Academic Programs

Graduate Courses

EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION

EXE 500
INDIVIDUALS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
3, 3/0
Traditional and evolving concepts of exceptionalities; characteristics of individuals with exceptionalities; implications for schools and society.

EXE 501
EDUCATIONAL ASSESSMENT
TECHNIQUES FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: EXE 500 or equivalent.
Educational assessment used with individuals with disabilities: purposes, models, practices, and issues. Students design tests and collect and interpret data regarding particular educational decisions.

EXE 502
CONTINGENCY MANAGEMENT
3, 3/0
Procedures and strategies for managing the behavior of students with special needs in educational settings; prevention of undesirable classroom behavior; assessment and remediation of behavior problems; effective delivery of instruction.

EXE 503
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MILD DISABILITIES
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: EXE 500 or equivalent.
Basic curricular concepts and teaching practices related to the development and implementation of effective instructional programs for students with mild disabilities.

EXE 504
GRADUATE PRACTICUM IN SPECIAL EDUCATION
6, 6/0
Prerequisites: EXE 500 or equivalent; EXE 501 or equivalent; EXE 502 or equivalent; EXE 503 or equivalent; minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in prerequisite coursework; program coordinator permission.
A 10-week graduate student teaching experience (unpaid) with individuals needing special education services, completed in public school classrooms, private agency classrooms, or classrooms in residential settings. Required for graduate students seeking certification as a teacher of special education.

EXE 510
COGNITION AND EMERGENT LITERACY IN YOUNG CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: EXE 500.
Cognitive and active learning, problem-solving skills, and academic readiness in young children with disabilities; encouraging development of literacy in young children with disabilities.

EXE 518
INDIVIDUALS WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Provisional/initial certification in special education or EXE 504.
Medical, educational, and psychological implications of selected physical disabilities; characteristics of various types of physical disabilities and health impairments; social, psychological, and environmental factors that relate to functioning and independence of individuals with physical disabilities.

EXE 520
CURRICULUM FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MODERATE AND SEVERE DISABILITIES
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: EXE 500 or equivalent.
Characteristics and needs of individuals with moderate and severe disabilities and their families; methods to teach and support those individuals and families.

EXE 530
PARENT AND FAMILY INVOLVEMENT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Provisional/initial certification in special education or EXE 504.
Research on parent and family reactions and needs in regard to the family member with a disability; communication skills for collaborative work with parents.

EXE 534
UNDERSTANDING STUDENTS WITH BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS IN THE CLASSROOM
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Provisional/initial certification in special education or EXE 504. Personal, social, and emotional factors related to individuals with behavioral and emotional disorders in an educational setting; methods of identification, assessment, and instructional planning.

EXE 544
MODELS OF CLASSROOM DISCIPLINE FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: EXE 500 or equivalent.
Comprehensive coverage of a variety of models of discipline; building systems and conceptual models of total discipline that match the needs and personalities of students and are compatible with instructors’ needs; discipline through activities that promote pupil motivation and classroom management.

EXE 577
TEACHING INDIVIDUALS WITH EXCEPTIONALITIES IN THE REGULAR CLASSROOM
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: EXE 500 or equivalent or instructor permission.
Characteristics of individuals with disabilities; adaptation of regular class curricula to meet their needs; strategies for observation, motivation, behavior management, and individualization of instruction. May not be used toward special education certification or the master’s degree in special education.

EXE 590
INDEPENDENT STUDY
3, 3/0

EXE 612 MANAGING THE BEHAVIOR OF YOUNG CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: EXE 502.
A framework for guiding social-emotional development and responsible behavior in young children: matching the child’s current social, emotional, and behavioral status with specific goals and objectives; behavior management strategies; curriculum materials, activities, and evaluation procedures.

EXE 620
ADVANCED CURRICULUM FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MODERATE AND SEVERE DISABILITIES
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: EXE 500 or equivalent.
Characteristics and needs of individuals with moderate and severe disabilities and their families; methods to teach and support those individuals and families.

EXE 627
TRANSITION FROM SCHOOL TO ADULT COMMUNITY LIFE
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: EXE 504 or equivalent.
Strategies for planning and implementing career education curricula in secondary and postsecondary programs; transitioning students with disabilities from school programs to satisfying adult lives in the community, including supported and nonsupported competitive employment.

EXE 628
COLLABORATION AND CONSULTATIVE PRACTICES IN INCLUSIVE SETTINGS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: EXE 504 or completion of the requirements for provisional/initial certification as a special education teacher and successful completion of at least one advanced curriculum class in the Exceptional Education Department.
Skills needed to collaborate as consultants: role and responsibilities of the consultant teacher; development of strategies for enhancing effectiveness of collaborative efforts on behalf of students with special needs, their families, and their general education teachers.

EXE 631
ADAPTING LANGUAGE ARTS AND READING INSTRUCTION FOR STUDENTS WITH MILD DISABILITIES
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: Provisional/initial certification in elementary or special education and EDU 513 or equivalent.
Designed to help special education teachers teach language arts and reading to students with special needs at the elementary and middle school level: effective collaboration with elementary teachers, remedial teachers, and parents to promote the establishment of literate environments at home and school for students with special needs; effective use of technology as a tool of literacy learning and instruction.

EXE 632
DIRECT INSTRUCTION INTERVENTION MODELS FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: Provisional/initial certification in elementary or special education and EXE 631 or equivalent.
Current range of instructional and adaptive technologies; factors relating to curricular integration of technology within the general and special education classroom; hands-on experience with the use of instructional software, Web sites, and adaptive/assertive technology.

EXE 633
ADAPTING CONTENT AREA INSTRUCTION FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH DISABILITIES
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Provisional/initial certification in elementary or special education.
Content area adaptations for children and adolescents with disabilities; instructional planning, delivery, and assessment.

EXE 634
APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: EXE 504 or equivalent.
Applied behavior analysis in the education of students with moderate and severe disabilities: principles and procedures for reinforcing existing behaviors, teaching new behaviors; evaluating progress through use of student performance data; contingency management procedures for including individuals with moderate and severe disabilities in regular education settings.

EXE 636
PROMOTING EFFECTIVE SOCIAL INTERACTIONS IN THE SCHOOLS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Certification in elementary or special education.
Skills needed to enhance the quantity and quality of interactions enjoyed by students with disabilities: curricular and instructional approaches that may be used to teach social skills, including those related to sexuality issues, so that students with disabilities can exhibit self-enhancing behaviors in response to societal attitudes and actions as represented by educational and community settings. Addresses ways in which participants can increase the effectiveness of their own interactions with members of the educational community.

EXE 644
ADVANCED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS FOR CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: EXE 504 or equivalent, EXE 620, and EXE 634.
Specific strategies and techniques for the analysis, treatment, and evaluation of serious behavior problems in individuals with disabilities; facilitation of generalization of student performance; appropriate research designs in applied behavior analysis.

EXE 650
ASSESSMENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Provisional/initial certification in special education or EXE 504, PSY 415, PSY 417, or EDU 405, or equivalent infancy course approved by adviser.
Research-based, theoretical, and practical applications of educational assessment of infants and preschoolers with disabilities or with conditions that place them at risk for becoming disabled; procedures and utility of norm-referenced, criterion-referenced, and multidimensional behavioral assessment strategies empirically validated with young children with disabilities.

EXE 652
INTERVENTION IN EARLY CHILDHOOD SPECIAL EDUCATION
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: EXE 650 or instructor permission.
Empirically validated and practical educational interventions with infants and preschoolers with disabilities or with conditions that place them at risk for becoming disabled; best-practice intervention methods across relevant curricular domains; organizational strategies for use in center- and home-based programs for infants/preschoolers with special needs.

EXE 660
EFFECTIVE INTERPERSONAL INTERACTIONS IN SPECIAL EDUCATION ENVIRONMENTS
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Minimum of 12 hours of graduate study in exceptional education.
Knowledge, skills, and behaviors affecting interactions with others across settings serving individuals with disabilities. Emphasis on immediate application and practice. Activities involving group interaction and professional self-evaluation.

EXE 682
INSTRUCTIONAL FIELD EXPERIENCE IN SPECIAL EDUCATION
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: EXE 504 or equivalent, minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, and program coordinator permission.
Application of theories and principles to practice in special education and related settings. Students are assigned to fieldwork settings in which program competencies will be assessed. With the approval of their advisers, students may choose to pursue experiences based on their professional goals, past experiences, and specific courses of study.

EXE 684
GRADUATE SEMINAR IN EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: Completion of all core courses except the research requirement and a minimum of 9 hours of coursework from the specialized program.
Special education issues and problems: review, analysis, and critique of articles and other materials, findings and opinions, research efforts, and approaches. Each student organizes and leads at least one discussion. Students write a formal review of the literature on a problem or issue of their choice and outline a feasible study of a related research problem.

EXE 690
MASTER’S PROJECT
3, 3/0
Study undertaken by one or more individuals on a problem of special interest submitted in acceptable form according to directions given by the Exceptional Education Department.

EXE 695
MASTER’S THESIS
3, 0/0
Individual investigation of an original problem submitted in acceptable form according to directions given by the Graduate School.

 

BILINGUAL EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION

BXE 623: POLICIES AND PRACTICES OF BILINGUAL SPECIAL EDUCATION
3, 3/0

Historical, philosophical, and legal foundations for bilingual education and bilingual special education; pedagogical concerns; program design; multicultural perspectives; sociocultural considerations; psycholinguistic concerns; current research findings; current practices in the fields of bilingual education and bilingual special education.

BXE 625: CURRICULUM I: STRATEGIES FOR CULTURALLY AND LINGUISTICALLY DIVERSE EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: Bilingual special education program major; EXE 500 and EXE 623.

Unique needs of culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional students in the areas of language literacy and the development of effective content in English and Spanish; curriculum models, instructional design, teaching methods, and material development; implications of disability and cultural and linguistic diversity.

BXE 626: ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES IN BILINGUAL SPECIAL EDUCATION
3, 3/0
Prerequisite: Bilingual special education program major.

Theoretical and applied knowledge of procedures and instruments for assessing culturally and linguistically diverse individuals who are disabled; role of culture and language in the assessment process; practical techniques, materials, and experience in assessment.

BXE 627: CURRICULUM II: APPLIED STRATEGIES IN BILINGUAL SPECIAL EDUCATION
3, 3/0
Prerequisites: Bilingual special education program major; BXE 625 and BXE 626.

Pedagogical and theoretical research in bilingual special education; practical application; 50-hour field participation in which students demonstrate understanding of the strategies and competencies needed to effectively teach English-language learners with disabilities.

BXE 628: BILINGUAL SPECIAL EDUCATION FIELD PRACTICUM
6, 6/0
Prerequisites: Bilingual special education program major; BXE 627.

Field-based practicum experience. Direct involvement with English-language learners with disabilities in a local setting. Students assess needs, plan lessons, and teach children with disabilities. Includes weekly seminar.