Master of Education in Special Needs (Pre-K-8, 5-12) - Initial Licensure

The program in Special Needs prepares professionals to work with children with moderate disabilities at the Pre-K–8 and 5–12 levels who participate in integrated or self-contained classrooms. These programs lead to Initial and Professional Licensure in Moderate Disabilities (Pre-K–8, 5–12).

Program Outcomes

• Providing students with a view of cognitive development of children and adolescents, learning theory for all learners, the philosophical implications for the regular education integration model (REI), and the utilization of behavioral management principles.
• Making students aware of educational terminology for students with mild to moderate disabilities and knowledge of services provided by other agencies.
• Providing opportunities for identification and remediation of various mild to moderate disability conditions.
• Providing experiences in the field to enhance observational skills and an awareness of curriculum adaptation.
• Providing opportunities to develop assessment skills, in particular: reporting, informal information, sensory motor checklists, pre-school screening, and receptive and expressive language development.
• Providing opportunities to develop experience to adapt curriculum goals; create materials; select technologically appropriate tools; and prepare, implement, and evaluate individual education programs (IEPs).
• Providing opportunities to integrate state and federal regulations pertaining to special education.
• Providing experiences for students to view the role of families and the community at large in dealing with various mild to moderate disabilities conditions of all learners.

The Moderate Disabilities programs (Pre-K–8 and 5–12) are designed in two different tracks: 1) a 21-credit post-baccalaureate program that leads to Initial Licensure and an optional 15 additional credit program to obtain a Master’s degree in Initial Licensure, and 2) a 36-credit Appropriate Master’s Degree program for a Professional License.

The distinction between the different grade level licensures (i.e., Pre-K–8 and 5–12) lies in:

• The entrance requirements (e.g., prior course work);
• The number of clock hours and the grade level for the practicum experience; and
• Assignments within courses that address the grade level at which the student is pursuing licensure.

Master of Education in Special Needs: Initial Licensure in Moderate Disabilities (Pre-K–8, 5–12)

The curriculum for the Special Needs programs leading to licensure in Moderate Disabilities addresses theories of language development, including differences between first and second language acquisition and the effects of disabilities on learning and vocabulary development. The program explores diagnosis and assessment of that development; theories, concepts, and methods of assessment; educational terminology for students with mild to moderate disabilities; study of individualized Education Programs; curriculum development for students with mild to moderate disabilities; behavioral management principles; innovative practices emphasizing students with special needs; and the required pre-practicum and practicum experiences as described below.


Specific Admission Requirements

• Application form and fee;
• Statement of professional goals;
• Official transcripts of all academic work (at a minimum a Bachelor degree);
• Two letters of recommendation;
• A passing score on the Communication and Literacy Test (MTEL)
• A copy of all Massachusetts teacher licenses, if any; and
• Official score on either the Miller Analogies Test or GRE.

Completion Requirements

To exit from the Special Needs program for Initial Licensure in Moderate Disabilities, students must successfully complete all of the required courses and fieldwork.  In addition, prior to entering practicum, teachers seeking a license as a teacher of students with moderate disabilities for Pre-K–8 must pass the General Curriculum test in addition to passing the Communication and Literacy and the Foundations of Readings tests. Those seeking this license for 5–12 must pass either the General Curriculum test or a subject matter test in one of the core academic subjects taught in 5–8 or 8–12 (such as History) in addition to passing the Communication and Literacy and the Foundations of Reading Tests. Students may be advised to take additional subject matter courses for meeting the above Department of Elementary and Secondary Education requirements.