Institution: Indiana –PurdueUniversity Fort Wayne
Program: Gifted and Talented
Date: 2/19/08
Contact Person: Dr. M. Gail Hickey, Program Director
Phone:260-481-6458
Email:
Document # 1____x___ A. Unit Summary
____x___ B. Teacher Education Courses
____x___ C. Program Field Experiences
Document # 2
______A. Curriculum
______B. Standards Matrix
______C. Assessment Data
______D. Faculty
INDIANA PROGRAM REVIEW
Gifted and Talented
IndianaUniversity – PurdueUniversity Fort Wayne
Document # 1: General Program Overview
- UNIT SUMMARY
Program Description
The School of Education at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne offers a graduate level licensure in Gifted Education. The four course, 12-hour program leads to licensure in Gifted and Talented Education with the Indiana Department of Education. Students may elect to add the licensure to their current teaching license or, as part of their M.S.Ed. degree, have an emphasis in Gifted Education. Five Gifted and Talented graduate level courses are offered by the IPFW School of Education:
EDUC W551 – Education and Psychology of the Gifted and Talented
EDUC W553 – Methods and Materials for the Gifted and Talented
EDUC W554 – Creative Problem Solving and Metacognition
EDUC W560 – Topical Seminar in Gifted Education
EDUC W595 – Practicum: Gifted and Talented
IPFWSchool of Education Conceptual Framework
In support of our School of Education Conceptual Framework, the Gifted and Talented Program in the Department of Educational Studies emphasizes the interrelated aspect of each of the six core components within its curriculum and program delivery. While individual courses may focus on some aspects of the framework more than others, we are confident that our courses and programs, as a whole, embrace this central core of teacher training and development. Due to the current national testing and assessment movement, content Knowledge is critical for effective educators to comprehend. Educators need to understand how knowledge is constructed, how the processes of inquiry are applied, how domains of knowledge are established, how disciplines can be integrated, and how this information can effectively be communicated to students. Understanding content knowledge is critical; however, it cannot be viewed in isolation from the other five components. Democracy and Community is the second key component that we encourage in the Department of Educational Studies. Educators need an understanding of the moral, cultural, social, political, and economic foundations of our community and society in order to foster democratic concepts within the school community. Effective educators understand that knowledge alone is not sufficient. Within the third component, Habits of Mind, our students practice critical reflection within the context of a compassionate, caring community with the goal of fostering these habits to engage learners in the critical aspects of the learning process. Without an understanding of Pedagogy, our students would not understand the multiple roles of teaching such as facilitator, guide, role model, scholar, and motivator. Without an understanding of pedagogy, educators would not understand the diverse perspectives of learning and understanding and the social circumstances that they and their students bring to the educational setting. Without rich Experiences both in and out of the traditional classroom, candidate skills would lie dormant and unrefined. The last component, Leadership, provides our candidates the educational and social vision necessary to inspire others, both students and colleagues, to accept the educational challenges of the twenty-first century.
The Unit Assessment System
The Unit Assessment System (UAS) in the School of Education at IndianaUniversity – Purdue University Fort Wayne was created in 2005 in response to a professional responsibility to ensure that our programs are of the highest quality. This dynamic assessment system is continually evaluated to insure that 1) instruction and curriculum are aligned with professional, state, and institutional standards (e.g., the Conceptual Framework and Mission Statement); 2) courses, field experiences, and programs are efficient; and 3) the support of development of content knowledge and the demonstration of excellence and leadership in the teaching profession.
The scholar-practitioner model is grounded in the ideal of scholar-practitioner leadership with emphasis on preparing educational leaders who address the challenges of population growth issues, cultural diversity, policy analysis and design, problem solving, and the change process. Bentz and Shapiro (1998) defined a scholar- practitioner as “someone who mediates between professional practice and the universe of scholarly, scientific, and academic knowledge and discourse” (p.66). The IPFW School of Education’s newly focused vision, newly sequenced courses, and newly articulated performance-based assessment system demonstrate in practice a commitment to the scholar-practitioner model.
The vision of the IPFW School of Education Master’s Degree Programs is to build with graduate students, and their schools and corporations, scholar-practitioner learning communities for engaging in a democratic and diverse society. The two primary standards of scholar-practitioner educational leadership are the effective use of research to improve practice and the effective engagement in learning communities beyond local districts. These two standards synthesize the elements of the conceptual framework, SOE mission and goals, and the NBPTS standards.
The IPSB and NCATE require that we have a performance-based assessment system which helps us assess our programs and candidate performance through a sequence of course study. Entrance requirements into the graduate program consist of several components that can be found in the Program Guide & Unit Assessment System for Elementary and Secondary Education at .
The School of Education Assessment System
During the Master’s degree program, all candidates are required to complete a reflective portfolio that includes assessments of the use of technology, professional dispositions based on the six areas articulated in the SOE Conceptual Framework as well as the 5-Core Propositions of the NBPTS. Candidates assess their growth in these areas 1) upon entrance to the program, 2) formatively, at the first 18 credit hour checkpoint, and 3) summatively, at the second 33 hour checkpoint.
Growth is assessed in terms of what the candidates value as a disposition, and what they do to demonstrate that disposition. Dispositions toward diversity are assessed in the reflections completed with each 10-hour service learning for diversity components that are tied to F500, E590 or S590, and E535 or S503. Artifacts from each course in the program with the exception of F500 and the capstone, are required where a reflection on the artifact shows growth in the six areas of the Conceptual Framework. Artifacts from an educational setting are also required to demonstrate progress toward the 5 Core Propositions of the NBPTS. During the capstone course, candidates complete a final research project/paper, present this project to a committee of peers and SOE faculty, and reflect on how the project brought together the goals of the scholar-practitioner program. Candidates seeking the M.S.Ed. degree with the Gifted and Talented emphasis will complete each of the components listed above in addition to the required Gifted and Talented coursework while candidates seeking only the Gifted and Talented Licensure will complete only the courses listed below.
Teacher Education Courses
Below is a list of Gifted and Talented education courses required of all candidates seeking this licensure:
E525 or E535 or S503 - Curriculum course based on candidate’s grade-level preference
EDUC W553 – Methods and Materials for the Gifted and Talented
EDUC W554 – Creative Problem Solving and Metacognition
EDUC W595 – Practicum: Gifted and Talented
[Field Experience in Practicum:Candidates implement individualized projects in a school setting. Hours required = 80. Candidates implement a G&T plan, collect student work samples, reflect on the experience, write a reflective paper on the project, and present the paper orally.]
The following courses are also offered as electives:
EDUC W551 – Education and Psychology of the Gifted and Talented
EDUC W560 – Topical Seminar in Gifted Education
See the following link for campus course descriptions.