Independent Study

This advanced course focuses on implementing evidence-based practices, high-leverage practices and data-based intensification in special education. Students critically examine research, apply HLPs, and use data for instructional decisions. They develop skills to design and adapt interventions for diverse learners, emphasizing practical applications to improve outcomes for students with disabilities across various educational settings.

Laboratory course for students beginning to work on the development of curriculum and instructional programs. Application of curriculum design and evaluation principles to the development of a particular curriculum identified by the student.

Studies the implications for curriculum and data collection techniques of K-12 schools. Specific attention is given to objectives, sequence, standards, and developments in each subject area.

Reading comprehension and writing for meaning requires the development of many subcomponent skills. This course covers the fundamentals of reading and writing development from emergent literacy through adolescence. Students also learn evidence-based practices for reading and writing instruction informed by assessment within a multi-tiered systems of support framework.

Understanding the Code provides students with a deep understanding of the code and why building this knowledge across a child's reading development is crucial. Students learn how phoneme awareness and phonics lead to automatic word recognition, the influence of orthography, and how the meaning layer of language (i.e., morphology, syntax, semantics) supports decoding, spelling, and vocabulary.

This course explores research evidence that describes key influences on word reading (e.g., phonological awareness, phonics, spelling, decoding,¿&¿fluency). Through a series of assignments to apply knowledge, students administer and interpret assessments of word-level skills and use assessment data to plan and implement lessons. Students reflect on and discuss various aspects of interventions targeting the sub-component skills of word reading.

The course begins with an overview of models of reading comprehension and research evidence that describes key influences on reading comprehension (e.g., oral language, decoding/fluency, vocabulary, text structure, and engagement/motivation). Through a series of assignments to apply knowledge, students administer and interpret assessments of language and reading comprehension and use assessment data to plan and implement lessons.

In this course, students apply their knowledge of typical literacy development to understand how reading and writing develop in diverse populations of students, including students with dyslexia, students with other disabilities (e.g., ADHD), English learners, and students who speak linguistic varieties of English. Evidence-based practices in screening, assessment, and instruction/intervention are discussed.

This course examines the leadership role of the reading specialist/coach. Students develop skills to evaluate reading programs and utilize data at the school and district levels. Examining coaching approaches helps students consider how to work in partnership with colleagues for successful implementation of evidence-based practices.