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Multiple and Severe Disabilities (M.Ed.)

MEd in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Handbook
Early Childhood Special Education - General Curriculum Handbook
Autism Handbook

Theme: Leadership and Scholarship Focused on Learning and Development

Certification areas: Special Education Adapted Curriculum (Mental Retardation), Special Education General and Adapted Curriculum (Autism), Special Education Deaf Education, Early Childhood Special Education General Curriculum, Special Education Preschool, Special Education Physical and Health Disabilities

The M.Ed. major in Multiple and Severe Disabilities prepares students to teach children with moderate, severe, and profound mental retardation; autism; physical and health disabilities; hearing loss; or young children with disabilities. The students are provided coursework and practicum experiences resulting in knowledge of characteristics, curriculum, instructional strategies, and classroom management procedures.
The master’s degree program contains those courses required for professional certification within each certification area listed. For students wanting basic professional certification only, course requirements are available in the department office. Georgia State University only recommends for certification an individual who has completed a planned program developed with his or her faculty adviser.

Program Academic Regulations
Students entering this program should have completed coursework at the undergraduate or graduate level in each of the areas listed below. None of this coursework will be counted toward the master’s degree requirements.

  • Applied Behavior Analysis (physical and health disabilities, early childhood special education general curriculum, special education preschool)
  • Human Growth and Development (all)
  • Characteristics and Instructional Strategies for Students with Disabilities (all)
  • Linking Literacy Assessment and Classroom Instruction or Individual Assessment and Instruction for At-Risk Readers (early childhood special education general curriculum, special education preschool)
  • Methods of Teaching Mathematics (physical and health disabilities, early childhood special education general curriculum, special education preschool)
  • Methods of Teaching Reading (all) (SDU/PLU credits will not be accepted for the following majors: autism (if the reading endorsement is required), deaf education, early childhood special education general curriculum, physical and health disabilities)
  • Student Teaching/Practicum (all; deaf education students, this experience must have been with deaf/hard of hearing children)

 

A Reading Portfolio is required for the following programs unless students enter with Highly Qualified designation in literacy: Deaf Education, Physical and Health Disabilities, Early Childhood Special Education General Curriculum. This portfolio along with required coursework will lead to the Georgia Reading Endorsement, which meets the requirement for teachers to be highly qualified through the PSC.

The students must earn a grade of “B” or higher in each course in the teaching field/major area (B). If the students earn a grade below “B” in a course, they must repeat that course. Students will be allowed to repeat a course in this manner one time. Students who fail to earn a grade of “B” or higher after taking the course a second time will be scholastically excluded from this major.

Evaluation of a student’s performance is continuous and involves consideration of the student’s performance in all academic settings. Inappropriate or unprofessional conduct by a student may result in the student being withdrawn from a course, a practicum, or the program. If removal from a course is necessary, the student will receive the grade of “F” and may be judged ineligible to re-enroll in the course.

Additional Information Regarding Deaf Education Certification:
Students in the deaf education certification area must post a score of “Intermediate” on the Signed Students Communication Proficiency Interview (SCPI) before admission to student teaching.

Program Degree Requirements 2008-2009
Master of Education in Multiple and Severe Disabilities
Substitutions may be made for courses previously taken or other appropriate experiences with the consent of the students’ major adviser and the department chairperson.

A. Professional Studies (9).
Select one (3):
EPSF 7100 Critical Pedagogy (3)
EPSF 7110 Multicultural Education (3)
EPSF 7120 Social and Cultural Foundations of Education (3)

Select one (3):
EPRS 7900 Methods of Research in Education (3)
EPRS 7910 Action Research (3)
EPRS 7920 Classroom Testing, Grading, and Assessment (3)

Required (3):
EPY 7080 The Psychology of Learning and Learners (3)

B. Teaching Field/Major (minimum 27-30 hours requirement varies by concentration area).

The students must earn a grade of “B” or higher in each course in the teaching field/major area. If the students earn a grade below “B” in a course, they must repeat that course. Students will be allowed to repeat a course in this manner one time. Students who fail to earn a grade of “B” or higher after taking the course a second time will be scholastically excluded from this major.

Select one of the following six concentration areas.

Early Childhood Special Education General Curriculum Concentration (27)
Required (27):
EXC 7000 Collaboration with Parents and Professionals (3)
EXC 7010 Language Development and Language Disabilities (3)
EXC 7190 Alternative Approaches to Literacy Instruction for Students with Disabilities (3)
EXC 7300 Assistive Technology: Reading and Academics (3)
EXC 7320 Methods of Teaching Students with Autism (3)
EXC 7330 Physical and Health Management of Students with Disabilities (3)
EXC 7650 Characteristics of Young Children with Disabilities (3)
EXC 7660 Methods of Teaching Young Children with Disabilities (3)
EXC 7939 Practicum II: Early Childhood (3)

Special Education Adapted Curriculum (Mental Retardation) Concentration (27)
Required (24):
EXC 7030 Applied Behavior Analysis (3)
EXC 7250 Characteristics of Severe Mental Retardation and Autism (3)
EXC 7260 Characteristics of Severe Physical and Multiple Disabilities (3)
EXC 7280 Methods for Teaching Students with Severe Disabilities (3)
EXC 7281 Adapted/Functional Curriculum for Students with Severe Disabilities (3)
EXC 7290 Methods for Teaching Students with Physical and Multiple Disabilities: Reading and
Academics (3)
EXC 7330 Physical and Health Management of Students with Disabilities (3)
EXC 7935 Practicum II: Severe Mental Retardation (3)

Select one (3):
EXC 7310 Strategies for Challenging Behaviors (3)
EXC 7320 Methods for Teaching Students with Autism
EXC 7340 Post School Transition (3)
Other graduate level courses must be approved by major professor

Students who are not already highly qualified teachers per the federal mandate of No Child Left Behind will select two of three courses listed as “Professional Studies” in the options listed above in section A plus ECE/EDLA 7580 Language Foundations of Literacy Learning (3) or EXC 7190 Alternative Approaches to Literacy Instruction for Students with Disabilities (3).

Special Education Deaf Education Concentration (27)
Required (27):
EDRD 7650 Individual Assessment and Instruction for At-Risk Readers (3)
EXC 6480 Hearing Science and Disorders (3)
EXC 7190 Alternative Approaches to Literacy Instruction for Students with Disabilities (3)
EXC 7350 Psychosocial Characteristics of Deafness (3)
EXC 7360 Language Development in Students Who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing (3)
EXC 7390 Reading and Writing Instruction for Deaf/Hard of Hearing (3)
EXC 7400 Methods of Teaching Students Who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing (3)
EXC 7430 Auditory and Speech Development in Students Who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing (3)
EXC 7940 Practicum: Deaf/Hard of Hearing (3)

Special Education General/Adapted (Autism) Concentration (27)
Required (27):
EXC 7030 Applied Behavior Analysis (3)
EXC 7190 Alternative Approaches to Literacy Instruction for Students with Disabilities (3)
EXC 7250 Characteristics of Severe Mental Retardation and Autism (3)
EXC 7280 Methods for Teaching Students with Severe Disabilities (3)
EXC 7310 Strategies for Challenging Behaviors (3)
EXC 7315 Assessment and Curricular Planning for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (3)
EXC 7320 Methods of Teaching Low-Functioning Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (3)
EXC 7325 Methods of Teaching High-Functioning Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (3)
EXC 7936 Practicum II: Autism (3)

Students who are not already highly qualified teachers per the federal mandate of No Child Left Behind will select two of three courses listed as “Professional Studies” in the options listed above in section A plus EDRD 7650 Individual Assessment and Instruction of At-Risk Readers (3).

Special Education Physical and Health Disabilities Concentration (27)
Required (21):
EXC 7190 Alternative Approaches to Literacy Instruction for Students with Disabilities (3)
EXC 7260 Characteristics of Severe Physical and Multiple Disabilities (3)
EXC 7280 Methods for Teaching Students with Severe Disabilities (3)
EXC 7290 Methods for Teaching Students with Physical and Multiple Disabilities: Reading and
Academics (3)
EXC 7300 Assistive Technology: Reading and Academics (3)
EXC 7330 Physical and Health Management of Students with Disabilities (3)
EXC 7937 Practicum II: Physical and Health Disabilities (3)

Select one (3):
EDRD 7650 Individualized Assessment and Instruction for At-Risk Readers (3)
EXC 7281 Adapted/Functional Curriculum for Students with Severe Disabilities (3)

Elective (3): Select one graduate level course with consent of major adviser.

Special Education Preschool Concentration (27)
Required (24):
EXC 7000 Collaboration with Parents and Professionals (3)
EXC 7010 Language Development and Language Disabilities (3)
EXC 7300 Assistive Technology: Reading and Academics (3)
EXC 7320 Methods of Teaching Students with Autism (3)
EXC 7330 Physical and Health Management of Students with Disabilities (3)
EXC 7650 Characteristics of Young Children with Disabilities (3)
EXC 7660 Methods of Teaching Young Children with Disabilities (3)
EXC 7939 Practicum II: Early Childhood (3)

Select one (3):
EXC 7190 Alternative Approaches to Literacy Instruction for Students with Disabilities (3)
EXC 7290 Methods for Teaching Students with Physical and Multiple Disabilities: Reading and
Academics (3)

Program total: minimum of 36 semester hours