Special Education (M.Ed.)
Master of Education in Special Education.
Special Education program offers three options for earning a Master degree:
1) Master’s Degree with Certification in Special Education
This program is available to those new to Special Education and provides the opportunity to earn a degree while gaining initial Special Education Exceptional Child K-12 teaching preparation and certification. Students who pursue this track will exit with a master’s degree and eligibility for an Idaho Exceptional Child K-12 Generalist teaching endorsement. Because this track results in initial preparation in special education, coursework is paired with field experience so students will gain the opportunity to link subject knowledge to pedagogy and practice. The culminating activity for students in this track is a 16-week half-day or 8 week full-day Internship/student teaching experience.
Note: Candidates in this track will already hold a standard instructional (i.e., elementary or secondary) teaching certificate, but have no previous degree, certification, or endorsement in special education.
2) Master’s Degree in Special Education (without certification)
This track is available for experienced special educators who have a bachelor’s degree in special education or a closely related field, and who are interested in deepening their understanding of students with exceptional needs. In this track, students register for a number of common courses covering topics designed to broaden teachers’ knowledge of special education strategies and promote professional development. Students also select, in conjunction with their advisor, additional classes intended to enhance knowledge in a selected area of focus. Students in this track culminate their experience with a master’s project, designed by working with their faculty advisor.
3) 4+1 program open to current students working towards B.S.Ed in elementary or secondary education who want to add special education certification and a Master degree.
Students seeking certification as an Exceptional Child Generalist must also pass all three tests on the Idaho Comprehensive Literacy Assessment (ICLA) and the required Idaho Praxis exams in Special Education and Elementary Education 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 when they successfully complete the following coursework:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDSP 3000 | Educating for Exceptionalities | 3 |
| EDSP 3250 | Supporting Student Behaviors in the Classroom | 3 |
| EDSP 3500 | Language and Communication Development and Disorders | 3 |
| MTHE 2350 | Mathematics for Elementary Teachers I | 3 |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| EDCI 5700 | Introduction to Research in Curriculum and Instruction | 3 |
| EDSP 4230 | Collaboration | 3 |
| EDSP 4250 | Evaluation of Children and Youth | 3 |
| EDSP 4260 | Developing Instructional Programs | 3 |
| EDSP 5300 | Assistive Technology and Universal Design for Learning for PreK-12 | 2 |
| EDSP 5400 | Behavioral Analysis for Children and Youth | 3 |
| EDSP 5480 | Special Education Curriculum | 3 |
| EDSP 5490 | Language, Communication, and Social/Emotional Enhancement | 3 |
| EDSP 5970 | Practicum | 1-16 |
| EDSP 5990 | 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 | |
Please see the Graduate Student Handbook for details and program requirements on earning this degree.
- 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.