoring system for all candidates. Our unit assessment system includes three gates through which the candidates must successfully pass to enter, move forward in, and complete, the licensing program.

Admission, Retention, and Completion

Admission (Gate 1)

To be formally admitted to the program, candidates are expected to:

1. hold a mild intervention teaching license or a valid teaching license with an agreement to complete additional courses in supported inclusive education, assessment, applied behavior analysis, and collaboration;
2. be admitted to the School of Education’s Department of Graduate Studies in Education (please see Entering Our Programs); and
3. submit an application for admission to the licensure program to Tom Mihail, Chair of Special Education (available at http://www.calumet.purdue.edu/education/grad/spedforms/intenseapp.pdf).

Retention (Gate 2)

Once admitted, in order to continue in the program, the candidate must meet the following requirements, which are evaluated at the halfway point of each candidate’s licensure program:

1. maintain a minimum 3.0 (B) grade point average; and
2. earn a minimum 2.0 (competent) average e-portfolio score (rubric scores are 3 = exemplary; 2 = competent; 1 = developing; 0=unacceptable).

Completion of Program / Approval for Licensure (Gate 3)

To be recommended to the State of Indiana for Intense Intervention K-12 Licensure, the candidate must meet the following requirements:

1. successfully complete all required coursework;
2. successfully complete supervised teaching or internship in special education;
3. achieve a minimum 3.0 (B) grade point average; and
4. achieve a minimum 2.0 (competent) average e-portfolio score, providing evidence of professional performance on criteria associated with

• Department of Graduate Studies in Education Standards and
• Indiana Department of Education standards for Teachers of Students with Exceptional Needs: Intense Intervention.

When program requirements are met, the candidate contacts Kim Wasniak, our Licensing Assistant (edlicensing@calumet.purdue.edu or 219-989-2335), for support and assistance with the licensure application process.

Coursework meets Indiana licensure requirements. Candidates seeking licensure in another state are advised to check with that state for requirements.

Indiana requires cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification for licensure.

Graduate courses above may also be counted toward the Master of Science in Special Education, a 33 credit hour program.