Eastern  Michigan  University

Division of Academic Affairs

 

Outline for Submitting Proposals to Revise Programs

 

Use this outline to prepare proposals to revise existing programs, including undergraduate majors and minors and graduate degree programs and certificates.  Proposals for revising programs should be submitted in narrative form, using the following outline.  Guidelines are on the following page.

 

Program Name and Code:     Learning Disabilities Master of arts                                                                                        

Revised program Name and Code (if applicable):                                                                                                                               

Degree:               M.A.                                                                                                                                                                                      

Department(s):             Special Education                                                                                                                                    

College(s):                      Education                                                                                                                                                       

 

I.  Rationale

II. Description of Current Program

III. Proposed Revision

IV. Impact

V.  Budget

 

VI. Action of the Department/College

 

1.  Department:

 

Vote of department faculty:                For          18                            Against      0                          Abstentions          0             

                                                                (Enter the number of votes cast in each category.)

 

I support this proposal.  The proposed revision can                     cannot                                   be implemented within the affected Department(s) without additional College or University resources.

               

                                                                                                                                                                                               

                Department Head Signature                                                                                                                                                                                               Date

 

2.  College/Graduate School:

 

A.  College

I support this proposal.   The proposed program can                                                                                      cannot                                                be implemented within the affected College without additional University resources.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                               

                College Dean Signature                                                                                                      Date

 

B.  Graduate School

                                                                                                                                                                                               

                Associate Dean Signature                                                                                                  Date

 

VII. Approval

 

                                                                                                                                                                                               

                Associate Provost Signature                                                                                             Date

 

 

 

VIII. Appendices

                A.  Market Analysis/Needs Assessment

                B.  Mandates

                C.  Request for New Graduate or Undergraduate Course Forms

                D.  Letters of Support from Impacted Departments

E.  Cost Analysis (Complete only if the revision cannot be implemented without additional University resources.  Fill in Estimated Resources for the sponsoring department(s).  Attach separate estimates for other affected departments.)

 

 

Estimated Resources:                 Year One                       Year Two                            Year Three

                               

Faculty / Staff                               $_________                 $_________                    $_________

SS&M                                            $_________                 $_________                    $_________

Equipment                                     $_________                 $_________                    $_________

 

Total                                           $____n/a_____                         $___n/a______            $____n/a_____

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proposal to Revise Master of Arts Degree in Learning Disabilities

 

I.                               Rationale:

The faculty in the Learning Disability Program Area, in the Department of Special Education, are proposing revisions to the Master of Arts in Learning Disabilities program. These revisions are necessary to:

 

• Meet revised standards promulgated by the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services
• Meet revised accreditation standards as delineated by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), which is the program’s accrediting body

§         Provide "highly qualified" teachers as defined by federal mandate, Public Law 107-110 Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as "No Child Left Behind (NCLB)”

• Increase program enrollment by permitting qualified individuals who have completed a bachelor’s degree AND earned a teaching certificate, but who have not yet earned an endorsement in special education, to enter the graduate program in Learning Disabilities
• Increase flexibility in program scheduling to support and facilitate graduate student scheduling and rate of degree completion

 

The Master of Arts in Learning Disabilities was one of the first such graduate preparation programs established in the State of Michigan. The program has contributed significantly to the preparation of teachers of students with learning disabilities for the state as well as for the nation. The initial program design targeted students desiring advanced work in the area of special education. This population included students with initial endorsement(s) in special education area(s) as well as reading teachers who had completed the M.A. degree in Reading. The program was updated in the late 1980’s as a result of surging program enrollment and a nationwide surplus of qualified teachers of students with Learning Disabilities. The revised program limited enrollment to only those individuals who had earned a teaching certificate and an initial endorsement in an area of special education.

 

After nearly twenty years, the graduate program in Learning Disabilities is again ready for revision as the earlier surplus of teachers of students with Learning Disabilities is now described as a national shortage of such personnel. The proposed revisions reflect current research on best practices in special education teacher preparation  and address the significant nationwide shortage of teachers of K-12 students with Learning Disabilities.

 

Faculty in the Learning Disabilities program area have been working on the design and development of the proposed curricular revisions across the past four years. The revision process has involved repeated consultation and communication with current graduate students, department faculty, field-based experts in Learning Disabilities as well as recent graduates of the program. These constituencies were asked to discuss the current program curriculum and propose new curricular design and areas of emphasis which would improve and contemporize the program. Program faculty collected and summarized the data from these groups for presentation to the department's Learning Disabilities Advisory Board.

 

The Learning Disabilities Advisory Board meets annually to review and comment on various curricular issues relevant to the program. The Advisory Board is comprised of field-based professionals, current graduate students, special education administrators and related service personnel who employ, supervise, or work closely with alumni of the program. Program area faculty presented the comments from current students, department faculty, field-based experts and recent program graduates to the Advisory Board for their review and comment. The Advisory Board provided analysis, commentary, and recommendations which are incorporated in the proposed program revisions. The proposed program format was designed and recommended for implementation by the Learning Disabilities Advisory Board.

 

The revised Master of Arts in Learning Disabilities includes:

 

• A track for graduate students, with a teaching certificate who are seeking an initial endorsement in special education as a Teacher of Students with Learning Disabilities

§         A "user-friendly", well-scheduled and accessible degree program

• Compliance with the State of Michigan’s mandated standards for the preparation of Teachers of Students with Learning Disabilities
• Compliance with the national accreditation standards of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
• A flexible degree program which facilitates degree completion for graduate students pursuing a General Special Education Masters Degree with endorsement in another area of special education, i.e. cognitive impairment, emotional impairment, autistic impairment, etc.

 

The proposed changes in the format of the Master of Arts in Learning Disabilities has been presented and discussed at several department faculty meetings. The proposed program revisions reflect the support and endorsement of the Learning Disabilities Advisory Board, graduate students, faculty and alumni of the Department of Special Education. The proposed program has been approved by the department’s Curriculum and Instruction Committee and unanimously approved and endorsed by the department faculty.

 

II.                            Description of Current Program

 

The current Master of Arts in Learning Disabilities is thirty-seven (37) credit hour program. The current program includes departmental Core courses, Learning Disability-specific courses, cognates and electives. Current admission to the program requires that a student present acceptable scores on the GRE, have earned at least a 2.5 GPA in their undergraduate program, and have earned a Michigan teaching certificate with an endorsement in an area of special education. Additionally, two letters of recommendation, and other graduate school requirements as outlined in the graduate catalog, must be met. Applicants are reviewed by a committee of faculty from the Learning Disabilities program area, and the decision to admit is made by this faculty committee.

 

In the current program only graduate students who have earned an endorsement in special education are eligible for admission.

The specific course requirements are outlined below:

 

Core Courses		11 hours
SPGN 621	Law and Public Policy for Persons with Disabilities	3 hours
SPGN 630	Integrated Curriculum and Educational Programming for Special Education	3 hours
SPGN 632	Collaborative Consultation in Special Education	2 hours
SPGN 661	Advanced Assessment and Decision- Making	3 hours
LD Concentration Courses		22 hours
SPLI 468G	Education of Children with Learning Disabilities	2 hours
SPLI 673	Language: Acquisition, Disorders, Evaluation	3 hours
SPLI 672	Methods for Students with Learning Disabilities	4 hours
SPLI 678	Advanced Diagnostic Prescriptive Programming for Students with Learning Disabilities	3 hours
SPLI 693	Practicum in Learning Disabilities	4 hours
SPLI 712	Research Colloquium: Learning Disabilities	2 hours
PHED 578	Motor Learning and Development	2 hours
EDPS 677	Research Techniques	2 hours
Electives/Cognates		4 hours
Total degree program		37 hours

 

Upon completion of the course sequence described above, the student is eligible to receive an endorsement in the area of Learning Disabilities as well as the Master’s degree.

 

III. Proposed Revisions

 

The proposed revisions to the Masters of Arts in Learning Disabilities include changes in:

 

§         Program admission

• Program requirements
• Changes to individual courses
• Course deletions
• Addition of a new course

 

Track A

 

Graduate students who have earned a teaching certificate and an initial endorsement in an area of special education will be required to meet current admission standards which include:

 

§         Acceptable scores on the GRE

• 2.5 undergraduate grade point average

§         Valid Michigan Teaching Certificate

• An endorsement in an area of special education
• Two letters of recommendation
• Other graduate school requirements as outlined in the catalog.

 

Upon completion of the program, students in this track will have earned a M.A. degree, an endorsement in learning disabilities and completed a concentration in another special education field (i.e. cognitive impairment, autistic impairment, emotional impairment, etc.).

 

Coursework for students in Track A consists of 36 hours of Core courses, methods courses, Learning Disability-specific courses, and electives.

 

Core Courses		11 hours
SPGN 621	Law and Public Policy for Persons with Disabilities	3 hours
SPLI 678	Assessment and Advanced Diagnostic Prescriptive Programming for Students with Disabilities	4 hours
EDPS 677	Research Techniques	2 hours
SPGN 525	Classroom Management and Social Skill Development for Students with Disabilities	2 hours
Methods Courses		6 hours
SPGN 630	Integrated Curriculum and Educational Programming for Special Education	3 hours
SPLI 672	Methods for Students with Learning Disabilities	3 hours
LD Concentration Courses		8 hours
SPLI 468G	Education of Children with Learning Disabilities	2 hours
SPLI 693	Practicum in Learning Disabilities	4 hours
SPLI 712	Research Colloquium: Learning Disabilities	2 hours
Additional Options		11 hours

 

Track B

 

Graduate students with a teaching certificate, but no special education endorsement, will be admissible to the Learning Disabilities program if they meet the same requirements for admission as delineated in Track A, with the exception of the requirement for an initial endorsement in a special education area. Therefore, track B is designed to be attractive to those certified teachers desiring to enter the special education field but who have no previous coursework in special education. Track B will tap a new pool of prospective students and will help address the current shortage of credentialed teachers in the area of learning disabilities. Upon completion of the proposed program students in Track B will have completed the required coursework for the M.A. degree and an endorsement in learning disabilities.

 

Coursework for students in Track B consists of 36 credit hours of Deficiencies, Core Courses, Methods Area, and Learning Disability area courses.

 

Core Courses		11 hours
SPGN 621	Law and Public Policy for Persons with Disabilities	3 hours
SPGN 525	Classroom Management and Social Skill Development for Students with Disabilities	2 hours
EDPS 677	Research Techniques	2 hours
SPLI 678	Advanced Diagnostic Prescriptive Programming for Students with Learning Disabilities	4 hours
Methods Courses		6 hours
SPGN 630	Integrated Curriculum and Educational Programming for Special Education	3 hours
SPLI 672	Methods for Students with Learning Disabilities	3 hours
LD Concentration Courses		8 hours
SPLI 468G	Education of Children with Learning Disabilities