Course List

Year I Courses

Instructional Use of Technology for the Learning Specialist | Offers opportunities for directed practice in the integration of technology into curriculum, instruction and classroom management in special education settings. Course content includes choosing and implementing adaptive technology, selecting and evaluating educational software, searching the Internet, designing and augmenting curriculum using technological resources, and using integrative media, such as PowerPoint.

Working with Students and Families in a Multicultural Society | This course prepares students with a knowledge base for understanding and teaching culturally and linguistically diverse special education students, including interaction with families. The course covers identifying the impact of diverse cultural patterns and linguistic diversity on student academic performance and behavior; selecting and implementing effective strategies to meet the learning, social, and emotional needs of students with disabilities from diverse cultural, linguistic, and/or ethnic backgrounds; developing strategies with parents and students for improving the students' self-management skills, positive self image and social/emotional behaviors; and conducting formal and informal parent meetings for purposes of planning interventions, establishing home/school communication and problem resolution.

Assessment in Special Education | Provides candidates with the opportunity to develop appropriate assessment plans for diverse students including the selection and interpretation of standardized tests, informal assessments such as observation, and criterion-referenced instruments. Emphasis is on evaluating the impact of culture and language on assessment as well as compliance with state and federal requirements. The course requires candidates to participate as a member of an IEP team and develop goals and objectives based on the student's levels of educational performance. The course also encourages candidates to begin a program of self-assessment and professional development.

Educational Practices for the Learning Specialist | Covers instructional procedures and curricula for teaching at-risk students from diverse cultural, linguistic and/or ethnic backgrounds. Students learn to reference core curriculum across all grade levels, apply principles of effective instruction (e.g., writing objectives, guided practice, immediate feedback, independent practice, correctives, evaluation, etc.); use a wide variety of alternative instructional procedures for individual and group instruction such as curriculum based teaching, cooperative learning, task analysis, and the Strategies Intervention Model (SIM); use organizational management techniques of grouping, pacing, varying, and sequencing activities; manage time to design, implement, and evaluate instructional plans; establish a classroom environment that models professionalism and fosters self-esteem; and use a variety of behavior management techniques to structure the classroom environment and monitor individual student's behavior, including aggressive student behavior. Case study activities are used throughout the course.

Consultation and Collaboration | Prepares special education specialists to collaborate, consult, communicate and team with others in interdisciplinary settings for exceptional needs or at-risk students from diverse cultural, linguistic and/or ethnic backgrounds. The content includes communication/consultation strategies used to facilitate working with the school staff, parents, non-certificated personnel and community agencies; a variety of personal communication processes including active listening, developing accurate perceptions, clarifying, reflecting, paraphrasing, summarizing, ethical practices in communicating with others regarding exceptional pupils; ways to actively involve the parents and the students in the educational decision-making process which may include IEP development, and how to coordinate and work in interdisciplinary settings, including collaborative planning for the delivery of school programs (e.g., IEP and SST meetings).

Development of Legal and Educational Foundations | Addresses the broad aspects of educational, developmental, legal and environmental issues related to the needs of at-risk students with mild-moderate disabilities. The course emphasizes the links between historical development, legal mandates, current trends, and accepted educational theories. Current research perspectives are presented in the course modules. Case study activities will be used throughout the course.

Fieldwork Support Practicum I
Fieldwork Support Practicum II
Consists of two semesters of supervised full-time teaching in special education classrooms with culturally and linguistically diverse students with mild/moderate disabilities. The practica courses prepare novice teachers to use different strategies to deliver instruction, manage behavior, and plan lessons based on curricular frameworks and student needs. Similarly, these courses afford candidates the opportunity to continuously reflect on their developing classroom practices as part of the self-evaluation process of the fieldwork experience. Both courses follow the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) guidelines for the Education Specialist Credential.

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Year II Courses

Advanced Curriculum and Instruction | Offers candidates the opportunity to enhance and fine-tune previously acquired skills in language and literacy, reading assessment, curriculum development and modification, and to adapt instruction for students with mild to moderate disabilities. Candidates must demonstrate the planning and delivery of literacy instruction based on appropriate formal and informal assessment and evaluation results to meet the needs of students, including English Language Learners.

Supportive Management | Provides candidates with the information and support they need to assess, plan, and provide a positive learning and social environment for students with complex academic, behavioral and emotional needs. Candidates will gain access to educational, mental health, parental and other community resources to identify, design, implement, evaluate, and modify support systems for students with disabilities and their families. Issues related to positive behavior interventions and discipline policies mandated by federal legislation will also be addressed.

Supervised Teaching I
Supervised Teaching II
Coordinates the on-going fieldwork support for professional self-assessment, goal setting, and other components for second year intern teachers with significant collaboration between University and school district personnel.

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To Complete the Optional Master's Degree

Research in Special Education | An introduction to the process and methods of educational research in special education to enable students to develop a preliminary plan for the master's thesis/field project.

Master's (Field Project) Thesis | Once credential candidates have successfully completed their research proposal on an approved topic in special education, they may enroll in the thesis/field project course in partial fulfillment for the master's degree. In this course, candidates conduct a research-based thesis or a field project under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Candidates meet in small groups and individually with their advisor to discuss issues such as selecting and gaining participant consent, addressing research design and methodology questions, collecting and analyzing data, and writing the final results and recommendations.

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