Is a person with a special B.Ed eligible to write the general DSC exam?

A person with a special B.Ed. is eligible to write the general DSC exam. These requirements need to be met as well:

1) At least two full-time years of experience in a classroom setting;

2) Official transcripts verifying completion of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college (special education degree is not required);

3) Signatures from the Principal and Superintendent verifying qualifications for a teaching license.

About The Exam

The DSC exam is a high-stakes test to ensure that those people who are teaching in classrooms have demonstrated an understanding of content and pedagogy. The exam is required for all teachers, including special education instructors. There are three sections

to the examination: Language Arts (Reading Comprehension), Mathematics, Science

(Natural Sciences- Life and Earth Sciences).

There are two types of the exam:

· General Curriculum Content (GC)

· Special Education Content

The GC is geared towards math, reading comprehension, and natural sciences while the SE content is tailored for special education professionals who work with students in a variety of disabilities including autism spectrum disorders, intellectual impairments, and speech-language impairments.

The DSC exam is a multiple-choice the examination lasts about two hours and fifteen minutes in total. The the examinee must answer 75% of the questions correctly to pass with no time limit or 15 wrong answers from an unlimited number of attempts; 50% on most sections, 60-75% on the SE section and 90% on the Reading Comprehension.

The exam is offered in paper-based format, as a computer adaptive test (CAT), or in an interactive voice response the system if the examinee has special needs that make it difficult to take a written examination.

How to prepare?

The Department of Education has released a study guide for the DSC exam. This PDF includes content from previous exams and is updated regularly to reflect changes in teaching standards, curriculum, and pedagogy. To prepare for the test, it's important

that an examinee read up on subject matter knowledge as well as taking practice

tests before sitting down for the exam.

One of the best ways to prepare for the General Curriculum Content (GC) section is by using a program called DSC Practice that's available on the Department of Education website. The questions are modeled after those found in past exams and includes detailed answer explanations with references to lessons learned from other teachers who took their practice tests.

You can also choose Achievers Academy for your DSC needs. They offer a comprehensive three-day prep course that covers all the necessary material as well as an expert tutor for each section of the exam (Reading Comprehension, Language Arts, and Mathematics). Here is the link to their course.