Introduction to Special Education

Course Description

EEX2010 – Introduction to Special Education is a 3-credit, 45-contact-hour sophomore-level course surveying the education of students with disabilities. It is a foundational requirement in Florida teacher preparation programs and a common prerequisite for Exceptional Student Education (ESE) degree and certification pathways.

Florida uses the term Exceptional Student Education rather than "special education," and it covers students with disabilities and students who are gifted. The course introduces the full range of exceptionalities a Florida teacher will encounter: specific learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, emotional or behavioral disabilities, speech and language impairment, deaf or hard of hearing, visual impairment, orthopedic and other health impairments, traumatic brain injury, and giftedness.

The legal framework is substantial and non-negotiable. IDEA establishes the right to a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment, and the procedural machinery that delivers it: referral, evaluation, eligibility determination, the Individual Educational Plan (IEP), and parental rights including dispute resolution. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA cover students who need accommodation without qualifying under IDEA.

Practically, the course covers inclusion and collaboration — co-teaching models, working with ESE specialists and paraprofessionals, and the general education teacher's genuine responsibilities on an IEP team — along with differentiated instruction, Universal Design for Learning, accommodation versus modification, assistive technology, positive behavior supports, and Florida's multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS).

Offered at approximately 19 Florida institutions, including UCF and FIU, and state colleges with education programs (College of Central Florida, College of the Florida Keys, Daytona State, Eastern Florida State, Florida Gateway, Gulf Coast State, Indian River State, Northwest Florida State, Palm Beach State, Pensacola State, Santa Fe, St. Petersburg, State College of Florida, Seminole State, Tallahassee State, Valencia).

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

• Describe the categories of exceptionality recognized in Florida, including disabilities and giftedness.
• Describe characteristics, prevalence, and educational implications of major disability categories.
• Explain IDEA and the rights it establishes, including FAPE and the least restrictive environment.
• Describe the referral, evaluation, and eligibility determination process in Florida.
• Describe the components of an IEP and the responsibilities of each team member.
• Explain parental rights and procedural safeguards under IDEA.
• Distinguish IDEA eligibility from Section 504 and ADA coverage.
• Distinguish accommodation from modification and apply each appropriately.
• Apply differentiated instruction and Universal Design for Learning principles to lesson planning.
• Describe co-teaching and collaboration models and the general education teacher's role.
• Describe positive behavior supports and functional behavior assessment.
• Describe Florida's multi-tiered system of supports and the general educator's role within it.
• Describe assistive technology and its selection.
• Describe family engagement and culturally responsive practice in ESE.

Optional Outcomes

• Describe transition planning and postsecondary outcomes for students with disabilities.
• Describe early intervention and preschool services.
• Analyze disproportionality in ESE identification.
• Describe the education of students who are gifted.
• Complete a field observation in an ESE or inclusive setting.
• Describe Florida school choice options for students with disabilities.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Foundations and history — the development of special education law and the shift toward inclusion.
• IDEA — FAPE, LRE, the six principles, and the procedural framework.
• Section 504 and the ADA — coverage, accommodation plans, and the distinction from IDEA.
• The referral-to-placement process — screening, referral, evaluation, eligibility, and placement in Florida.
• The IEP — required components, goal writing, team composition, and the general educator's obligations.
• Parental rights — consent, notice, records, mediation, and due process.
• High-incidence disabilities — specific learning disabilities, speech and language impairment, and emotional/behavioral disabilities.
• Autism spectrum disorder — characteristics and educational approaches.
• Intellectual disabilities and low-incidence disabilities — sensory, orthopedic, health, and traumatic brain injury.
• Gifted education — identification and service models in Florida.
• Inclusion and collaboration — co-teaching models, consultation, and paraprofessional supervision.
• Differentiated instruction and UDL — planning for varied learners from the outset.
• Accommodations and modifications — the distinction and its consequences for grading and assessment.
• Behavior — positive behavior interventions and supports, functional behavior assessment, and behavior intervention plans.
• MTSS — tiered intervention and data-based decision making.
• Assistive technology — low- and high-tech supports and selection.

Optional Topics

• Transition planning and postsecondary outcomes.
• Early intervention and preschool services.
• Disproportionality in identification.
• Florida school choice programs for students with disabilities.
• Field observation in inclusive and ESE settings.
• Teacher collaboration with related service providers.

Resources & Tools

• Exceptional Lives: Practice, Progress, and Dignity in Today's Schools (Turnbull et al.), Pearson — widely adopted.
• Human Exceptionality: School, Community, and Family (Hardman et al.), Cengage — a common alternative.
• Special Education: Contemporary Perspectives for School Professionals (Friend), Pearson.
• FLDOE Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services (BEESS) — Florida ESE rules, eligibility criteria, and guidance.
• Rule 6A-6.03xxx, Florida Administrative Code — ESE eligibility criteria by exceptionality.
• IDEA statute and regulations, and the U.S. Department of Education's IDEA site.
• CAST — Universal Design for Learning guidelines.
• Florida Inclusion Network and Florida PBIS Project — state technical assistance resources.

Career Pathways

• Special Education Teacher (SOC 25-2050 series) — requiring Florida ESE K–12 certification; a persistent shortage area statewide.
• Elementary, Middle, and Secondary Teacher (SOC 25-2021, 25-2022, 25-2031) — every general education teacher serves students with IEPs.
• ESE Support Facilitator or Resource Teacher — inclusion support roles in Florida schools.
• Paraprofessional — an entry point for students not yet certified.
• Behavior Analyst or Behavior Specialist — with additional credentialing (BCBA).
• ESE Program Specialist — district-level compliance and program administration.
• Early Intervention Specialist — Florida Early Steps and preschool programs.

ESE is one of Florida's most persistent teacher shortage areas, appearing on the state's Critical Teacher Shortage list year after year. That makes ESE certification a genuine employment advantage and, at times, opens loan forgiveness and tuition assistance programs.

Special Information

Florida terminology differs from the national vocabulary

Florida uses Exceptional Student Education (ESE) where most states and most national textbooks say "special education," and Florida's ESE explicitly includes gifted students. Eligibility criteria are set in Florida Administrative Code rather than by the textbook's general descriptions, and they differ in specifics from other states. Students should learn the Florida criteria as the operative ones — this matters on the FTCE and in practice.

Certification pathways

EEX2010 is a foundations course, not a certification in itself. Florida ESE K–12 certification requires a qualifying degree or an approved program plus the relevant FTCE examinations, including the Exceptional Student Education K–12 subject area examination (test 061). Many Florida teacher preparation programs require this course of all candidates regardless of intended certification area, because every teacher serves students with IEPs.

Course-title and numbering variation

Local titles include Introduction to Special Education, Introduction to Exceptionalities (used at FAU as an alternative program prerequisite), Introduction to Exceptional Student Education, and Educating Exceptional Students. Under SCNS the same number at the same level is equivalent regardless of title. Some institutions also carry EEX3012 or similar upper-division equivalents — and as with other SCNS pairs, different numbers are not automatically interchangeable. Students transferring into a bachelor's education program should confirm which number that program requires.

Position in the curriculum

Typically taken in the sophomore year, often within an A.A. education pathway, before upper-division methods coursework and field experience. It is a common prerequisite for ESE-specific coursework and for admission to some teacher preparation programs.

The general educator's IEP obligations are real

Worth stating plainly for students who do not intend to teach ESE: the general education teacher is a required member of the IEP team, is legally obligated to implement the accommodations an IEP specifies, and can expose the district to liability by failing to do so. This is not the ESE teacher's problem alone. The course is foundational for every teacher for that reason, not merely as an awareness exercise.