Graduate Special Education Course Descriptions

Teachers licensed in New Hampshire as well as Saint Anselm College alumni and current students may apply to the college’s master’s in special education program and/or take up to two courses for professional development before matriculating into the program, if they so choose. These additional pathways provide flexibility to complete the M.Ed. coursework and internship.

Each graduate student will have the opportunity to individualize their program elements in conjunction with the Director of the Graduate Program in Special Education, Laura Wasielewski.

The following is the upcoming academic year’s course sequence, beginning in May 2022 with the first summer session. 

Course Descriptions

ED510 IEP: Ethical & Legal Influence on Educational Practices of Students with Diverse Abilities 

This course explores the fundamental civil and legal principals and pivotal legislation that contribute to the placement, instruction, service delivery, and privacy issues of those who have a qualifying disability under federal laws. Learners will identify critical issues that may lead to ethical and legal conflicts of interdisciplinary team participants as well as proactive strategies for resolution. Furthermore, the course reviews the essential components of and development of an IEP including relevant special education law, writing measurable goals, IEP process, and aligning appropriate programming.  Additionally, examination of the transition from secondary school environments to post-school activities for youth with disabilities relative to career development and self-determination is reviewed in this course. Critical components include legal foundations, functional assessment, access to career and technical education, employment, postsecondary training, and independent living.

ED520 Differentiated Curriculum and Targeted Instruction

The central focus of the course is to design quality specialized instruction to meet the needs of a range of learners in an inclusive classroom, as well as to leverage effective approaches and strategies to teaching and assessing students with disabilities. Data-driven instruction derived from individualized assessment results will be accessed and applied to instructional methods. Emphasis will be placed on evidence-based instructional strategies including: collaboration with service providers to best meet the academic needs of students with disabilities and Universal Design for Learning.

ED530 Positive Behavior Supports

This course focuses on behavioral supports and interventions to create a positive environment for teaching and learning and includes strategies for use in schools, classrooms, and with individual students. Definition of challenging behaviors, collection and analysis of data, and development of interventions to support a variety of behavior change strategies in educational settings. Emphasis is on the development of positive, problem-solving approaches and strategies for classroom management. Provides theoretical foundations and practical applications for preventing challenging behaviors.

ED540 Consultation and Collaboration with Families, Schools, and Communities

This course focuses on effective education-based collaboration strategies for special educators who have multiple roles and serve numerous functions when designing and implementing developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences for students with a disability. As the special educator job is multifaceted, additional focus is on formulating a team-centered framework that provides academic support for various service delivery models. Particular emphasis will be placed on the role of the family of the students with disabilities, understanding their backgrounds, needs, and actively engaging them in the special education process. Additionally, candidates will learn how to effectively collaborate through verbal, written, and digital communication with collaborative transition team members who enable students to meet 21st century standards post-high school completion. 

Overview of consultation methods utilized by special education professionals with general education teachers, related service personnel, parents and students including the educational, legal, and ethical factors involved in case management. Impact of disability on families; collaboration with families in IEP & ITP development; Consultation with Related Services (OT, PT, SLP, APE, AB Therapist, and, collaboration with other school based supports (guidance counselors, social workers, child protective services, psychologists, etc.)

ED560 Assessment for Instructional Design and Decision Making

This course provides a comprehensive examination of the assessment and evaluation cycle employed within the special education process. During this course, learners will distinguish the special educator’s role within the multidisciplinary assessment process including how the evaluative data drives the planning and development of an individualized program. Additionally, the mandatory safeguards that assure ethical evaluation and assessment practices do not discriminate on the basis of race, culture, or native language are examined.

Participants focus on assessing learners with special needs, with an emphasis on measuring a learner's abilities and diagnosing his or her strengths and needs. Commonly used tests and evaluation systems used in public school special education programs are examined. Participants review guidelines and procedures for developing the individualized education program and evaluate the use of progress monitoring assessments to assess student performance. The special education referral process, the use of multi-tiered systems of support and response to intervention for assessment and remedial purposes, and basic remediation principles and strategies are also discussed.

ED600 Research Foundations and Design

Research Foundations and Design is the first of two required research courses. This course introduces research methodology to prepare students to design experiments, analyze data, evaluate results and report findings.

ED610 Research Capstone

Research capstone is the continuation and implementation of research. The course includes data analysis, research report writing, and professional presentation skills. A research project will be designed by students related to an educational setting.

ED630 Internship

This internship is a field experience and seminar that focuses on the application of special education knowledge and skills including assistive technology in a K-12 school setting. Interns receive support from a college supervisor and mentor/cooperating teacher to meet identified special education program competencies. These experiences occur in off-campus school and community situations for fifteen weeks each semester where opportunity is given to the intern to apply theories of teaching and learning, and to initiate and test ideas with students.  With guidance and supervision, the intern is also given the opportunity to develop the ability, initiative and responsibility for planning, guiding and evaluating the total program of the students with whom he/she is working. Each internship is arranged by the College in partnership with a district.