Special and Early Childhood Education
Course Descriptions
Director of Special Education and Pupil Services Licensure and Graduate Certificate Program
SPEC ED 774 - Special Education and Pupil Services Leadership & Organizational Structure (3 credits)
|
This course is intended to foster the leadership skills of candidates in the Director of Special Education & Pupil Services (DSEPS) program in order to prepare them for the many responsibilities of the position. An effective DSEPS must be prepared to lead in specific areas such as Title Programs, ELL, McKinney-Vento, ADA, 504, Gifted and Talented, At-risk, truancy, mandatory reporting, staff development, instructional practices, hiring practices, and special education. Approaches for DSEPS to impact these areas will be discussed and investigated. Candidates will investigate their local practices, develop action plans, and to the extent allowed by their district, implement practices from this course as part of their growth as leaders. Prerequisite: Admission to the Special Education graduate program.
|
Spec Ed 775 Inclusion, Equity, and Issues of Disproportionality (4 credits)
SPEC ED 776 - Special Education Law and Finance (4 credits)
|
This course will address two critical topics for a Director of Special Education and Pupil Services: Law and Finance. The legislative and judicial legal history at the federal and state level will be examined as it pertains to critical topics such as IDEA, 504, FERPA, ESSA, and At-risk students. Knowledge and application relative to the financing of Special Education and Pupil Services. The course will also examine various federal funding mechanisms, including IDEA, Title 1, as well state funding formulas such as general revenue and categorical aids. Areas of emphasis will include the coordination of funding source to maximize revenue pursuant to service delivery while understanding the impact on overall school funding. Spec Ed 774 and 775.
|
SPEC ED 777 - Director Practicum I (1 credit)
|
This is the first of two practica in the Director of Special Education and Pupil Services program. This experience is designed to provide director candidates with the opportunity to experience and understand the range of special education and pupil services settings, services, and instructional strategies used across the range of students for whom services may be provided. Prerequisites: Spec Ed 774 and 775.
|
SPEC ED 778 - Strength-based Mentoring, Coaching, and Evaluation in Special Education and Pupil Services (3 credits)
|
This course examines historical, current, and emerging practices in the mentoring, coaching, and evaluation of teachers and other educators. Emphasis will be placed on using the mentoring and coaching process to promote teacher development, improvement, and retention as well as a means to drive student achievement. Contractual and legal aspects of evaluation, such as Wisconsin’s Educator Effectiveness system, improvement plans and termination will also be considered. Prerequisites: Spec Ed 776 and 777.
|
SPEC ED 779 - Director Practicum 2 (2 credits)
|
|||||
|
|
|||||
Additional Courses Required for MSE
Ed Found 770 Foundations of Educational Research (3 credits)
Introduction to the concepts, tools, and procedures which are essential for planning and conducting research in education and related fields. Preparing a research proposal and organization of a research report. Emphasis is given to the interpretation and analysis of research literature from the behavioral and social sciences.
Spec Ed 781 Introduction to Advanced Studies in Special Education (3 credits)
A course in topics of current interest in special education. This course will provide students with different viewpoints and opposing positions to provoke critical thinking and discussion and provide a starting point for graduate students to research issues in-depth as thesis or field report topics. In addition, to ensure students’ understanding of statistical applications in data-based research studies, basic educational statistics will be introduced. This required course should be taken as the first core course in the special education graduate program. It must be taken prior to Special Education 790.
Spec Ed 790 Critical Analysis of Special Education Research and Literature (3 credits)
This course focuses upon developing student’s ability to critically evaluate research within educational literature. This course will include extensive practice of critical analysis of research reports and synthesis of bodies of research information. This course should be taken at the end of the student’s graduate program, just prior to completion of the thesis or field report in special education. Prerequisite: Special Education 781 and Educational Foundations 770.
Select Spec ED 794 OR Spec Ed 795
Spec Ed 794 Field Report in Special Education (3 credits)
The field report in special education is an alternative to the special education thesis as the culminating experience. Registration opens only to those MSE special education students who have filed a Field Report Proposal and Adviser Approval Form. Pass/fail course.
Spec Ed 795 Special Education Thesis (3 credits)
Each registration with a maximum accumulation of 6 cr. Registration open only to those MSE special education students who have filed a Thesis Proposal and Adviser Approval Form with the Graduate Office. Pass/fail course.