This course is designed as a seminar course to accommodate a variety of professional development topics. Examples of topics are: PRAXIS II Preparation, Senate Bill 1, and other educational reform topics such as the Common Core Standards. For participants in the School of Education’s online professional Development Center, seminar credit may be aligned with Professional Development threads for academic credit that may be transferred into the degree program. For more information log-on at education@ kysu.edu. The student may enroll in this course up to three times under different topics.

This course reviews pertinent legislation concerning human and constitutional right and parental issues related to special persons. Teachers’ specific responsibilities and liabilities are described and related to current requirements for development of appropriate educational programs. Emphasis is given to how, through active parent participation, teachers can facilitate each student’s developmental progress. The resources and methods for dealing with the problems confronted by parents of exceptional children are considered, field hours required.

This course will concentrate on the best practices for teaching reading to students with learning and behavioral difficulties. Candidates will conduct research on literacy problems in the United States and examine reading approaches for students with reading difficulties. Understanding of best practice strategies for teaching of reading will be applied through a research paper project, field hours required.

The primary focus of this course is on teaching of mathematics to children and youth with learning and behavior disorders. The overall context in which these teaching ap-proaches are considered are the national curricular reforms in mathematics. Clearly, this course primarily attends to the domains of pedagogy, pedagogy and its relationship to su-ject matter, curriculum, and pedagogical content knowledge. Given that, the learner must always be considered and that the general context of instruction in the school, the domains of the learners and schools are emphasized, however to a lesser degree in this course. Specific attention is provided in this course to the teaching that responds to the reform recommendations identified by National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) and higher standards in mathematics education present in KERA, 10 hours of field work required.

This course will provide information and knowledge on legislation and litigation in special education. A historical overview of the field of special education will be presented. Characteristics of children and youth with disabilities, espe-cially learning disabilities and behavior disorders, will be presented, 10 hours of field work required.

This course is designed to provide an opportunity to explore the variety of teaching methods, technology, media, resources, and materials that may be used for effective teaching in the classroom. Major focuses are given to the area of constructing unit lessons, lesson presentations, and evaluation of student progress. Candidates are expected to develop lesson plans that accommodate the needs of learners with disabilities. Designing instructional strategies for diversity in culture and in learning styles, adapting commercial and teacher made materials, assessing learners’ progress, and using technology to enhance instruction are presented, field hours required.

Students will learn to: (a) identify and assess problem behavior; (b) design and implement behavioral interventions; (c) design learning environments that will prevent problem behaviors; and (d) apply behavioral procedures in educational settings, field hours required.

A review of studies from a variety of disciplines that have relevance to special education populations. Special emphasis will be given to those skills (understanding, assumption, reading, and abstracting articles, interpreting data, and eva-luating results) needed to understand the relationship be-tween research strategies and problems in special education, 10 hours of field work required.

This course will provide information focusing on the identification, instruction, and assessment of individuals with specific learning disabilities and learning differences. Special emphasis will be placed on the characteristics (academic, social, organizational, and behavioral) of individuals who learn differently. Participants will learn information that will help them better prepare lessons, settings, and evaluations that enable success for their learners. For more information, see Purposes of the Course within this syllabus, 10 hours of field work required.

This course will provide participants with an understanding and informed use of assessment data. It focuses on policies and procedures involved in the screening, diagnosis, and placement of individuals with emotional/behavioral disorders including academic and social behaviors. The primary research project will involve the assessment of appropriate and problematic social behaviors of individuals with E\BD, field hours required.

This course addresses inclusion, collaboration, and advocacy approaches to working with children and youth with disabilities. Approaches for differentiating instruction in an inclusive classroom are presented. Procedures for working with parents and educators in collaborative settings are addressed. Related and transitional services are discussed, field hours required.

This course will explore strategies for teaching skills and content areas, such as reading, mathematics, oral and written language, and social and study skills, to students with learning and behavior disorders. The course will provide participants with the opportunity to incorporate previous course knowledge and various approaches to learning and teaching to design IEPs that meet the needs of their students. This course will require a 10-hour field experience component, field hours required.

The Option 6 teaching experience is designed exclusively for the MASPE candidate who currently (a) is employed in a regular (non-substitute), full-time position as a Special Education Teacher of record in a public school and (b) has a P-12 class or caseload of students who have IEPs for EBD and/or LD. It is the culminating experience for MASPE’s alternative teacher certification (Option 6) program. The MASPE Practicum Teacher is supported, observed, and evaluated by a Mentor Teacher, who is full-time Special Education Teacher. The Mentor Teacher holds a Master degree in Special Education or related field and has had at least three years teaching experience as a Teacher certified in Exceptional Education. During the course of the semester, the Supervised Teacher completes several assignments that verify his or her knowledge, skills, professional dispositions, and cultural competence, at a Master level. The MASPE Practicum Teacher remains employed, in his or her current teaching position, during the practicum.

The full-time, supervised teaching experience is designed for the MASPE candidate who has at least three years of experience as a professional educator, in a P-12 school, and is not currently a Special Education Teacher of record in a public school. It is at least 70 days of full-time supervised teaching in an elementary school, middle school, or high school setting, with students who have IEPs for EBD and/or LD. The MASPE Supervised Teacher is directly supervised by a Mentor Teacher, who is a full-time Special Education Teacher. The Mentor Teacher holds a Master degree in Special Education or related field and has had at least three years teaching experience as a Teacher certified in Exceptional Education. During the course of the semester, the Supervised Teacher completes several assignments that verify his or her knowledge, skills, professional dispositions, and cultural competence, at a Master level. The MASPE Supervised Teacher may not be employed during the school day, at a school or elsewhere, for the duration of Supervised Teaching.

The full-time student teaching experience is designed for the MASPE candidate who does not have at least three years of experience as a professional educator, in a P-12 school. It is at least 70 days of full-time teaching, balanced between two school placements (elementary school, middle school, high school), with students who have IEPs for EBD and/or LD. The MASPE Student Teacher is directly supervised by a Cooperating Teacher, who is a full-time Special Education Teacher. The Cooperating Teacher holds a Master degree in Special Education or related field and has had at least three years teaching experience as a Teacher certified in Exceptional Education. The MASPE Student Teacher also is supported, observed, and evaluated by a University Supervisor. During the course of the semester, the MASPE Student Teacher completes several assignments that verify his or her knowledge, skills, professional dispositions, and cultural competence, at a Master level. The MASPE Student Teacher maynot be employed during the school day, at a school or elsewhere, for the duration of student teaching.