The preparation of skilled and knowledgeable practitioners who understand reflective and inquiry-based teaching is also emphasized. The program is based on the notion that all children and youth can achieve. Graduate students learn that instruction is based on assessment data, and high expectations for young pupils are critical to the teaming process. The program is designed to produce teachers who understand the purposes of education as well as the methods and strategies of teaching. Major emphasis is placed on preparing students to reason soundly about their teaching, as well as to perform skillfully, The program provides the student with a foundation for the teaching and management of children and youth with disabilities based on current knowledge, research, and practice in the field.
Action research is emphasized to document the efficacy of teaching methodology.
As an extension of the inclusion model, students learn to work collaboratively with other staff members in an interactive process in order to generate creative solutions to mutually defined problems. The program consists of 36 credit hours grouped sequentially to provide the student with a hierarchy of knowledge and skills. The program requires three field-based experiences. The first practicum experience occurs during SPED 511, Special Education Perspectives, where students are required to perform 25 hours of observation and class-based participation. All perspective graduate special education students whose undergraduate degrees are not in the field of education are required to complete foundation courses.