6 th year Special Education. 1. History, Development and Expectations

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1 1. History, Development and Expectations 6 th year Special Education a. The 6 th year certificate program in Special Education was developed in the late 1990 s to offer students who were seeking additional, in-depth knowledge in a particular area of study within the field of Special Education and/or to increase their competency as leaders in their school communities in regard to special education. There are six different programs within the 6 th year certificate program in Special Education. All of the programs require 30 credit hours of coursework except for the Educational Collaboration and Consultation and Educational Leadership which is a 36 credit program. The six different program areas are; Educational Collaboration and Consultation, Educational Collaboration and Educational Leadership, Special Education, Educational Coach, Adaptive Technology, and Applied Behavior Analysis. The Educational Collaboration and Consultation program was designed to provide post master s degree students with the tools to work collaboratively within their schools it also serves to support the coteaching models that school districts use to provide inclusive practices for students with disabilities. The Educational Collaboration and Consultation and Educational Leadership program is a joint program with the Department of Educational Leadership and was created to bridge special education and educational leadership as a result of this program, the student can sit for their administrative endorsement examination to be certified in the State of Connecticut as an Administrator. The Special Education program is for post master s degree students who are interested in enhancing their knowledge in the field of special education. The Educational Coach program is a collaborative program with the Department of Elementary Education (see separate priority report). The program in Adaptive Technology was created in the late 1990s and is one of a kind in the state of Connecticut. This was developed as research in the field of special education demonstrated the huge impact technology can have on the growth and development of children with special needs. The most recent addition to the 6 th year certificate program is the 30 credit 6 th year professional diploma in Applied Behavior Analysis. This certificate qualifies its graduates to sit for the BCBA exam which enables them to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Professionals with certification in this area are highly sought after in many fields including education, special education, and school psychology. These programs were developed as a proactive move toward the future demands of educators as leaders in the school districts who have a holistic approach to the whole of education in terms of meeting the needs of all students. These programs train post graduate students to be proficient in collaboration and consultation, diversification of instruction and assessment, in-service training, understanding school law, classroom management, using adaptive technology to support students, educational leadership, and the foundations and principles of applied behavior analysis. Upon completion of these programs these individuals successfully serve as education consultants, assistant principals, supervisors, board certified behavior analysts, adaptive technology specialists, classroom teachers, and other leadership positions in the field of special and general education. These programs are ideal for a special education teacher, a regular education teacher, counselor, behavior specialist, or aspiring administrator. To date what is truly needed is the ability to advertise this dynamic program, the efforts have been left to the departments and other than brochures, web sites and open houses more is needed. b. This is a dynamic program that has served a vast number of educators around the state and all public schools from elementary through secondary. The programs are designed to also provide graduates with the ability to work in a co-teaching capacity as a teacher-coach or teacher-leader, administrators,

2 consultants and other leadership positions within a school district. However, visibility and marketing of this program is an identified need. 2. External Demand for the Program a. Applications have decreased in the past three years. The acceptance rate has varied as applicants at times do not follow through with their initial application with the required documentation. The coordinators of the programs provide early advising to students who are interested in the 6 th year certificate program in Special Education. The number of applicants has decreased due to outside factors including an economic recession and the increasing cost to attend a graduate program. It is important to note that these numbers do not accurately reflect the total number of full and part time students enrolled in the program. For the new BCBA 6 th year certificate program: The first cohort included 19 students who finished the program (ing 2012-ing 2013) and the second cohort includes 15 students who are expected to complete the program in December 2014 (Program began in 2013). There is a high demand for Board Certified Behavior Analysts in the State of Connecticut to provide services for students with disabilities (specifically students with autism/autism spectrum disorder) in all educational settings. 6 th year certificate in Special Education: Applications & % Accepted Academic Year Program Applications Accepted Acceptance % SYC-SED % SYC-SED % SYC-SED % SYC-SED % SYC-SED % Enrolled Students Enrollments - SYC-SED '08 '09 '09 '10 '10 '11 '11 '12 '12 '13 Avg ing Avg Female Male Total Full-Time Part-Time b. Our 6 th year certificate in Special Education benefits all public, private and charter schools within the State of Connecticut. The programs include taking 30 semester hours (with the exception of the Collaboration and Consultation and Educational Leadership 36 semester hours) or 10 courses designed to prepare teachers to have advanced knowledge in collaboration and consultation, assistive technology, preparation to sit for the BCBA examination, preparation to sit for the administrative endorsement

3 examination, and in advanced special education. The program is designed to develop the skills needed for professionals in the field of education to work in school districts. c. This is one of few programs in the State of Connecticut that offers a collaborative post master s degree credits with the Departments of Special Education and Educational Leadership. It is also one of few programs in the State of Connecticut that offers a post master s degree credits in the areas of Adaptive Technology, Applied Behavior Analysis, Collaboration and Consultation, and Special Education. It also is the only program in the State of Connecticut that offers an Educational Coach program that is collaborative with the Departments of Special Education and Reading and Elementary Education. These programs can serve and be an exceptional resource for this university if it is marketed. 3. Internal Demand for the Program a. The data provided on the Program Prioritization eadsheet 6 th year programs in Special Education and then calculating for internal demand is as follows: %, %, %, % % Anywhere between 10.7% and 13.6% represents the percentage of courses/credits taken by non-majors Credits Generated by 6 th year certificate program in Special Education 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 Credits Generated Total Academic Credits 2,336 2,364 2,703 2,621 2,093 Major Credits 2,057 2,082 2,413 2,328 1,809 Total Students b. This is a post graduate program so there is not a specific link to the undergraduate program, however many student from the undergraduate special education programs continue on through the master s program in the department. The influence is from Master s students who wish to continue after they complete their master s degree and would like to continue their education to complete a 6 th year program. The Department offers a seamless transition to the 6 th year certificate program in Special Education. Specifically in the Applied Behavior Analysis, Adaptive Technology, Educational Coach, and Collaboration and Consultation and Educational Leadership. c. In our 6 th year program there are no other non-program students we rely on but non- program students do take our courses (see 3a.) d. No e. No

4 4. Quality of Program Inputs and Processes a. The Special Education and Reading Department currently has 13 full time, tenured or tenure track members, all of whom have their doctoral degrees and are members of the graduate faculty. Eleven of these members have taught graduate courses in the past three years and 2 members teach in the undergraduate programs. Faculty members are assigned to teach in their areas of expertise. All faculty serve as advisors to specific concentration areas, certain faculty coordinate concentration areas, and teach within their discipline. For the 6 th year certificate program in Special Education, faculty from both the Special Education and Reading department, Educational Leadership, and Elementary Education department teach the course sequences. In the Special Education and Reading department, there are three part-time faculty members that teach three of the required courses for completion of the Collaboration and Consultation, Collaboration and Consultation and Educational Leadership, Special Education, and Educational Coach certificate programs this represents 30% of the total courses in the sequence. For the Adaptive Technology and Applied Behavior Analysis programs, the advisors for those areas work with the adjunct faculty to ensure quality instruction through meetings, syllabus reviews, and post course evaluations. We have been very fortunate to have tenured/tenure track faculty teach 70% of the courses in the above mentioned sequences. The part-time faculty members that teach the other courses, three of them are former members of the department and two have emeritus status at SCSU for the Collaboration and Consultation, Collaboration and Consultation and Educational Leadership, Special Education, and Educational Coach. For the Adaptive Technology and Applied Behavior Analysis programs, the part-time faculty hold their BCBA certification for the Applied Behavior Analysis program and for the Adaptive Technology program have either been through the SCSU program or have extensive background in the area. b. The students in the 6 th year certification in Special Education focus on the following areas: a) collaboration and consultation, b) diversification of instruction, c) law, d) classroom management, e) educational leadership, f) applied behavior analysis, g) adaptive technology, and h) disability specific areas. These areas provide the students with the opportunities to demonstrate skills in collaboration and consultation with teachers, administrators, and related services providers to children with special needs and the children in regular education. Also, to demonstrate the skills and abilities to provide in-service training, workshops, and modeling related to children with special needs, diversification of instruction, and collaboration. In addition, students are provided the opportunity to demonstrate skills for assessing students needs and diversifying instruction in the general curriculum to meet the needs in inclusive settings, and using technology to support teaching and learning. Data driven decision making, instructional coaching, and techniques to enhance student engagement, teaching and learning in the classroom and creating learning opportunities are also provided. Finally students are provided the opportunity to demonstrate an understanding of the legal rights, responsibilities of teachers, students and parents as well as demonstrating the appropriate skills for classroom management for both group and individual situations. c. The School of Education is accredited by NCATE (National Council of Teacher Accreditation). As per NCATE requirements, the program has four transition points, from admission to program completion. At every transition point, candidates are assessed along the four components of the School of Education s

5 conceptual framework. CALL (Collaborating, Applying, Leading, Learning). Gate 1 Acceptance into the program with a planned program, Gate 2 Completion of the first 12 credits, Gate 3 Completion of 24 credits, Gate 4 Completion of program and culminating presentation. Within each Gate, the student must demonstrate/exhibit criteria within each of the four components in the conceptual framework (CALL). In addition to meeting the NCATE standards, the Department of Special Education and Reading also uses the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Professional Standards in Advanced Practices and aligns each syllabus objectives and outcomes with the Professional Standards. Informally, individual faculty regularly adjusts and maintains up to date information to share and provide the students within each course. d. This is one of few programs in the State of Connecticut that offers a collaborative post master s degree credits with the Departments of Special Education and Educational Leadership. It is also one of few programs in the State of Connecticut that offers a post master s degree credits in the areas of Adaptive Technology, Applied Behavior Analysis, Collaboration and Consultation, and Special Education. It also is the only program in the State of Connecticut that offers an Educational Coach program that is collaborative with the Departments of Special Education and Reading and Elementary Education. These programs can serve and be an exceptional resource for this university if it is marketed. 5. Quality of Programs a. The GPAs of the program students in the 6 th year certificate programs are consistently above expected performance. Overall, Student Opinion Survey results are consistently above 90% for agree and strongly agree. The results of a recent alumni survey that was articulated in a recent Graduate program review (2012, ) indicated that in the area of Professional Knowledge and Skills, there were significant gains for the following: a) methods to evaluate the effectiveness of practice and program, b) how to utilize information about learning differences to inform the development and implementation of comprehensive curricula, c) theories, evidence-based practices and relevant laws to advocate for appropriate instructional supports, d) identifying effective practices and research related to those practices, e) standards of professional and ethical practices that promote respect for all individuals with disabilities, f) utilize collaborative skills to improve outcomes and services for students with special learning needs, g) knowledge of the field of special education as an evolving and changing discipline based on philosophies, evidence0based principles and theories, relevant laws and policies, diverse and historical points of view, and human issues that have historically influenced and continue to influence the education and treatment of individuals with exceptional needs both in school and society, h) can select, adapt, and use appropriately aligned instructional strategies to promote challenging learning results in general and special curricula, i) possess and can appropriately implement a repertoire of evidence-based instructional strategies to individualize instruction for individuals with exceptional learning needs, j) can appropriately modify learning environments for individuals with exceptional learning needs, and k) can actively create learning environments for individuals with exceptional learning needs that foster cultural understanding, safety and emotional well-being, positive social interactions and active engagement of individuals with exceptional learning needs. These are indicators of program outcomes that address the competencies outlined within the 6 th year certificate program in Special Education.

6 Overall GPA for enrolled students SYC-SED '08 '09 '09 '10 '10 '11 '11 '12 '12 '13 Avg ing Avg Students Overall GPA Student Opinion Survey Results (survey questions changed in 10/11 but there was correspondence for the first three questions below) Course Information Survey 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 Statement SA/A SA/A SA/A SA/A SA/A Methods of instruction have helped me understand the subject matter. 98% 96% 92% 91% 91% Reading the assigned material has helped me understand this subject. 94% 93% 92% 91% 93% Exams and out-of-class assignments have helped me understand the subject matter. 96% 95% 93% 92% 93% Number of exams & other graded assignments has been sufficient to evaluate my progress. 97% 95% My experiences in this class make me want to learn more about this subject. 95% 94% I would rate the quality of instruction in this course as high. 95% 94% I would rate the overall quality of this course as high. 94% 95% This course helped me meet the learning goals. 95% 95% 95% This course evaluated how well I met those learning goals. 92% 92% 93% My experience in this course helped me appreciate this subject. 93% 93% 94% The instructor provided regular feedback on my performance in this course. 90% 92% 91% The instructor had high standards for student achievement. 96% 94% 95%

7 The instructor encouraged me to take responsibility for my own learning. 95% 95% 94% b. Students who complete the 6 th year certificate program in Special Education continue to maintain their teaching positions within their respective districts. Often they become leaders in their districts and provide the district with unique skills (Applied Behavior Analysis and Educational Leadership). In fact, after completing the program, they all move up the teacher salary scale to a higher level of pay. We prepare the students for taking on alternative roles within the school as a facilitator, instructional coach, inclusion specialist, or other type of consulting positions within the school district. 6. Size, scope and productivity of the program a. See chart for 10/11, 11/12, and 12/13 there were 7,417 total academic credits within the Department of Special Education and Reading. There were 6,550 major credits. Credits Generated 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 Total Academic Credits 2,336 2,364 2,703 2,621 2,093 Major Credits 2,057 2,082 2,413 2,328 1,809 Total Students b. See table below. c. See table below Number of Degrees Conferred Degrees Conferred 08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13 MS-Special Education SYC-Special Education d. In the past five years, the graduate program faculty in the Department of Special Education and Reading has engaged in a number of research/creative activities (see table below). Faculty Productivity National presentations 110 State presentations 62 Book chapters published 13 Book chapters submitted 11 Books published 4 Published articles 10

8 Articles submitted 29 Published book reviews 2 Article reviews 44 Total grants received 24 Grant money awarded $2,323,997 e. Generally, 6 th year graduate student involvement in faculty s research efforts is minimal. That is because most of the students attending graduate programming within the Department of Special Education and Reading are part-time students and are working professionals. As such most often they are unable to commit the time needed to engage in their own extensive research and/or to collaborate with faculty research efforts. That said there have been several exceptions that include five collaborative presentations and five paid research assistant positions collecting data as a part of CSU research grants. f. The impact of faculty productivity greatly enhances the opportunities for the students in the program to benefit from the research. Opportunities for student involvement in projects and presentations when available provide opportunities to make connections and share in the field of Special Education. g. No 7. Revenue and other resources generated by the program a. The student enrollment revenue is listed in the table below Student Enrollment Revenue Prioritization Pgm for Reports Fiscal Year Student Tuition and Fees Other Revenue Sources Grand Total Revenue SYC-SED ,610 92, ,299 SYC-SED ,203 90, ,865 SYC-SED ,010 28, ,821 b. There are no additional revenues from laboratory fees or special user fees c. None d. With revenue for the program generated only by student enrollment, the program must market itself to the State of Connecticut and school districts to increase enrollment. Since there is a crossover of courses offered within this program, there is no need to reduce the number of course offerings as a cycling pattern was created for the program for the students to follow. e. No

9 8. Costs and Expenses a. Direct expense see table below: Cost of Program Prioritizatio n Pgm for Reports Fisca l Year Employee Compensatio n Operatin g Expenses Allocated Overhea d and Indirect Costs Grand Total Costs Net Incom e / (Loss) Per BCH SYC-SED 2010 (135,624) (6,631) (126,599) SYC-SED 2011 (165,477) (8,593) (134,606) SYC-SED 2012 (110,791) (4,140) (80,732) (268,854 ) (308,676 ) (195,662 ) b. Ratio of cost to revenue see table below: Ratio of Costs to Revenue Prioritization Pgm for Reports Fiscal Year Ratio of Costs to Revenue SYC-SED : 1.00 SYC-SED : 1.00 SYC-SED : 1.00 c. None d. Most of the courses offered are not unique to this program. With the exception of the Applied Behavior Analysis, Adaptive Technology, and Educational Leadership courses that are concentration specific, a majority of the rest of the courses offered can be taken in concert with their Master s and other 6 th year certification in Special Education planned programs. There are courses that are offered during the summer sessions. 9. Impact, Justification, and Overall Essentiality of the Program

10 a. This program serves teachers both general and special educators by aligning outcomes with the Graduate School s Mission statement including empowering students with the knowledge, values, and skills to be continuous learners and practitioners who can, in turn, provide visionary leadership in addressing current and future challenges. For this program, the 6 th year certificate program enhances their working knowledge and provides tools that can be implemented in their role as teachers, instructional coaches, consultants, and experts in the field of both general and special education. By providing coursework as a post-master s degree program, the professionals who access this program are more equipped to address both current and future educational challenges. b. This program improves the state s workforce and produces professionals who have both critical thinking skills as well as the ability to practically apply their knowledge to their teaching craft. In addition, it allows the professionals to continue their education to enhance the teaching workforce with the most current and innovative research based practices. c. This is the only program in the State of Connecticut that offers a collaborative post master s degree credits with both the Departments of Special Education and Elementary Education and a collaborative with the Department of Special Education and Educational Leadership. This unique program is a step forward in the movement of blending general and special education. This is also one of the few programs in the State that offers an Applied Behavior Analysis course sequence. This is also one of the few Adaptive Technology programs in the State. This program can serve and be an exceptional resource for this university if it is marketed. d. No 10. Opportunity analysis of the program a. There are several external opportunities to strengthen this program. The first would be to enhance the partnerships that currently exist with school districts in the State of Connecticut. The State of Connecticut has put together proposals that would change certification. This program would be on the forefront of any change as one of the models proposed included developing an Educational Coach certification that would serve the school districts in the capacity of a coach, consultant, and facilitator. The second would be to enhance the marketing efforts of the 6 th year programs in this rebounding economy. Along with continuing to be a presence at the Graduate Open Houses, marketing efforts could include regionally based school district open houses, development of this type of program into different or alternative formats for instruction (e.g., hybrid, on-line, weekend based, cohort models) to meet the needs of the changing population of professionals, and possible development and establishing relationships with international teaching programs. There is also a need for Board Certified Behavior Analysts in the State of Connecticut to provide services for students with disabilities (specifically students with autism/autism spectrum disorder) in all educational settings. b. There are several internal opportunities to strengthen this program. The first would be to continue to use the assessment data to meet the changing needs of the field. The second would be to continue the collaboration between the Department of Special Education and Reading and the Department of Elementary Education and the Department of Educational Leadership.

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