Program Goals:
I.          Content Knowledge:  Students will know, interpret and apply knowledge in the following        domains of study necessary for success as a leader in curriculum and instruction:
            A. Multicultural teaching and learning
            B.  Educational research
            C.  Human development
            D.  The social, political, and historical foundations of education
            E.  The social, political, philosophical, and economic forces impacting the curriculum and major theories that form the foundation for curriculum development
            F.  Contemporary issues, policies, and practices of interest to curriculum developers, theorists, and practitioners
            G.  The impact of technology on curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices
            H.  Strategies, theories, and implications of assessment
 
II.  Pedagogical Content Knowledge
            A.  Students will apply content specific curriculum, instruction, and assessment principles and strategies in their course assignments and culminating project/thesis
            B.  Students will integrate the use of technology in courses through their participation,           completion of assignments, and production of their culminating projects/thesis when appropriate or expected
            C.  Students will analyze and design curriculum, identify and examine curricular issues that emerge from practice and course readings, assignments, and analyze curricular outcomes from a multicultural perspective
            D.  Students will conduct a formal review of literature relevant to a chosen curriculum project/thesis, design an appropriate study/project based on this review, and prepare a written project/thesis that includes a discussion of the chosen research questions, rationale, methodology, analysis, findings, and implications
            E.  Students will demonstrate the capability to synthesize knowledge from a number of         program courses in a manner that is relevant to unique situations or problems
            F.  Students will complete a culminating thesis or project that demonstrates their capability to create a research or development project that reflects the content, strategies, and theories taught in the program of study
 
III.  Professional and Pedagogical Knowledge and Skills
            A.  Students will demonstrate written and oral communication skills in the performance of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation tasks at a level of proficiency expected of a school and curriculum leader
            B.  The standards for the masters in curriculum and instruction are aligned with the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) and the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC).
           
The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS)
1)  Teachers are committed to students and their learning
                        2)  Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students
                        3)  Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning
                        4)  Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience
                        5)  Teachers are members of learning communities
 
            Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC)
                        1)  The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline he or she teachers and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students
                        2)  The teacher understands how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social, and personal development
                        3)  The teacher understands how students differ in their approach to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners
                        4)  The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to   encourage students’ development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills
                        5)  The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning and self-motivation
                        6)  The teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom
                        7)  The teacher plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals
                        8)  The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social and physical         development of the learner
                        9)  The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his/her choices and actions on others in the learning community and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally
                        10) The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support students learning and well-being.
 
IV.  College of Education Professional Dispositions
            Dispositions Outcome:  Students will demonstrate professional dispositions: adherence to             professional ethics, collaboration, commitment to diversity, leadership and initiative, professional advocacy, professional demeanor, self-reflection, and student-focus.
 
            Professional Dispositions are elaborated as follows:
            A.  Adherence to professional ethics: demonstrates adherence to standards of ethical         conduct, fulfills professional obligations, assumes responsibility for own decisions
            B.  Collaboration: works effectively with professional colleagues, parents, and other adults
            C.  Commitment to diversity: values multiple aspects of diversity; respects children and adults of various cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations,            social classes, abilities, political beliefs, etc.
            D.  Leadership and Initiative: assumes leadership roles in improving professional practice, goes beyond what is expected, actively seeks solutions to problems
            E.  Professional advocacy: serves as an advocate in schools and in the broader community            to enhance educational opportunities for all students
            F.  Professional demeanor: deals with conflict appropriately,k posed and professional         behavior, responsive to professional feedback
G.  Self-reflection: reflects on and evaluates one’s own experience and work, is willing and able to recognize difficulties or deficiencies in one’s professional practice, seeks after knowledge and professional development
            H.  Student focus:  focuses professional decision-making around student needs rather than personal preference, respects students as valued human beings
 
V.  Impact on Student Learning
            A.  Throughout several courses in each of the masters programs, teachers conduct formal analysis of their students’ work using pre-assessment and post-assessment instruments that they have designed according to the grade level of their students, he content of the course they are teaching and their learning goals (Curr 650, Curr 622).  This student work is analyzed in class and provides the basis for teachers to learn how to better assess their own students’ work in order to make appropriate pedagogical decisions.
            B.  In Curr 691/692 teachers create a thesis or curriculum project that involves their conducting a formal analysis of their students’ work.  The data collected from this analysis is used to design a curriculum to meet the learning needs of their students and to meet the state’s curriculum standards.
 
Shared Outcomes:  (Reflective Inquiry)
            1)  The culminating experience (Curr 691/692) requires students to reflect on how the principles discovered in their literature review might be applied to develop, improve or investigate curriculum and instruction in their local site.  This systematic analysis involves deep reflection on current practice and learning from adaptations and investigations of that        practice.
            2)  Curr 650, Curr 618, and Curr 622 require students to conduct action research studies which examine the link between their instruction and their students’ learning.  Teachers analyze and reflect upon student work samples to study their students’ learning responses         to instructional interventions.
            3)  Curr 656 requires an analysis and reflection on a curriculum currently in use in the teacher’s district.
 

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