Goal #1 Graduates will articulate a comprehensive understanding of current issues and trends in the field of special education and have a basic understanding of educational research and how it affects these issues and trends. Specifically, graduates will:
- Define key attributes of current issues and trends.
- Compare and contrast differing perspectives related to current issues and trends,
with reference to any research that may support contrasting perspectives. - Discuss logical implications of such issues and trends for practice.
- Read a research article and understand the statistical results to an introductory level, and from a consumer perspective.
Goal #2 Graduates will apply in-depth knowledge of the biological, psychological, and sociological (including culture, SES, and gender) dimensions of disability, when engaging in responsibilities expected of a special educator (e.g., assessment, eligibility, IFSP/IEP development, instruction, and collaboration). Specifically, graduates will:
- Demonstrate an understanding of both typical and atypical growth and development
across the lifespan, with special attention given to child and adolescent development. - Recognize and identify culturally-familial-related aspects of disabilities.
Articulate understandings of etiology within biological and cultural-environmental
contexts. - Read with understanding reports that include etiological information, in applied
settings. - Participate on eligibility team decisions in a manner that conveys a comprehensive
understanding of federal and state IDEA categorical definitions.
Discuss differing perspectives that define categorical definitions, and how they have
changed over time. - State and recognize commonalities (characteristics) among disabilities, in terms of
attention, learning (including acquisition and processing of knowledge and skills), and behavior. - Detail and recognize characteristics unique to specific disability categories.
- Incorporate above information when planning and delivering educational and
behavioral interventions.
Goal #3 Graduates will possess the knowledge and skills to assess, interpret, synthesize, and summarize the abilities and needs of individuals with disabilities using appropriate formal and informal assessment measures in applicable areas (including academic, adaptive behavior, social-emotional, physical-motor, and communication skills-respective of area of emphasis). Specifically, graduates will:
- Articulate understandings of key concepts and principles related to informal and
formal assessment. - Demonstrate familiarity with a variety of formal assessment instruments.
- Demonstrate appropriate assessment procedures.
- Use effective strategies for observing, recording, and exhibiting student data.
- Prepare written assessment reports, and present oral summaries of those reports, in
ways that would be understandable to both professional peers and families from
diverse backgrounds.
Goal #4 Using informal and formal assessment data, graduates will design individualized educational programs that take into account the comprehensive needs (e.g., academic, cognitive, social, health-medical, and communication) of individuals with disabilities. They will:
- Write Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP)
statements that meet state regulations. - Write Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP) or Individualized Educational Plans
(IEP) goals and objectives that meet state regulations. - Communicate the regulatory dimensions of IFSP and/or IEPs in terms of their
development, implementation, and evaluation (with special attention to family
involvement in the entire process). - Manifest IFSP and/or IEP goals and objectives into daily instructional routines.
Goal #5 Graduates will implement data-based special and general educational programs that meet the needs of individuals with disabilities using knowledge of theories, techniques, and principles in the areas of teacher variables, classroom and behavior management, instruction, curriculum, health-related services, and assistive technology-respective of area of emphasis). Specifically, graduates will:
A. Teacher Variables
1. Summarize and communicate implications of educational research related to
teacher disposition as correlated with student outcomes.
2. Summarize and communicate implications of educational research related to
teacher instructional behaviors as correlated with student outcomes.
B. Classroom management
1. Design, implement, and evaluate appropriate environments for students with
disabilities-based upon research-based environmental design and UDL principles,
as well as culturally responsive principles
C. Behavior management (with special emphasis on School-wide Positive Behavior
Intervention, Functional Behavior Assessment and Behavior Intervention Planning)
1. Demonstrate knowledge of, and ability to apply and evaluate the effectiveness of,
least-to-most intrusive behavioral interventions.
2. Demonstrate knowledge of, and ability to apply and evaluate the effectiveness of,
behavioral and cognitive behavioral strategies.
3. Articulate differing perspectives related to the use of behavioral intervention
models.
D. Instructional procedures
1. Demonstrate knowledge of, and ability to apply and evaluate the effectiveness of,
evidence-based instructional approaches that are teacher-directed, peer
mediated, or student centered.
2. Articulate differing perspectives related to the use of instructional approaches
with reference to research supporting their use.
3. Demonstrate knowledge of, and ability to apply and evaluate the effectiveness
of, content-specific instructional strategies.
E. Curriculum development and adaptations
1. Articulate an understanding of different types of curricula and their implications
for students with disabilities.
2. Deliver curriculum in a variety of ways that enhance the ability of students with
disabilities to succeed in different educational environments.
3. Adapt standards-based curriculum to meet the needs of diverse learners.
F. Medically-related accommodations (as applicable to program area emphasis)
1. Articulate the legal regulations and issues related to serving students with
medical-health related conditions.
2. Identify and recognize health-medical symptoms related to specific and non-
specific conditions.
3. Design or select, implement, and evaluate basic health related screening
procedures.
4. Apply basic health care procedures, under the supervision of a health specialist.
5. Apply basic handling and positioning procedures, under the supervision of a
health specialist.
G. Assistive technology
1. Provide rationales for the use of assistive technology for disability specific and
non-specific conditions, based upon the needs of individuals.
2. Recognize, design, apply, and evaluate commonly used assistive technologies and
describe their use and purpose, based upon the needs of individuals.
Goal #6 Graduates will employ effective communication and problem-solving skills in collaboration with professionals and families in order to enhance the educational opportunities and outcomes for individuals with disabilities. They will:
- Summarize issues and trends related to the collaborative program designs and
strategies for settings that serve students with disabilities. - Identify and assess barriers that may be preventing the improvement of school
collaborative efforts. - Identify and assess cultural aspects that may be impacting the development of
collaborative programs. - Utilize and evaluate effective problem solving strategies in applied settings.
- Apply basic communication skills.
- Identify variables related to, and use strategies for, effective teaming.
- Recognize, apply, and evaluate effective leadership skills.
- Create solutions to conflict and resistance that may exist in collaborative settings.