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Master of Science in Education: Curriculum

Curriculum Details

36 total credits required

The online Master of Science in Education will give you a competitive advantage in the education industry and allow you to specialize in a concentration of your choice. The program includes 36 credit hours, 15 of which are in the teacher-researcher core, and takes one and a half to three years to complete. You will learn techniques in quantitative and qualitative research methods, critically consume research, and write a literature review to provide a foundation to plan, implement and report results from your M.S. research project.

Our program allows you to specialize in concentrations like curriculum and instruction, dyslexia, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), literacy, special education, or trauma in educational communities. Electives can further customize your degree program for the career you want. Consult your advisor on the course options available and needed to complete your concentration. With newly redesigned degree requirements, you can complete your online M.S. in education in five quarters, moving at a pace that fits your schedule and goals.

Within the Curriculum and Instruction concentration, there is another requirement to complete minimum one course from the following concentrations: Dyslexia, ESOL, Literacy, and Trauma.

Transfer Information

EOU offers a generous transfer policy for course credits to make it even more affordable and accessible to learn. The online Master of Science in Education program accepts 15 transfer credits, which must be approved based on alignment to master’s program requirements.

Required Teacher Research Core Courses

The first course in the MS program teacher research core, Research Methods in Education provides an introduction to qualitative and quantitative research methods for use in education settings. Concepts from the course provide a foundation for the rest of the MS core. Prerequisite: 6 credits from a MS program focus area or electives, admission to the MS in Education program, graduate standing.
The second course in the MS program teacher research core, Literature Review I provides a foundational understanding or the purpose and uses of a literature review and will develop skills in locating, analyzing, and evaluating research/credible sources relevant to education. Background knowledge from ED 520: Research Methods in Education will facilitate the process to comprehend scholarly sources. The analytical skills developed and sources organized in the course will be used to write a literature review in ED 522: Literature Review II.
The third course in the MS program teacher research core, Literature Review II will build from analytical skills developed and sources organized in ED 521: Literature Review I in order to write a literature review. In the course students will develop skills to effectively develop arguments, support claims, synthesize and interpret literature using APA citations. Literature Review I and II facilitate the process of crafting a proposal and completing the research project in ED 523: Research Project.
The fourth and culminating course in the MS program teacher research core, the MS Research Project guides educational researchers through the process of crafting a research project proposal, carrying out the project, developing a research presentation, and sharing the research. The research project is informed by methods learned in ED 520 and the review of the literature from ED 521 and ED 522.

Curriculum and Instruction concentration (Required Courses)

A course designed to help students understand the foundations of curriculum design for the classroom. A course to aid in teacher participation of school curriculum construction, curriculum improvement, designing of student outcomes, textbook adoption, and annual classroom planning. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
Explores the theoretical, practical and applied approaches to assessment. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
Explores principles of human development including physical, intellectual, personality, social development, and motivation theory in relationship to classroom learning. Explanations of how learners acquire understanding and how teachers may enhance the process. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
The purpose of this course is to explore how learning theory attempts to explain the differences between how we learn different kinds of content and what strategies afford the best routes. The ultimate aim of the course is to create an architecture of teaching and learning that capitalizes on what we know about theory such that we can change the underlying principles at work dependent on what we want to accomplish. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
A survey of some major sociological, historical, philosophical and psychological factors underlying present-day American education. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.

ESOL concentration (Required Courses)

This seminar course provides an exploration of issues related to second language acquisition in schools, cognitive development in bilingual learners, and restructuring K-12 education to better meet the needs of linguistic minority students. Course participants will read extensively in the literature regarding second language education research, learner strategies in acquiring a second language, and the analysis of English and its underlying system. Three major projects will be required, including a literature circle response presentation; a portfolio of weekly response assignments over course readings and weekly linguistic analysis assignments; and an integrative capstone experience which includes conducting and writing up a case study of a selected bilingual learner. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course. Students will be required to have an active TaskStream account in order to participate in the course.
Introduction to theory and practices of bilingual education and the history of bilingual education in the U.S. will be discussed. Students will become familiar with current issues and problems in the field of bilingual education, with federal legislation and court cases as they relate to minority students, and with different models of bilingual education programs. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course. Students will be required to have an active TaskStream account in order to participate in the course.
This seminar course is designed to assist practicing teacher in development and practice of research based strategies for meeting the needs of second language learners in the mainstream classroom. Effective methods of teaching both the English language and regular curriculum objectives will be the main focus of the course, with a special emphasis on learning to read, write, and speak English in mainstream classroom. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course. Students will be required to have an active TaskStream account in order to participate in the course.
Introduces the structure and functions of English. Course participants will analyze the underlying grammatical system of English at the phoneme, word, and text levels. Learners will demonstrate their knowledge of basic language structures and processes. A major focus of the course is the application of knowledge about linguistic processes to instructional decision making in literacy education. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course. Students will be required to have an active TaskStream account in order to participate in the course.
ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) practicum experience. The purpose of this field experience is to provide opportunities for participants to become familiar with the complex world of students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Consequently, course participants are assigned to work with students in linguistically diverse educational settings, under the supervision of teachers and/or staff who are endorsed as ESOL instructors. This course fulfills the Oregon Teachers’ Standards and Practices Commission requirement of ninety practicum hours working with English language learners in the appropriate authorization level. This course may be repeated for up to eight credits. Prerequisites: Student must have completed at least nine ESOL credit hours of which one course must be ED 548 to register for this course. Students must also receive instructor approval and have an active TaskStream account. Prior to enrolling the ED 547 practicum, candidates must clear the TSPC fingerprinting, background check, and PA1, and have a passing score on the ORELA Civil Rights Exam or a current valid teaching license in the state of Oregon. Approvals must be made one term prior to registration.

Special Education concentration (Required Courses)

This introductory level course addresses the history of special education and presents theories of exceptionality, with a focus on individual differences in cognitive, physical, affective, sensory, and communicative development that affect learning in school and throughout life. The definitions, prevalence, causes, and characteristics associated with categories and conditions of exceptionality are emphasized and state eligibility criteria are introduced. Multiculturalism and diversity as related to exceptionality are addressed. Prerequisite: Admission to Special Education Endorsement Program. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
Legislation, litigation and governance structures relevant to special education are presented. Federal, state, and local guidelines, procedures and practices in special education are examined, including pre-referral, referral, and assessment and identification, and placement processes. Service delivery models and options are identified and analyzed. Strategies and techniques for disseminating information and training to site level personnel regarding special law and procedures are provided. Prerequisite: Admission to Special Education Endorsement Program. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
Foundations of assessment will be reviewed, including basic principles and professional standards underlying assessment in special education, historical and current approaches to assessment, legal and procedural aspects of assessment, and basic measurement concepts. Types of assessments, instruments, and procedures for assessing mild, moderate, and severe disabilities in the areas College of Education 169 of cognition, sensory, and perception skills, pre-academics, academics, and communication skills are presented in this course. Emphasis is placed on the selection of appropriate instruments and approaches, on the administration and scoring of assessment instruments and on the interpretation of assessment data. Prerequisites: Basic Statistics or equivalent. Admission to Special Educator Endorsement Program. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
Instruments and approaches for use in assessing mild, moderate and severe disabilities in the areas of life, functional, and transition skills, including self-help and daily living skills, communication, prevocational, and post-secondary living skills are presented in this course. Emphasis is placed on the selection of appropriate instruments and approaches, on the administration and scoring of assessment instruments and on the interpretation of assessment data. Prerequisite: SPED 526. Admission to Special Education Endorsement Program. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
This field based experience is designed to augment SPED 526, SPED 528, and enables students to use assessment instruments and approaches to diagnose mild, moderate and severe disabilities among P-12 learners in school settings. Completion of an assessment project is required. Prerequisite: Admission to Special Education Endorsement Program. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
This course offers an overview of the principles and components involved in educational planning for the exceptional learner. Course content addresses guidelines for Individualized Education Plan (IEP) development and review, with emphasis on the use of assessment information to formulate goals and objectives for individual learners. Strategies for IEP implementations and daily planning are included. Models and methods of classroom and program organization, and individual and group instructional arrangements are presented. Prerequisite: Admission to Special Education Endorsement Program. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
This course will address curriculum content, specialized instructional models, methods, materials, supports, technologies, and resources for teaching pre-academic and academic skills to learners with mild, moderate, and severe disabilities. Prerequisite: Admission to the Special Education Endorsement Program. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
This course will address curriculum content, specialized instructional models, methods, materials, supports, technologies and resources for teaching functional and life (self-help, independent living, sensory development, motor skills), and transitional skills to elementary through post high school level learners with mild, moderate and severe disabilities. Prerequisite: Admission to the Special Education Endorsement Program. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.

Dyslexia concentration (Required Courses)

This course covers the foundations of literacy development and introduces the participant to the nature and needs of students with dyslexia. The focus of this course in on how dyslexia impacts learning to read and write. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
This course addresses the neurobiological aspects and origins of dyslexia, and its effect on language and literacy development. The variations in development of language and literacy elements within students with and without dyslexia will be discussed. Linguistic structures and their influence on the English language, as well as the impact of these structures on dyslexia, will also be addressed. In addition, the course will cover the history of the field of dyslexia, relevant laws, and the polices in place as a result of current legislation.
This course covers identification and use of effective assessment for students with dyslexia. The purposes, psychometric properties, and administration of various assessments will be covered. Students will also be able to identify effective tools and procedures for assessment in addition to interpreting data to design interventions.
This course focuses on the principles and practices of structured literacy for students with dyslexia. Methods include literacy skill progression, and effective intervention across the six main areas of literacy (phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics and word recognition, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and written expression.)
This field placement provides the opportunity for the student to apply knowledge of theoretical study of dyslexia assessment and intervention in authentic settings. In this course, students will implement evidence-based practices for assessment and intervention for students with dyslexia.

Literacy concentration (Required Courses)

An introduction to a foundation of major theoretical, conceptual, historical and evidence based components of literacy development relevant to PK-12 contexts, with an emphasis on reading. Foundations are examined through a lens of implications for current evidence-based practices that are culturally responsive and equitable. Prerequisite: Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
An in depth foundation of literacy development from birth-3rd grade with an emphasis on implications for instruction and learning environments to facilitate growth in PK-3rd grade contexts in a culturally responsive and equitable manner. Prerequisite: Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
An in depth exploration of literacy in the elementary grades with an emphasis on implications for instruction and learning environments to facilitate growth in elementary school contexts in a culturally responsive and equitable manner. Prerequisite: Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
An examination of literature and how it can be utilized to support literacy engagement and growth in PK-12 contexts in a culturally responsive and equitable manner. Prerequisite: Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
An in depth exploration of adolescent literacy with an emphasis on implications for instruction and learning environments to facilitate growth in middle school and high school context in a culturally responsive and equitable manner. Prerequisite: Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.

Trauma in Educational Communities concentration (Required Courses)

This course provides an introduction to the types and impacts of trauma on educational communities. Topics covered include the neurobiology of trauma, epigenetics, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), resilience, systemic oppression and its influences on trauma prevalence, secondary trauma and self-care. The emphasis throughout the course is on integrating these topics into the student’s existing pedagogy, and is designed to both provide a foundation for students just beginning to learn about trauma as well as the opportunity to go deeper into the work for those more familiar with the basics. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
This course provides a foundation in building traumainvested school communities including critical examination of the various factors that influence these efforts. Students will explore the ways in which identity and positionality of individuals within the school community influence one another in positive or negative ways. In addition, students will survey a variety of current recommendations and efforts in school-wide implementation of trauma-invested strategies and provide recommendations for areas of growth. Prerequisite: ED 570, may be taken concurrently. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
Various forms of trauma impact PK-12 learners. ED 572 provides a foundation in creating classroom learning environments that reflect an investment in being responsive to the impact trauma can have on individuals’ learning experiences. Complementary to ED 573 AssetBased Curriculum, ED 572 focuses on the role of relationships, the physical environment, classroom management, and behavior from an asset-based lens. Prerequisite: ED 570, may be taken concurrently. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
Various forms of trauma impact PK-12 learners. ED 573 provides a foundation in creating asset-based curriculum that affirms, engages, and supports growth for diverse learners. Complementary to ED 572 Trauma-Invested Classroom Learning Environment, ED 573 focuses on the role of relationships, student identity and experiences to shape curriculum that fosters resilience, instills hope, and empowers. Prerequisite: ED 570, may be taken concurrently. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.
This course provides the student the opportunity to seek out understandings associated with technology, learning through technology, and the impact on trauma and resilience. This course will provide an overviews of technological foundations and trends in educational communities, examination of positive and negative impacts of technology as it relates to trauma and personal wellbeing, and how to develop a plan to educate families on the most recent trends in this area. Prerequisite: ED 570, may be taken concurrently. Student must have graduate standing to register for this course.

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