OPTT First Bachelor's

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Overview


USU’s Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling's Online Practical Teacher Training (USU OPTT) program offers coursework for licensure to work with Birth to 5 (Early Childhood) students with disabilities, K-12 students with mild/moderate disabilities or K-12 students with severe disabilities. All coursework is delivered online and is available throughout the state of Utah. Available as first or second Bachelor’s degree.

Note: OPTT is not available outside of Utah.

 


Admission to the OPTT Program – 1st Bachelor's Degree


The OPTT program is a Bachelor degree in Special Education that leads to licensure. Students who are first admitted to USU will work toward their pre-special education coursework such as their USU general education courses. Once students have completed the program pre-requisites, they will be eligible to apply to the OPTT program. Students who apply into the OPTT program, must meet specific admission criteria as specified here: https://cehs.usu.edu/sperc/sped/undergrad/admission.

Also, to be accepted into the USU OPTT program, applicants must work at least part-time in a district that agrees to collaborate with SPER. Continued employment (at least half-time as a special education teacher or as a special education paraprofessional) is required throughout the OPTT program.

The OPTT Advisor will guide your application process, for any inquiries contact Laura Parrish (laura.parrish@usu.edu).

Students are admitted to Utah State University as pre-special education major and must meet certain course and test requirements to be admitted to the special education major. Applications to the major (online) are due each fall by October 10.

Applications for the Logan-campus program are due February 1.

OPTT Coursework


The OPTT program provides course work leading to licensure to work with early childhood (birth to 5) special education, K-12 students with severe disabilities, or K-12 students with mild/moderate disabilities. Preparation includes academic coursework taken concurrently with supervised field-based experiences.

OPTT coursework is online with required weekly live class sessions for many of the courses. Students log into the class on their own computer from their school or home. Most courses are delivered in a blended format, which means they are a combination of live and online presentation. Each week these classes will meet live for 60-90 minutes, which is less than the usual time for a traditional class. To make up the additional time, students will complete online activities at a time of convenience prior to each live session. So, in a sense, students have more homework (online activities) and less live class time. The live classes are attended by logging in from a computer at home or school, and do not require traveling to a university classroom. A few courses are fully asynchronous, which means there are no live class meetings and students work through the course materials on their own. Learn about all the specializations offered:

Birth to Age 5 (Early Childhood)

Mild/Moderate

Severe

Frequently Asked Questions

USU OPTT (Online Practical Teacher Training) is an innovative, online special education preparation program specifically designed for special education teachers and special education paraprofessionals. It is a partnership with districts and charter schools, so teachers and paraprofessionals must work in a district/charter school that agrees to collaborate with USU while the teacher/paraprofessional completes the program. Continued employment in special education is required throughout the OPTT program.

  1. Early Childhood Special Education
  2. K-12 Severe Disabilities
  3. K-12 Mild/Moderate Disabilities

For a 2nd bachelor’s degree, Early Childhood licensure requires 32 credits, Severe licensure requires 35 credits, and MM licensure requires 36 credits. If this is your first bachelor’s degree, additional credits are required.

The OPTT program is 2 academic years (fall-spring-summer-fall-spring). If this is your first bachelor’s degree, it may take longer to complete than 2 academic years.

Specific courses are required and there are no electives. Courses are offered once/year, and must be taken in a specific sequence.

The OPTT required live class sessions are held late afternoon and early evening on weekdays and are typically 60-90 minutes per week for each course. You will log into these classes on your own computer. In addition to the live class sessions, you will spend approximately 8-10 hours/week working independently completing readings, videos, recorded lectures, online modules, and assignments for each class. Some classes are fully asynchronous, and do not have live class meetings.

All OPTT coursework is delivered online, so you can access classes and coursework from anywhere you have a strong Internet connection. Your computer and Internet must meet specified minimum requirements. You may attend classes from your school or home, but you must be a quiet environment where you will not be interrupted during class. The primary course content is provided asynchronously, which means you will complete it on your own. This content will be provided through textbooks, journal articles, recorded lectures, videos, online modules, and/or applied activities and assignments. You will need to be able to work independently and manage your time well to be successful in these courses. In addition to working on these materials independently, for many of the courses you will attend a live class session (via your personal computer) each week for each class. The live sessions provide the opportunity to interact with the course instructor and other students. These sessions will primarily consist of application activities, small group work, and problem-solving of day-to-day issues you face in your classroom. The live sessions will occur in late afternoon and early evening and attendance is required.

Full-time special education teachers who complete 5 consecutive academic years of service and teach in a low-income school or educational agency, may be eligible for up to $17,000 of loan forgiveness. Please see the directory of eligible schools here.


Yes, graduates earn a first or second bachelor’s degree in special education, and qualify for the Teacher Salary Supplement Program.

Yes, most students are eligible. Once you are in the OPTT program and have been officially admitted to USU, you may apply for financial aid. The OPTT coordinator and advisor will provide guidance on starting this process, but you are responsible for completing all necessary paperwork.
USU Financial Aid Office: usu.edu/finaid
USU Scholarships: http://scholarships.usu.edu/

Contact Information

For 1st Bachelor's

Laura Parrish

Laura Parrish

Special Education Advisor

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling

Phone: 435-797-7575
Office Location: EDUC 371



LEAs with program questions, please contact:


Julia Lyman

Julia Lyman

Project Coordinator

Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling

Phone: 435-797-7205
Office Location: EDUC 336