Curriculum and Courses for the Master of Arts in Special Education Leadership & practice

Student success is the ultimate goal of our educational mission. In order to reach that goal, leaders and teachers must establish a coherent system to identify, support and address what every student needs. This course will introduce the framework of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and demonstrate how it operates at the classroom and building level to meet the instructional, social, and behavioral needs of students.

An educational goal for the 21st Century is to eradicate barriers to learning and enable access to standards-based curriculum for all students. Today, students bring a broad range of academic, social, and behavioral needs to the school and classroom. This course will examine the evolution and principles of Universal Design for Learning, the theory of neurodiversity, and the development of barrier-free curriculum. You will explore, develop, and enact UDL practices and principles in your classroom or other appropriate contexts. 

Sound assessment theory and practice is an integral component of successful Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS). This course will address the purposes and models of formal, informal, and benchmark assessments at the classroom, building, and district levels and their interpretation to make informed decisions about student performance levels and progress. Curriculum-based measurement and the use of smart technology systems to track and interpret data will be examined.

Description of the course: Research indicates that students with exceptional needs benefit from being educated in a co-taught full-inclusion school and classroom. This course examines the design and delivery of Specially Designed Instruction (SDI), its enactment in the classroom, and strategies to integrate and implement co-teaching planning and practice across classrooms, schools, and districts

This course is designed to provide an overview of leadership in the time of a technology revolution. Digital devices and learning technologies are rapidly changing the landscape of education, especially for students with exceptional needs. This course addresses technology from a systems level perspective to improve educational outcomes for all students. Exploration of the realm of educational technology will occur through the lens of harnessing the power of information and purposeful digital integration in all facets of school life. You'll learn about new technologies, implementation and policy issues, IT management and platforms and methods for creating professional learning networks and communities of practice.

This course will address evidence-based practices and interventions when students are not making progress as indicated by progress monitoring measures. Students will explore the interconnectedness of problem solving frameworks, data analysis, and high leverage practices to address learning challenges for students with exceptionalities. Students will come away with a deep understanding of how to apply a problem solving framework to analyze student needs and pair these needs with high leverage practices to address the learning needs of their students.

This course addresses knowledge and skills to understand budgeting and anticipating budget needs; indirect costs, and fringe benefits budget sources; contract negotiation; federal funding requirements and resources such as IDEA, Medicaid, state funds and how to access each source; budget coding requirements for IN and other states pertinent to candidate's residence; school funding formula; understanding what the terms “supplant” and “maintenance of effort” mean; and being aware of fiscal commitments of the school and district.

This course will emphasize systemic, logical processes in decision-making while building a foundation of knowledge in special education law to better inform the Director of Exceptional Needs in addressing the many issues that the administrator will confront in the performance of such duties. Federal and State law will be interwoven with case-based controversies.

This course addresses the requisite knowledge, performances, and dispositions necessary for a Director to collaborate with families and community members, respond to diverse community interests and needs, and mobilize community resources. Candidates study the meaning of collaborative leadership and the actions necessary to build working alliances. Much attention is focused on the strategies needed to connect across multiple and diverse community boundaries.

This course builds skills in research and inquiry to enable the candidate to implement qualitative and quantitative approaches to problems and their solutions. Examples of research projects might include researching administrative practices that support individuals with exceptionalities and their families; strategies to implement UDL and MTSS practices across a system; developing flexible service options to address equity and diversity; evaluating program effectiveness; studying and calculating return on investment of particular interventions; or, studying preventative programs to reduce special education referrals.