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Submitter's Information
Karin Pavelek
Coordinator and Faculty, CDES
Orange County
Fullerton College
CTE Dean
Dean Jorge Gamboa
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Program Details
The Special Education Certificate
Program Modifications (formerly substantial changes)
Children with Special Needs (130520)
08/30/27
The Special Education Certificate equips students with the essential knowledge, skills, and resources to effectively support children and adolescents with special needs. Through coursework focused on intervention strategies, adaptive curriculum design, and family engagement, students learn to foster inclusive and supportive learning environments. This certificate prepares students for employment as instructional aides in K–12 public schools and early childhood education programs serving children with identified special needs. This certificate requires the completion of 27 units. A grade of C or better is required in each course taken.
Projections of 15 students per year. The SPED courses cap at 30, and are offered once per school year, except for CDES 204 Introduction to Special Education (offered each semester).
Top code: 1305.20 Children with Special Needs.
Program awards conferred by community colleges (OC and LA County) in the related TOP codes can be found in the following table:
| College | 201-2022 | 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 | 3 year award average |
| Santiago Canyon | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| LA City College | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 |
| Long Beach | 5 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Rio Hondo | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 |
| Santa Monica | 8 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
| East LA | 43 | 38 | 38 | 40 |
Program Proposal Attributes
- Certificate of Achievement: 16 or greater semester (or 24 or greater quarter) units (C)
The Special Education Certificate equips students with the essential knowledge, skills, and resources to effectively support children and adolescents with special needs.
The program outcome goals for students completing the program are:
- Outcome: Identify and design specific teaching strategies for effective inclusion of children with special needs.
- Outcome: Evaluate strategies and techniques of effective communication within partnerships between families, children’s programs and intervention settings.
- Outcome: Analyze the personal and team roles and responsibilities of the para-professional in the public school, including professional ethics and communication skills.
- Outcome: Design meaningful, functional curriculum that is appropriate for individuals with diverse needs and abilities.
Course Units and Hours
27 Units
n/a
n/a
Course Report
A minimum grade of “C” is required in each course. TheSpecial Education Certificate requires a total of 27 units. This program can be completed in 1 to 2 years.
| Course | Title | Units | Year/Semester (Y1 or S1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CDES 115 F | Introduction to Curriculum | 3 | Year 1 fall |
| CDES 120 F | Child Development | 3 | Year 1 fall |
| CDES 122 F | Principles | 3 | Year 1 spring |
| CDES 201 F | In the Home and Community | 3 | Year 1 spring |
| CDES 204 F | Introduction to Special Education | 3 | Year 2 fall |
| CDES 207 F | Principles and Techniques of Early Childhood Special Education with Field Experience | 3 | Year 2 fall |
| CDES 208 F | Working with Families of Children with Special Needs | 3 | Year 2 fall |
| CDES 209 F | The Role of the Para-Professional in Diverse Settings | 3 | Year 2 spring |
| CDES 211 F | Classroom Practices for Diverse Learners | 3 | year 2 spring |
Supporting Documents
Orange County Regional Questions
North Orange County Community College District
Fullerton College
Kenneth Starkman
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Program Modification
- ECE Teacher Certificate
- Infant and Toddler Certificate
- CDES AA Degree
- ECE AA Degree
- ECE AST Degree
- Santiago Canyon College: Level 1 and 2 Early Childhood Exceptional Needs Certificates
- Orange Coast College: Working with Exceptional Children Specialization, Certificate of Achievement
Annual enrollment projections provided above.
Special Education and Teaching, General
Submission Details
05/28/26 - 10:37 AM
05/15/26 - 04:51 PM by Karin Pavelek
Informational
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Please list the reason(s) for returning "The Special Education Certificate". to Karin Pavelek's drafts. This message will be sent to kpavelek@fullcoll.edu
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