Overview the Content
Graduates of our Master program in special education, with an emphasis in the generalist
licensure area, should complete work of the highest caliber as they go through their
courses, then demonstrate the quality of that work by providing an electronic portfolio
of selected projects from their coursework, plus other designated products, at the
end of their programs. Course projects and other products are called artifacts, and
these are posted on a special Canvassite called, EDSE 999.
Some of these artifacts are completed in courses as projects, and they must be posted
along with their rubrics in LiveText, usually at the time one takes a particular course
but not always. Other artifacts may be completed in courses, or are completed independent
of coursework, and the student needs to post electronic versions of these at the EDSE
999 site. The student is advised to keep a folder in which all electronic artifacts
are backed-up.
Required Artifacts
View Required Artifacts for the Electronic Portfolio, their origins, and how they are assessed in the Comprehensive Exam Process
- Current Resume
Source
This document is prepared by the student and posted on his/her EDSE 999 comprehensive examination site. It is not part of any course.
Method of Assessment
The special education faculty person completing the final review looks for the presence or absence of this document in the electronic portfolio. Its presence means this artifact "passes." It is not graded or checked for proficiency. However, it must be present in the portfolio for a student to pass his/her comprehensive examination.
- Educational Philosophy
Source
This document is prepared by the student and posted on his/her EDSE 999 comprehensive examination site. The student may use a personal educational philosophy developed during a course (EDSE 510), or he/she may use an educational philosophy developed on his/her own, which was not part of a course
Method of Assessment
The special education faculty person completing the final review looks for the presence or absence of this document in the electronic portfolio. Its presence means this artifact "passes." It is not graded or checked for proficiency. However, it must be present in the portfolio for a student to pass his/her comprehensive examination.
- IEP Proficiency Demonstration
Source
There are two documents that are posted by the student on his/her EDSE 999 comprehensive examination site: (a) a completed IEP (no identifying information) and (b) the IEP's rating on a standard rubric, completed by an independent reviewer. These documents will typically come from the EDSE 512 class; however, alternatively, they could come from the final practicum experience (EDSE 693) or they could be accomplished on an independent basis. Directions for completing the rubric are described later in this document.
Method of Assessment
The special education faculty person completing the final review looks for the presence or absence of both of these documents, the IEP and the completed rubric, in the electronic portfolio. The rubric is then reviewed for proficiency. All items must be proficient or higher. The presence of an IEP and an accompanying rubric demonstrating proficiency means that this artifact "passes." Absence of either document, or a rubric that is not fully proficient, means that the student "fails" this item and then fails the comprehensive examination.
- Case Study Summary
Source
EDSE 613 course There are two documents that are posted by the student on his/her EDSE 999 comprehensive examination site: (a) the case study summary from the course and (b) the rubric completed by the instructor of that course. These documents will need to have been completed by the student and graded by the course instructor using the LiveText rubric when the student completed the EDSE 613 class. At the time of the comprehensive examination, they are downloaded by the student from that course site on LiveText, and they are then uploaded by the student into his/her EDSE 999 LiveText electronic portfolio.
Method of Assessment
The special education faculty person completing the final review looks for the presence or absence of the case study summary and its rubric. The rubric is then examined to determine the score received by the student for that project, which could vary anywhere between 0 and 24. This score is not the project's grade. Rather, it is a proficiency score based on a scale between 0 (not present) to 4 (advanced), added together across 6 different project grading categories. The score received on this specific project will then be summed with all other rubric scores across the six content courses, yielding a total score that will be between 0 and 144. A total score of 108 or higher is an automatic pass for the six content courses.
- Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)
Source
EDSE 614 course There are two documents that are posted by the student on his/her EDSE 999 comprehensive examination site: (a) the FBA/BIP from the course and (b) the rubric completed by the instructor of that course. These documents will need to have been completed by the student and graded by the course instructor using the LiveText rubric when the student completed the EDSE 614 class. At the time of the comprehensive examination, they are downloaded by the student from that course site on LiveText, and they are then uploaded by the student into his/her EDSE 999 LiveText electronic portfolio.
Method of Assessment
The special education faculty person completing the final review looks for the presence or absence of the FBA/BIP and its rubric. The rubric is then examined to determine the score received by the student for that project, which could vary anywhere between 0 and 24. This score is not the project's grade. Rather, it is a proficiency score based on a scale between 0 (not present) to 4 (advanced), added together across 6 different project grading categories. The score received on this specific project will then be summed with all other rubric scores across the six content courses, yielding a total score that will be between 0 and 144. A total score of 108 or higher is an automatic pass for the six content courses.
- Literacy Curriculum Analysis & Critique
Source
EDSE 616 course There are two documents that are posted by the student on his/her EDSE 999 comprehensive examination site: (a) the Literacy Curriculum Analysis & Critique from the course and (b) the rubric completed by the instructor of that course. These documents will need to have been completed by the student and graded by the course instructor using the LiveText rubric when the student completed the EDSE 616 class. At the time of the comprehensive examination, they are downloaded by the student from that course site on LiveText, and they are then uploaded by the student into his/her EDSE 999 LiveText electronic portfolio.
Method of Assessment
The special education faculty person completing the final review looks for the presence or absence of the literacy curriculum analysis & critique and its rubric. The rubric is then examined to determine the score received by the student for that project, which could vary anywhere between 0 and 24. This score is not the project's grade. Rather, it is a proficiency score based on a scale between 0 (not present) to 4 (advanced), added together across 6 different project grading categories. The score received on this specific project will then be summed with all other rubric scores across the six content courses, yielding a total score that will be between 0 and 144. A total score of 108 or higher is an automatic pass for the six content courses.
- Data Analysis & Math Improvement Plan
Source
EDSE 617 course There are two documents that are posted by the student on his/her EDSE 999 comprehensive examination site: (a) the Data Analysis & Math Improvement Plan from the course and (b) the rubric completed by the instructor of that course. These documents will need to have been completed by the student and graded by the course instructor using the LiveText rubric when the student completed the EDSE 617 class. At the time of the comprehensive examination, they are downloaded by the student from that course site on LiveText, and they are then uploaded by the student into his/her EDSE 999 LiveText electronic portfolio.
Method of Assessment
The special education faculty person completing the final review looks for the presence or absence of the data analysis & math improvement plan and its rubric. The rubric is then examined to determine the score received by the student for that project, which could vary anywhere between 0 and 24. This score is not the project's grade. Rather, it is a proficiency score based on a scale between 0 (not present) to 4 (advanced), added together across 6 different project grading categories. The score received on this specific project will then be summed with all other rubric scores across the six content courses, yielding a total score that will be between 0 and 144. A total score of 108 or higher is an automatic pass for the six content courses.
- Assessment & Intervention Plan
Source
EDSE 618 course There are two documents that are posted by the student on his/her EDSE 999 comprehensive examination site: (a) the Assessment & Intervention Plan from the course and (b) the rubric completed by the instructor of that course. These documents will need to have been completed by the student and graded by the course instructor using the LiveText rubric when the student completed the EDSE 618 class. At the time of the comprehensive examination, they are downloaded by the student from that course site on LiveText, and they are then uploaded by the student into his/her EDSE 999 LiveText electronic portfolio.
Method of Assessment
The special education faculty person completing the final review looks for the presence or absence of the assessment & intervention plan and its rubric. The rubric is then examined to determine the score received by the student for that project, which could vary anywhere between 0 and 24. This score is not the project's grade. Rather, it is a proficiency score based on a scale between 0 (not present) to 4 (advanced), added together across 6 different project grading categories. The score received on this specific project will then be summed with all other rubric scores across the six content courses, yielding a total score that will be between 0 and 144. A total score of 108 or higher is an automatic pass for the six content courses.
- Learning Strategies
Source
EDSE 619 course There are two documents that are posted by the student on his/her EDSE 999 comprehensive examination site: (a) the Learning strategies from the course and (b) the rubric completed by the instructor of that course. These documents will need to have been completed by the student and graded by the course instructor using the LiveText rubric when the student completed the EDSE 619 class. At the time of the comprehensive examination, they are downloaded by the student from that course site on LiveText, and they are then uploaded by the student into his/her EDSE 999 LiveText electronic portfolio
Method of Assessment
The special education faculty person completing the final review looks for the presence or absence of the learning strategies project and its rubric. The rubric is then examined to determine the score received by the student for that project, which could vary anywhere between 0 and 24. This score is not the project's grade. Rather, it is a proficiency score based on a scale between 0 (not present) to 4 (advanced), added together across 6 different project grading categories. The score received on this specific project will then be summed with all other rubric scores across the six content courses, yielding a total score that will be between 0 and 144. A total score of 108 or higher is an automatic pass for the six content courses.
- Mid-term Practicum Progress Report
Source
EDSE 693 course This is a form that is completed by the university supervisor midway during the final practicum course, and provided to the student. When completing the comprehensive examination, which may be occurring at the same time as the practicum, the form is uploaded by the student into his/her EDSE 999 LiveText electronic portfolio. Scoring is pass/fail. In some cases (e.g., some international students, some students with previous teacher licenses), the practicum course is waived. When that is the case, this portion of the comprehensive examination is dropped from the examination process for that student.
Method of Assessment
The special education faculty person completing the final review looks for the presence or absence of this document, and examines the document to see if the student is "proficient". The presence of the document and a score of "proficient" means that this artifact "passes." A failing score on this artifact will mean that the student fails the comprehensive examination.
