Special Education (M.Ed.)
Master of Education. Major in Special Education.
Special Education is a unique program culminating in an undergraduate B.S.Ed. degree and recommendation for certification in either elementary or secondary education plus an Master of Education (M.Ed.) Degree and recommendation for the Standard Exceptional Child Certificate with a Generalist K-12 Endorsement. It is designed for students who want to become teachers in Special Education and general education.
Students must complete all requirements for a B.S.Ed in elementary or secondary education, and successfully complete with a 'C' or better these prerequisites:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDSP 300 | Educating for Exceptionalities | 3 |
| EDSP 325 | Supporting Student Behaviors in the Classroom | 3 |
| EDSP 350 | Language and Communication Development and Disorders | 3 |
| MTHE 235 | Mathematics for Elementary Teachers I | 3 |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Students must be admitted to the Special Education Masters Program through the College of Graduate Studies.
Students must also pass all three tests on the Idaho Comprehensive Literacy Assessment (ICLA) and the Praxis II Assessment in Special Education (10542 and 20353) and Elementary Education (10014) prior to beginning their special education internship.
Students will qualify for a Master of Education with a major in Special Education and an institutional recommendation for special education certification which will qualify the graduate for the Exceptional Child Certificate and Generalist K-12 Endorsement when they successfully complete the following coursework:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDCI 570 | Introduction to Research in Curriculum and Instruction | 3 |
| EDSP 423 | Collaboration | 3 |
| EDSP 425 | Evaluation of Children and Youth | 3 |
| EDSP 426 | Developing Instructional Programs | 3 |
| EDSP 530 | Assistive Technology and Universal Design for Learning for Pre-K12 | 2 |
| EDSP 540 | Behavioral Analysis for Children and Youth | 3 |
| EDSP 548 | Special Education Curriculum | 3 |
| EDSP 549 | Language, Communication, and Social/Emotional Enhancement | 3 |
| EDSP 597 | Practicum | 1-16 |
| EDSP 599 | Non-thesis Master's Research | 1-16 |
| Additional Reading Requirement | ||
| Literacy Methods for Content Learning (For students with B.S.Ed. Elementary Education) | ||
| Teaching Reading and Literacy (For students with B.S.Ed. Secondary Education) | ||
| Total Hours | 25-55 | |
- Graduates demonstrate an understanding of the philosophical foundation of disabilities and special education and historical and contemporary school models that promote developmentally responsive practices for all learners.
- Graduates demonstrate an understanding that curriculum and interventions should be relevant, inviting, challenging, integrative, and exploratory. They illustrate how to design, select, and adapt curriculum for individuals in light of curriculum standards, theories, and models.
- Graduates demonstrate an understanding of the principles of developmentally appropriate instruction, know a wide variety of teaching and learning strategies and interventions, and use technologically sound practices to teach core concepts, skills of inquiry, problem solving, collaboration, and communication.
- Graduates analyze and demonstrate an understanding of the roles of multiple assessments for identifying, monitoring, and evaluating students' learning in order to modify instruction; they can develop and critique formal and informal and performance assessment techniques, including local, state, and national assessment systems.
- Graduates, as critical consumers and producers of educational research, examine the role of educational research for collecting, analyzing, and sharing data.
- Graduates select and apply a variety of communication techniques to foster inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in and beyond the classroom.
- Graduates demonstrate an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior and create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
8. Standard 1: Special Education Law. The teacher candidate develops individualized education plans, transition plans, and behavior plans in accordance with applicable laws, rules, regulations, and procedural safeguards.
9. Standard 2: Specially Designed Instruction. The teacher candidate selects, adapts, modifies, and uses a repertoire of evidence-based instructional strategies, including universal design for learning to advance learning, self-advocacy, and independence of individuals with exceptionalities.
10. Standard 3: Assistive Technology. The teacher candidate designs strategies to facilitate optimal access to low and high technology tools and assistive technologies across learning environments to support the communication and learning of individuals with exceptionalities.
11. Standard 4: Eligibility Assessment. The teacher candidate administers, interprets, and explains technically sound eligibility assessments to guide educational decisions for individuals with exceptionalities.
12. Standard 5: Support Staff. The teacher candidate demonstrates knowledge in the guidance and direction to paraeducators and other student support staff.