Education: Adapting Curriculum Frameworks for All Learners (Graduate Certificate)

Adapting Curriculum Frameworks for All Learners is a graduate certificate program designed to provide educators with a working knowledge of the principles and elements of Massachusetts education reform and their practical applications to the instruction of a diverse student population. The program combines current research, policy, and instructional practices, presented by faculty who are actively involved in changing the public school environment in Massachusetts.

This program was developed by UMass Boston’s Center for Social Development and Education (CSDE) in collaboration with the Graduate College of Education. A research and training institute, CSDE is dedicated to promoting quality education and social development for students of all ages, particularly those at risk for academic and social failure. Since its inception in 1976, CSDE has developed and implemented a variety of programs that address the changing needs of students, families, schools, and the community.

The Program is designed to engage participants through assignments and activities that connect with their own classroom teaching. Course work is thus enriched through the professional experiences participants bring to the program.

The Curriculum

In this program, Pre K-12 teachers and administrators can increase their understanding of education reform’s potential impact on their own school and community, acquire familiarity with the curriculum frameworks, and develop strategies to include students with disabilities in standards-based instruction and assessment. Program participants complete six 2-credit graduate courses.

The first course assists participants in viewing education reform as a complex, continual process, with an impact on every aspect of education. Building on this foundation, the second course increases their ability to design inclusionary practices that address the needs of diverse learners within the context of education reform. The course includes an emphasis on diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion.

The third and fourth courses focus on increasing participants’ ability to apply the curriculum frameworks to standards-based instruction that is inclusive of diverse learners.

The goal of the fifth course is to provide participants with the tools to embed assessment in daily instruction and to analyze student performance in order to improve instruction. The final course focuses on evaluating the implementation of the skills and knowledge developed in preceding course work through action research.

Degree Requirements

The program comprises six 2-credit courses for a total of 12 credits. Each course meets for a total of 24 hours. Graduate credits earned in this certificate program may be transferred, with the approval of the relevant graduate program director, toward a UMass Boston master’s degree in education.

Admission Requirements

Please see the general statement of admission requirements for all graduate studies programs in the “Admissions” section of this publication.

Students may enroll as individuals through the Division of Continuing Education, or as members of a cohort group within a school system or collaborative through the Center for Social Development and Education. For additional information on either option, please write or call:

Mary E. Brady, Ph.D.
Center for Social Development and Education
UMass Boston
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125-2293

617.287.7254
mary.brady@umb.edu

Faculty

Mary E Brady, PhD, Boston College • Curriculum Development • Professional Development in Special Education

James B Earley, EdD, University of Massachusetts Amherst • Education Reform • Administrative Restructuring (Particularly in Special Education) (Part-time)

Terry Fuller, MEd, Boston State College • Classroom and Assessment Accommodations for Students with Special Needs • Study and Organization Skills (Part-time)

Christine Lyons, PhD, Boston College • Education Research, Measurement and Evaluation • Curriculum-Based Assessment (Part-time)

Beverly Drinkwater Nelson, CAGS, University of Massachusetts Amherst • Education Reform • Standards-Based Instruction for All Learners • Social Studies (Part-time)

Gary N Siperstein, PhD, Yeshiva University • Inclusionary Practices • Linking Development Theory to Education

Mary C Zatta, PhD, Boston College • Education Reform • Special Education Legislation and Policy • Program Models for Low-Incidence Students with Sensory Impairments (Part-time)

A Note on Courses

CSDEDU 510 and 520 are recommended as prerequisites for the other four courses and may be taken sequentially or concurrently. The entire program may be offered on site to educators using a cohort model, or online.

Courses

CSDEDU 510
Education Reform: Impact on Schools

Participants review the changes in education over the last decade, with an emphasis on their impact on local schools and classroom teachers. Sample topics include the environment that engendered the reform movement; federal and state initiatives; site-based management; and curriculum reform. Topics also include reflection on and analysis of local applications.
2 Lect Hrs, 2 Credits

CSDEDU 520
Special Education: Changing Models of Inclusion

Participants review the changes in special education over the last decade, with an emphasis on local schools and classroom teachers. Sample topics include the movement from exclusion to inclusion; the changing nature of disabilities; the match between accommodation and instruction.
2 Lect Hrs, 2 Credits

CSDEDU 530
Curriculum Frameworks for All Students (Learning Styles, English Language Arts Framework)

Participants deepen their understanding of the curriculum frameworks and the ways instruction can be designed to include all learners. This course focuses on the design of standards-based programs in English language arts for students with disabilities.
2 Lect Hrs, 2 Credits

CSDEDU 540
Curriculum Frameworks for All Students (Mathematics, Science and Technology, History, and Social Science)

Participants continue to develop their understanding of the curriculum frameworks and the ways standards-based instruction can be designed to include all learners. This course focuses on programs in mathematics, science and technology, history, and the social sciences for students with disabilities.
2 Lect Hrs, 2 Credits

CSDEDU 550
Assessment Strategies and Practices

Participants examine the connection among assessment, curriculum, and instruction. They focus on embedding assessment in their instruction and on building instruction from assessment results, including those of MCAS.
2 Lect Hrs, 2 Credits

CSDEDU 560
Practice into Theory: High Standards for All Learners

In this culminating course, participants use all they have learned to form a philosophical basis for their work as teachers through action research. Education reform will become a reality as they move beyond the mandated changes into a vision of education that guides their daily teaching as well as their professional growth and development.
2 Lect Hrs, 2 Credits