MED in Special EducationGeneral Curriculum

Presented on behalf of the Department of Inclusive Education

November 22, 2013

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Purpose

Summarize the proposed program changes for the MED in Special Education General

Curriculum program.

November 22, 2013

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Rationale

October 10, 2013

National:2013 CEC Federal Outlook for Exceptional Children indicates 7+ million students with disabilities are services under IDEA and a shortage of teachers are available to meet this need. 45,514 of those serving as Special Education teachers do not meet required standards.

State: 2013 U.S. Teacher Shortage Area listing identified special education teaching as an official shortage area for 48 states and D.C. Notably, Georgia’s demand for fully credentialed special education teachers exceeds the available supply.

Local:Teachers take and pass the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) but do not hold specific content and pedagogical knowledge acquired from teacher preparation programs that lead to certification. A Director of Special Education Services from a metro-Atlanta school district reported, “ Given our staffing crisis, it is increasingly challenging to provide quality services to children with disabilities as required by federal mandates.”

KSU: INED SPED MEd aims to ameliorate the challenge of chronic teacher shortage, by preparing highly effective Special Education teachers to meet the needs of children with disabilities within an increasingly diverse community.

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Guiding Questions?

• What are the best practices in the field of special education today?

• What will it take to become a program of excellence?

• How can we better meet the needs of practicing teachers?

October 10, 2013

Essential Tenets

Culturally Responsive Practitioner

Ethical Practitioner

Collaborative and Reflective

PractitionerAdvocate

Evidence Based Decision

Maker

October 10, 20135

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Revision Timeline

Admit candidates under new curriculum

Summer 2014

Began examining and revising key assessments

Curriculum Review Committees

INED Curriculum Committee

TEC

GPCC

Fall 2013

Aligned Course Objectives with Guiding Standards

EPP Proficiencies

Council for Exceptional Children

InTASC

NCATE/CAEP

Georgia PSC

Summer 2013

Identified Essential Program Topics

Organized Course Content and Sequence

Developed / Updated Syllabi and learning objectives

Established Program Outcomes

Review by Constituents

Spring 2013

Evaluation of the Landscape

Examined guiding standards

Analyzed aspirant programs

Consulted with Constituents

Fall 2012

Department of Inclusive Education Identified the MED revision as priority after MAT was developed.

Fall 2011

October 10, 2013

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Considerations

Relevancy

Changing Requirements

Best Practices

Delivery Options

No major revisions in the past decadeMinor changes to meet revised CEC standards when necessaryInformed feedback from constituent groupsSignificant need to clarify expectations, alignments, policies and overall clean-up

Clarification of eligible candidates by GaPSC (must have an education degree in a field other than special education)Justification for changes based on previous CEC SPA ReviewChanges in guiding standards is on the horizonRevisions to existing standards

Evidence-based PracticesStrategic InstructionUniversal Design for LearningCulturally Responsive PedagogyReflective PracticesDifferentiation

Fully Online Delivery for Master’s Level Program

October 10, 2013

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Standards Alignment

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Program Electives

Historic• Special education teachers required to

be highly qualified in a content area.

• Reading was a content area

• Reading Endorsement Newly Implemented

• Require Reading Endorsement unless candidates were already reading endorsed.

• Course substitutions would be done for exceptions.

Current• Candidates entering with reading

expertise

• KSU implemented a variety of new endorsements

• Seek to differentiate based on student interests

• Build scalability by eliminating substitution exceptions

October 10, 2013

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Questions?