EEX4070 – Teaching Exceptional Students is a 3-credit upper-division survey preparing general education teacher candidates to serve students with disabilities. Florida Atlantic University titles it Inclusive Education for General Educators, which describes the purpose exactly.
This is among the most consequential courses in Florida teacher preparation, for a structural reason: students with disabilities are educated predominantly in general education classrooms, so the teacher responsible for implementing accommodations, differentiating instruction, and participating in IEP decisions is usually a general education teacher rather than an ESE specialist. A candidate who leaves this course thinking exceptional students are someone else's responsibility has misunderstood the job.
Content covers the legal foundation — IDEA, Section 504, and the ADA, and the rights they create; Florida's ESE framework and eligibility categories; the IEP — its components, the team, the general educator's required role, and how goals drive instruction; Section 504 plans and how they differ from IEPs; disability categories — characteristics and instructional implications of specific learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, ADHD, sensory impairments, and others; gifted education, which in Florida falls under the ESE umbrella; differentiated instruction; Universal Design for Learning; accommodations and modifications and the critical difference between them; multi-tiered systems of support; positive behavior support and functional behavior assessment; assistive technology; collaboration and co-teaching with ESE staff; working with families; and transition planning.
Offered at approximately 11 Florida institutions with teacher preparation programs.
Florida carries these as distinct courses for distinct populations, and confusing them costs a term:
| Course | Audience | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| EEX4070 Teaching Exceptional Students | General education majors — elementary, secondary, and subject-area candidates | The survey that prepares every teacher to serve students with disabilities in an inclusive classroom |
| EEX4221 Assessment of Exceptional Education Students | ESE majors only at most institutions | Specialized assessment practice for those who will conduct evaluations and write IEP goals |
Florida Atlantic University titles EEX4070 Inclusive Education for General Educators and restricts it to general education majors, while EEX4221 carries an ESE prerequisite chain (EEX2091 or equivalent, EEX4050, EEX4101, EEX4751). SCNS equivalency applies to the same number at the same level, never across numbers — confirm which your program requires.
Florida requires teacher preparation programs to include instruction in teaching students with disabilities, and ESE competencies appear on the FTCE Professional Education Test that every candidate must pass. This course is generally how programs meet that requirement. It is not an elective and it is not only for people planning to work in special education — a general education teacher in Florida will have students with IEPs in the classroom, and implementing those IEPs is a legal obligation, not a professional courtesy.
The most practical point in the course. An IEP is a legally binding document. If it specifies extended time, preferential seating, a scribe, or a modified assignment, the general education teacher must provide it — and "I didn't know" is not a defense, since teachers are entitled to and responsible for knowing the IEPs of students they teach. Districts have been found out of compliance over exactly this. Candidates should leave knowing how to obtain, read, and document implementation of an IEP.
Routinely confused, and the distinction matters. An accommodation changes how a student accesses content or demonstrates learning without changing what is being learned or the standard applied — extended time, text-to-speech, a quiet room. A modification changes the content or the standard itself — fewer problems, reduced complexity, alternate standards. Accommodations preserve grade-level expectations; modifications alter them, with consequences for diploma track and postsecondary options. Teachers who provide modifications while believing they are providing accommodations quietly lower a student's ceiling.
A point that surprises candidates from other states: Florida administers gifted education under the exceptional student education umbrella, with its own eligibility criteria under Rule 6A-6, F.A.C., and an Educational Plan (EP) rather than an IEP. General education teachers encounter gifted identification and service decisions, and this course is usually where that is covered.
Professional practice has moved toward person-first language ("a student with autism"), but many disabled adults — particularly in the autistic and Deaf communities — prefer identity-first language ("an autistic student"). The defensible position is to know both conventions, understand why each is used, and follow the preference of the person or community concerned where it is known. Candidates should expect this to be discussed rather than prescribed.
The 4000-level number means junior or senior standing and normally admission to a teacher preparation program. Many versions carry a field experience requirement in a classroom serving students with disabilities, which requires district clearance and background screening — begin that paperwork before the term starts. Verify prerequisites and field requirements locally.
Generated August 31, 2026 · Updated August 31, 2026