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2026-2027 Academic Draft Catalog

Master of Education Plus Special Education

Overview

Candidates for the Master of Education Plus Special Education have multiple opportunities to demonstrate progress toward professional standards. Every course in the endorsement has a common assessment tied directly to course goals, which in turn align with the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) and Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) standards. George Fox University is committed to multiple measures of candidates' abilities to provide meaningful learning experiences for students in P-age 21 settings who have specialized learning needs. Candidates for the Special Education endorsement must also pass the Special Education National Evaluation SeriesTM  (NES®) test.

Note: Those students accepted into the Master of Education degree program with the Special Education are able to begin the MEd Plus SPED program in the fall, spring, or summer semester.

Program Learning Outcomes

The MEd Plus Special Education program enables graduates within their chosen speciality to:

Demonstrate habits of scholarship, use and evaluate research, and apply evidence-based inquiry to improve educational programs and practices.

Apply best practices in developing, implementing, and analyzing authentic, data-informed assessment tools to evaluate and enhance teaching and learning outcomes.

Model professional dispositions and reflective practices that uphold ethical standards.

Licensure in Oregon and Other States:

Upon completion of the MEd Plus Special Education degree, students may be eligible for advanced teaching licenses in Oregon. (In some cases, additional professional tests may be required.) This MEd Plus Special Education program may also allow students to meet the licensure or recertification requirements of other states as well. Non-Oregon students will need to check each particular state's licensing criteria to determine if this degree is suitable to their needs.

Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the MEd program must hold a four-year baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 in most recent 60 semester or 90 quarter hours (and an explanation if the grade point is below 3.0). In addition, applicants must complete the following to be considered for admission to the program:

  • Master of Education application and application fee
  • One official transcript from all colleges or universities attended
  • Three references (forms provided in the application materials).

Applicants seeking to meet TSPC licensure or endorsement requirements upon completion of the program must also complete the following:

  • Verification of valid Oregon teaching license or the equivalent, such as an expired or out-of-state license, education degree, or documented and appropriate teacher experience (applicants to the program that do not have a teaching license should submit a letter of explanation as to how the program would meet their professional goals.)
  • Completed TSPC Questionnaire

Transfer Credit

The Directors of the Master's of Education and Special Education programs will determine if previously taken graduate-level courses are eligible to transfer into the Master's of Education Plus Special Education program.

Graduation Requirements

In order to graduate with the Master of Education Plus Special Education, students must meet the following requirements:

Credit Hours:

• Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 40 semester credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Grading:

• Achieve a grade of a B or higher in all core courses. If a grade of a B- or lower is received in a course, that course may be required to be retaken.

• Achieve a pass in all pass/no pass courses.

Accreditation

The College of Education is accredited by the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP). We will also seek regional accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).

Licensure programs have been approved by the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC).

Remediation

The goal of remediation is to identify students' areas of weakness and assist them in overcoming these challenges to achieve mastery. Master’s students must maintain a 3.0 GPA to continue in the program and graduate. If a student’s GPA falls below 3.0, they may be placed on academic warning, and the Program Director and faculty will recommend a supportive course of action.

If a student receives a grade of B-, C, or C- in a single course, they must meet with their academic advisor for counseling and/or remediation. If a student earns a B-, C, or C- in two designated courses, they will be subject to academic warning and remediation. Individual remediation plans will be created based on the student’s unique circumstances.

Unprofessional conduct will be addressed through a review of ethics and standards of conduct and mentoring from the student's advisor or designated faculty. Issues of unprofessional conduct during practicum experiences will be handled on a case-by-case basis in collaboration with the sponsoring school or district.

Scholastic dishonesty, including cheating, falsification, misrepresentation, or plagiarism, may result in academic probation or dismissal from the program. Completing remediation activities will restore a student's good academic standing, while failure to complete them may result in dismissal.

Progression

All coursework for the Master’s in Education must be completed within five years of matriculation. Extensions beyond this limit require approval from the College of Education (COE) faculty. Only one extension may be granted under special circumstances, such as illness.

If a student withdraws from the program, reinstatement requires action from the Admissions Committee and may involve additional degree requirements.

Internship

Practicum experiences provide valuable opportunities for students to apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills. All practicum experiences will comply with the specific endorsement requirements established by TSPC.

Residence Requirements

Of the 40 hours required for the Master of Education Plus SPED program, all hours must be taken in resident study at George Fox University. All work leading to the Master of Education Plus SPED degree must be completed within seven years from the time of matriculation. Extension of this limit requires approval of the Educational Leadership Faculty. However, only one such extension may be considered due to special circumstances, such as ill health. Reinstatement to the program after withdrawal requires Admissions Committee action and may subject the student to additional requirements for the degree.

Course Requirements

The Master of Education Plus SPED program is a 40-semester-hour program that can be completed in four to nine semesters, depending on the candidate's preference. Of those hours, 8 are in core education foundations courses, 7 are in research and thesis courses, and 25 hours are in the Special Education courses.

Other Degree Requirements

In addition to the core requirements, students must complete the following requirements:

  • No later than completion of 10 semester hours, a degree-seeking student must complete the MEd degree application process.
  • Each degree-seeking student will be assigned a graduate faculty advisor who will assist the student in planning his or her proposed course of study.
  • The approved course of study must be completed to earn the Master of Education Plus SPED

Licensure in Oregon and Other States

Upon completion of the MEd Plus SPED degree, students will be eligible for advanced teaching licenses in Oregon. (In some cases, additional professional tests may be required.) This MEd Plus SPED program may also allow students to meet the licensure or recertification requirements of other states as well. Non-Oregon students will need to check each particular state's licensing criteria before designing the MEd Plus SPED program.

Graduation Requirements

In order to graduate with the MEd Plus SPED degree students must:

  • Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 40 semester hours with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.
  • Achieve no grade lower than a B- in all core courses. If a grade lower than a B- is received in a core course, that course must be retaken (for more specific information, please refer to the student handbook).

Curriculum Plan

Note: The curriculum plan is prescribed and candidates will be advised as to the proper sequencing for the MEd core courses and the Special Education courses.

Course Requirements

Expand All

Complete the following:

Students will be introduced to the six "lenses" of the EDFL Conceptual Framework and Professional Dispositions. Each student will develop a deeper understanding of personal vocation and mission in light of this overall framework by engaging each of these "lenses" to evaluate their current dispositions and work. The intent is for each student to establish a foundation of self-understanding and to become a self-reflective and analytical practitioner and learner.
This course will focus on designing curriculum units and instructional plans for a standards-based curriculum while utilizing research-based best practices for teaching, learning and assessment. There will be an emphasis on the development and implementation of an integrated interdisciplinary unti for the candidate's specific teaching or educational assignment that utilizes concept-based curriculum strategies and instructional techniques to "teach beyond the facts for the thinking classroom." In addition, students will be participating in a Professional Learning Community that will focus in on a data collection cycle to inform and evaluate practice. Students will develop assessment instruments and procedures that relate to their own disciplines. Current methods of formative assessment - including portfolios, rubrics, and other forms of authentic assessment - will guide and inform discussions.
This course examines how belief structures undergird the methods educators use to motivate people to learn. Through the light of ethical theory, students examine how organizational leaders respond to the situations they face. Students also reflect on and apply their own values and ethical understanding to shed light on case studies that represent situations they often face as educational leaders. Meets and is met by EDDL 700.

Complete the following:

This course will introduce students conceptually to research as a way of thinking for classroom or school improvement. As consumers of research, students will learn to search databases, analyze data, identify and summarize results to inform educational decisions. Students will be exposed to both qualitative and quantitative research paradigms, and begin to develop a literature review for their research project.
This course serves as the culminating experience for candidates in the Master of Education (MEd) program. Working under the guidance of a faculty chair, students will design and complete an action research project addressing a meaningful problem of practice within their own classroom, school, or setting. Through this process, candidates will identify and define a problem, conduct a comprehensive literature review, design and implement a research-based intervention or study, and analyze and interpret their findings. Emphasis is placed on connecting research to professional practice and demonstrating scholarly inquiry that leads to practical improvement in educational outcomes. The master’s thesis is a 4-credit requirement that may be completed in a single semester or distributed over multiple semesters (up to three) to accommodate individual research timelines and project needs. Upon successful completion, the master’s thesis will be published in George Fox University Library’s Digital Commons. This course is graded on a Pass/No Pass basis. Repeatable for credit. Prerequisite or Corequisite with advisor approval: MEDU 530 Overview of Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methodology.

Complete the following:

This course will focus on theoretical and practical aspects of human development while identifying the connections to developmental psychology and learning theory with an emphasis on birth through young adulthood. Functional knowledge of exceptionalities including autism, dyslexia, and executive functioning will be developed in relation to learning. Historical foundations and the purpose of special education including law, policies, legislation, litigation, and ethics will be thoroughly explored.
This course prepares candidates to meet the needs of school students with high incidence learning disabilities in general education classrooms. An emphasis on developing curricular modifications and adaptations to evaluate content curriculum, providing assistance to general education teachers, developing knowledge and skills to adjust curriculum content using Oregon State Standards, and utilizing informal assessments to provide information on student progress in the general education curriculum. This course will also prepare candidates to evaluate technological and assistive supports and determine appropriateness for exceptional learners. Candidates will design and develop assistive technology tools for use in academic settings.
This course prepares candidates to meet the needs of school students with low incidence disabilities including intellectual disability, hearing impairment, visual impairment, deaf/blindness, communication disorder, emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairment, traumatic brain injury, autism spectrum disorder, and other health impairments. An emphasis on utilizing the Oregon State Standards to plan and implement curriculum, understand how to make eligibility decisions, and knowledge of academic and functional instruction to support students with low incidence disabilities. Functional living skills are incorporated into content planning. This course will also prepare candidates to evaluate technological and assistive supports and determine appropriateness for exceptional learners. Candidates will design and develop assistive technology tools for use in academic and functional settings.
This course addresses assessment and evaluation as the means for informing special education disability decisions as well as instructional decisions. The candidate will learn and practice multiple ways of assessing students. These include informal assessment, progress monitoring, formal evaluations, and standardized achievement tests. The candidate will learn to write formal reports that emphasize proper administration of assessments and ethical complications of the evaluation process to synthesize all that data to create a cohesive picture of the student’s standing and continue to use the appropriate assessment tools to generate the information needed to make curricular and program decisions.
Candidates will gain knowledge and skills in writing effective, compliant Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and acquire communication and collaboration strategies to facilitate IEP meetings and interactions with families. Candidates will identify key issues that could lead to litigation. Course content includes communication, organization, compliance and administrative management.
This course will focus on the preparation of candidates to work with students who demonstrate significant emotional/behavioral, trauma, and fetal alcohol/drug issues and use interventions that are research-based. Candidates are instructed on the methods of behavior analysis and accommodation strategies including the development of behavior support plans.
This course will focus on the families, individuals, and community supports for individuals with disabilities ages birth - 21. Candidates will identify age-appropriate services such as Head Start, early intervention, vocational educational programs, community experiences, employment and other post-school adult living objectives, acquisition of daily living skills, if appropriate, and access to state and federal services. Candidate will also learn all required federal/state requirements for secondary transition plans. They will learn how to apply and develop an individual Education Plan for students of transition age.
This practicum will be completed at either early childhood elementary, elementary middle, or middle level and high school, in settings with students identified with mild to moderate disabilities. Candidates will complete a work sample during this practicum. Candidates will complete a minimum of 60 hours of clinical practice in a mild to moderate disability placement.
This practicum will be completed at either early childhood elementary, elementary middle, or middle level and high school, in settings with students identified with moderate to severe disabilities. Candidates will complete a minimum of 60 hours of clinical practice in a moderate to severe disability placement.
This course will focus on an in-depth exploration of a topic related to special education, inclusion, or specific disabilities that is outside the regular offerings of the program. Research and evidence-based practices related to the topic will be examined as part of the special study