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Admission Requirements

• For U.S. Citizens or Residents, a Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with a GPA of 2.8 or higher is required. Along with the application, please submit 2 letters of recommendation and transcripts from all former institutions (required).
• For non-U.S. Citizens, you will need to have a Bachelor's or Master's degree that is recognized by the Ministry of Education (your transcripts will also be evaluated by World Education Services). You will also need official score reports for TOEFL (iBT score of 80 or better; PBT score of 550 or better) and TWE (score of 5 or better).

Degree Overview

M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction

The M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction core courses and capstone experience are the foundation for this master’s degree program of study. Candidates will participate in individualized learning that supports professional and personal goals toward their continuing development as a professional educator.

M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction: Special Education

The M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction: Special Education is designed for the General Education Teacher and will provide the knowledge and skills needed to work effectively with students with disabilities mainstreamed or fully included in general education classrooms. Particular emphasis is placed on instructional strategies used to differentiate instruction, to serve students with disabilities in inclusive general education classrooms and to implement the Response to Intervention model at the classroom or school level.

Course Descriptions

C & I Core Courses

EDU 502w Developing Character through the Curriculum (3)

This course will provide teachers with the resources and skills necessary to integrate character themes and character development into their school curriculum. It provides a forum in which to discuss and develop one’s own moral perspectives on the basis of generally accepted criteria.

EDU 535w Theories of Teaching and Learning (3)

This course is designed to provide leaders with the latest psychological research findings and guide them in exploring ways to directly apply these precepts to their current work setting. Topics will include the functions and anatomy of the brain and the fascinating arena of multiple intelligences. The course will fuse the latest biological and psychological understanding of how the brain works so candidates can harness this knowledge and apply it directly to enhancing their current work environment.

EDU 595w Community of Learners (3)

Relationships constructed on trust are critical for an efficient, collegial, collaborative workplace. This course challenges candidates to confront the tremendous diversity in their current environment and develop strategies to build community in the midst of the social, ethnic, economic and alternative lifestyle differences that permeate today’s 21st century workplace. In sum, this course stresses the critical importance of creating community in the workplace and illustrates how that community, once established, can generate an efficient, supportive, and positive work place.

EDU 601w Educational Research (3)

This course provides students with the basic competencies necessary to understand and evaluate the research of others, and to plan and conduct their own research with a minimum of assistance. This course includes the basics of both qualitative and quantitative research.

EDU 602w Contemporary Educational Thought (3)*

Candidates identify, review, and analyze major trends and issues impacting the contemporary state and national educational scenes. Each class session provides students with an opportunity to evaluate the advantages and liabilities of current educational reforms and issues from the perspective of prevailing educational research as well as from their own personal beliefs and current work environment. Candidates will also consider how they can impact and influence change in their own workplace.

Special Education Courses

Foundation Concepts for Inclusive Teaching (3)*

The general education classroom teacher’s role in identifying and teaching a growing population of students with other special needs in the general education classroom is the major focus of Foundation Concepts for Inclusive Teaching.

This course presents the fundamental concepts related to teaching students with disabilities and students with other special needs in transformative general education classrooms. Information on the history of special education and the federal policies related to serving students with disabilities in public schools is reviewed in the initial phase of the course. Included in this review is an analysis of the general education teacher’s role in the various phases of serving students with disabilities in the general education classroom including the implementation of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or a 504 plan.

The second phase of the course will examine:

• the characteristics and needs of students with persistent academic disabilities and students with significant cognitive disabilities recognized under the provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 reauthorization)
• the categories of disabilities (high incidence and low incidence disabilities) as they relate to teaching students with disabilities in general education classrooms defined within the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA)

A similar analysis of the characteristics and needs of students with other special needs that are served in general education classrooms will also be conducted.

Accommodations, modifications and adaptations that support the success of students with disabilities and students with other special needs in transformative general education classrooms will conclude this course of study.

The Inclusive Classroom: Instructional Strategies and Interventions (3)*

The effective use of transformational instructional strategies and interventions to maximize teaching and learning for all students in an inclusive classroom will be studied. Accommodations and modifications that provide access to the general education curriculum specific to the categories of disabilities defined in the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) will be identified. A focus on differentiated instruction and adaptations appropriate for students with other special learning needs (students with gifts and talents, English language learners and low language native English speakers, and students at-risk for school failure) will be included. Emphasis will be placed on practical instructional strategies and interventions that promote learning and can be readily implemented by the general education classroom teacher in an inclusive learning environment.

Effective Classroom Management Strategies (3)*

The focus of this course is the use of strategies and procedures proven effective in establishing and maintaining a positive and supportive learning environment for all students in an inclusive general education classroom. Practical, preventative strategies rooted in positive teacher-student relationships and well-designed learning activities as well as more formal classroom management strategies will be studied. In addition, effective responses to inappropriate and disruptive behavior will be identified with an emphasis on appropriate academic and social behavior development that results in optimal student motivation and engagement.

Principles of Collaboration and Partnerships (3)*

The role of the general education inclusive classroom teacher in establishing and working effectively in building partnerships through collaboration with school personnel, parents and community agencies will be defined and explored. Specific partnering and collaboration responsibilities of the general education classroom teacher as part of providing services to students with disabilities will be addressed including the general education pre-referral process, implementing a response to intervention model, co-teaching, and practices and procedures essential to the successful inclusion of students with disabilities.

Capstone

EDU 698w Action Research (3)

Action research is the capstone project for the M.Ed program. It involves the identification of a specific issue in the candidate’s work setting, researching the literature regarding the issue, designing a proposal to solve the issue, implementing the solution (after the proposal has been approved), and reporting the results. Candidates will create their proposal in EDU 601 then receive the majority of their guidance from their faculty advisor. The implementation phase of the course will last from 12 to 18 weeks at the student’s work setting. Final concentration for report writing will occur during the final three weeks of the program to meet the completion date.

* Class is taken simultaneously with EDU 698 Action Research. Students receive guidance for the implementation of their capstone project
  within EDU 698, beginning six months prior to their graduation, and receive ongoing support until their program completion.

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A national university system with 10 campuses throughout the United States, Concordia University Portland was founded more than 100 years ago and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.