Master of Education in Moderate Disabilities Online

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Learn about services provided by other agencies for individuals with disabilities
• Comprehend about rights and responsibilities of students, parents, teachers, and other professionals, and schools related to exceptional learning needs.
• Identify issues in definition and identification of individuals with exceptional learning needs, including those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
• Family systems and the role of families in the educational process.
• Learn about cultural perspectives influencing the relationships among families, schools and communities as related to instruction.
• Analyze differing ways of learning of individuals with exceptional learning needs including those from culturally diverse backgrounds and strategies for addressing these differences.
• Describe concerns of families of individuals with exceptional learning needs and strategies to help address these concerns.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Articulate and apply principles of behavior analysis, classroom management and PBIS for students with moderate special needs in a classroom setting.
• Describe the implications of federal laws regarding behavior management and discipline for teachers of students with moderate special needs.
• Design curriculums to support the cognitive and social demands in the classroom for students with moderate special needs.
• Analyze learning behaviors in the classroom and intervention strategies with classroom modifications and accommodations for students with moderate special needs.
• Analyze and critique social learning modules that reflect the principles of behavior modification and PBIS.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Articulate the principles of UDL in K-12 settings and the implications for K-12 educators
• Explore and study cases that utilizes the UDL framework in the practice of Inclusion in K-12 settings.
• Synthesize and critic UDL and co-teaching models.
• Analyze the practice of inclusion for special education students,
• Develop and implement a learning unit with a focus on teaching content to students with disabilities through the UDL framework.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Explore and articulate the various frameworks of collaboration and consultation, and interprofessional collaborative practice with IEP teams.
• Study the interprofessional collaborative competencies required to participate successfully in collaboration and consultation processes.
• Study group dynamics, interpersonal and communication skills in school systems and special education services.
• Study dimension of diversity in family structure, incorporates real-world interactions and challenges when working with parents and families.
• Explore and articulate the cultural structures in various collaboration frameworks, problem solving models and community collaboration.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Compare and contrast the central philosophies and major psychological theories which have guided American education and their influence on educational practice.
• Articulate a personal philosophy of education and align that philosophy with classic philosophical and psychological theories and with classroom practice.
• Demonstrate critical insight into the role of research in current educational practice and apply conventions to document research using APA style.
• Use library and internet resources for research purposes and evaluate research studies in light of philosophical and psychological assumptions and application to practice.
• Demonstrate knowledge of key educational reform movements in the United States, the major figures related to these movements, their philosophical tenets, and impact on teaching and learning
• Improve use of technology in research, analysis, and presentation of information.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Write a well-organized literature review that incorporates high-quality sources relevant to a specific problem of practice.
• Identify common ethical issues that can arise during the research process and apply strategies to address these issues in scholarly writing.
• Gain proficiency in writing quantitative research questions and hypotheses as well as qualitative central questions.
• Describe procedures for and types of quantitative and qualitative data collection.
• Evaluate the validity and trustworthiness of data collection instruments.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Recognize the various forms and types of data and assessment that support action research.
• Scrutinize and properly analyze qualitative and quantitative data.
• Effectively organize and present (in writing) qualitative and quantitative findings.
• Compose an action research report using academic writing standards and APA format that demonstrates engagement with the action research cycle and includes the following chapters: introduction, literature review, methodology, findings, and discussion.
• Demonstrate the ability to prepare and submit an IRB application outlining appropriate research design and adherence to ethical standards.
• Reflect on the action research process and how it may impact educational practices.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Understand the critical role that teachers play in helping students think and learn with text
• Understand that assessment is a continuous process that makes use of multiple methods of gathering relevant data for instructional purposes.
• Develop techniques and strategies for using text structure in order to think deeply about ideas encountered during reading.
• Plan differentiated lessons which will enable all learners to be successful in reading and processing content text.
• Create a content unit of study demonstrating strategies and concepts studied in class
• Develop “text talk” and “writing to learn” activities to help students respond to difficult text.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Gain perspective on the development of mathematics and mathematical thinking as the product of cultural realities and community participation.
• Provide effective instruction to learners from other cultures whose language and past experiences may get in the way of understanding how mathematics is taught and learned in the United States.
• Develop the ability to assess for understanding based on a variety of assessment measures.
• Engage in mathematics discourse as they grapple with pure mathematical content through problem solving activities situated in real-life, and how different cultures around the world. used algorithms to provide mathematical answers.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Review the evidence-based research and key issues in contemporary America on differentiation of instructions.
• Identify major characteristics of differentiated instruction.
• Examine models of differentiated instruction.
• Recognize the needs of targeted student populations, e.g., gifted, inclusion, and special education students.
• Use arts and technology tools to skillfully and creatively differentiate instruction.
• Reflect on how differentiating instruction can enhance teacher practice and student achievement.
• Utilize strategies including assignment tiering, graphic organizers, critical thinking skills, reflection and assessment strategies customized for a mixed- ability classroom.
• Plan and develop a differentiated education plan/unit.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Identify and research a problem of practice in one's field by reflecting on one's teaching practice.
• Determine the significance of a problem of practice in the field of education and within a specific site.
• Develop a clear statement of purpose outlining the goals of a study aimed at addressing a specific problem of practice.
• Critically analyze and evaluate quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research articles for their significance, quality, and validity to conduct a comprehensive literature review.
• Formulate a research question(s) (quantitative) or a central question (qualitative) related to the problem of practice and consider its relationship to the research paradigm and design.
• Determine the meaning and principles of action research.
• Demonstrate effective academic writing, adhere to APA format, and uphold ethical standards, including academic honesty, in all scholarly work.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Describe personal and professional context for the graduate program
• Present a summary of learning which demonstrates mastery of MA DESE common standards for teachers.
• Present artifacts to demonstrate mastery of all (6) program outcomes