Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Special Education

Program Overview

The College of Education offers the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) in Special Education for individuals without teaching credentials who have earned baccalaureate degrees in specific content areas and want to become special education teachers in an expeditious fashion. The Special Education MAT is a 36-hour program designed to prepare collaborative special education teachers skilled in providing quality instruction to students representing a broad scope of abilities. Candidates in the program will demonstrate competencies in the following areas: learner development and individual learning differences, learning environments, curricular content knowledge, assessment, instructional planning and strategies, professional learning and ethical practice, and collaboration. The program recognizes the changing and complex role of the special educator and as such prepares the graduate candidates to

1. provide support and instruction to students with cognitive, physical, behavior, multiple, and/or health disabilities from kindergarten through 12th grade;
2. work in different educational settings such as self-contained, resource, and regular classrooms;
3. access the general education curriculum demonstrating a strong knowledge and skill set in academic content areas; and
4. effectively collaborate and work closely with general education teachers, related service personnel, administrators, and families to ensure all students are given every opportunity to reach their full potential.

The program is designed to provide knowledge and skills in the discipline of special education while also meeting Arkansas Teaching Standards (ATS/InTASC), Arkansas Teacher Excellence and Support System (TESS), Arkansas Science of Reading Competencies, and the standards of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). In addition, the MAT curriculum is aligned to Arkansas Competencies for Special Education Teachers K–12 First Time Standard License (2015) and International Society of Technology in Education (ISTE) standards.

Graduates of the MAT will be eligible to pursue an Arkansas standard teaching license in Special Education K–12.

Program delivery is distance education with courses offered in an asynchronous and/or synchronous online setting which will include compressed video, access to online videos and trainings, and Blackboard.

Program Outline

Candidates must maintain a 3.0 GPA. Candidates are reviewed for their academic and dispositional performance throughout the program. Dispositional performance is evaluated using the disposition rubric designed by MAT faculty and implemented program-wide.

Candidates not meeting the required academic performance criteria (including minimum GPA) and/or not demonstrating appropriate dispositions will be counseled by a faculty committee to be composed of the program coordinator, the candidate’s advisor, and faculty who have interacted with the candidate in class settings. Decisions regarding professional and ethical conduct will be guided by the professional and ethical conduct policy adopted by the professional education unit licensure programs and College of Education degree and licensure programs. These candidates may be required to complete professional growth plans. Failure to meet the guidelines of the professional growth plan may be cause for dismissal from the MAT program.

At the time Internship Applications are due, candidates must submit a professional growth paper that summarizes their growth through the program in understanding of TESS and the CEC standards, while comparing and contrasting their new understandings to those contained in the reflective paper comparing and contrasting the TESS Framework and the CEC Standards, completed in ELSE 6375 The Practice of Teaching Diverse Learners. This reflective paper must be submitted to Anthology/Chalk and Wire, and all criteria must receive a rating of 2 or better before candidates are eligible to enter Internship.

Upon completion of 30 hours and prior to the internship application deadline for the intended internship (ELSE 6600) semester, candidates must submit passing Praxis scores on BOTH the Praxis Special Education: Core Knowledge and Application Assessment (5354) and the Fundamental Subjects: Content Knowledge Praxis (5511) and have at least one attempt at the Foundations of Reading exam. Candidates must also have an overall minimum GPA of 3.0 in program coursework and have no dispositional issues that could impact their performance in internship.

After successful completion of all required courses and key assessments, candidates must submit passing scores on a summative assessment of pedagogy.

Note: To apply for a standard teaching license in special education K–12, candidates MUST pass all ADE licensure required tests and a summative assessment of pedagogy.

College of Education graduate students are expected to maintain continuous enrollment throughout their program of study until achieving program completion. Specifically, College of Education graduate students are expected to be enrolled in at least two of the three semesters in a given calendar year (Spring, Summer, and Fall). If a student must take a time-out, the student is expected to notify his/her home department. If a student fails to register for more than one semester out of three in a given calendar year, he/she may be ineligible for readmission unless granted by the home department.

Program of Study

Required Courses for the MAT in Special Education

• ELSE 6300 SPED 101 Academy: Philosophical, Historical, and Legal Aspects of Special Education
• ELSE 6304 Behavior Management and Analysis in Special Education
• ELSE 6308 Educational Assessment in Special Education
• ELSE 6333 Math and Science for Diverse Learners
• ELSE 6348 Multisensory Approach to Language I
• ELSE 6349 Multisensory Approach to Language II
• ELSE 6366 Educational Programming for Students with Mild Disabilities K-12
• ELSE 6367 Educational Programming for Students with Significant Disabilities K-12
• ELSE 6375 The Practice and Teaching of Diverse Learners
• ELSE 6600 Special Education MAT Internship
• ASTL 6380 Research Methods