Intervention Specialist Licensure for Mild/Moderate Needs

Overview

A specialized education degree for career advancement.

The Master of Education in Intervention Specialist Licensure for Mild/Moderate Needs degree is designed for licensed educators and aspiring educators alike. Those who are working in the field have the opportunity to go further in their profession. Individuals who seek a career change can earn a credential that allows them to help young learners with special needs. No matter your goals, you will train in the skills you need to reach an advanced level of your career.

Our M.Ed. programs are taught by doctorally-qualified faculty with exceptional experience in college classrooms and backgrounds in education as superintendents, principals, teachers, education consultants and more.

Recognizing the sacrifice that Catholic school teachers and staff make, Notre Dame College offers teachers, staff, and administrators at Catholic schools and Catholic institutions an automatic 20% discount on tuition at Notre Dame College.

Topics of Study

Our innovative curriculum prepares you in crucial topics for your profession. Some include:

• Integrated technology
• Literacy theory and research
• Diagnosis and correction of reading issues
• Instructional strategy
• Phonics
• Class management
• Research
• Collaborative teaming and problem solving

Additionally, you will be required to complete a teaching experience, giving you real-world exposure that allows you to immediately put your new skills into practice.

When you become a Notre Dame College Online student, you will benefit from the expertise of our faculty. Practitioners with years of real-world experience, they will provide you with the support you need to reach your highest potential as a professional educator.

In addition, you will also be prepared for further academic study, should you choose.

Earning an online master’s with a mild/moderate intervention specialist licensure means the opportunity to advance your career in a learning format convenient to your life. Classes are synchronous, allowing you to build a community and create connection with your peers. An online format provides collaborative opportunities, accountability and the flexibility you need to earn your degree in a way that fits around your work and life commitments.

This Program is Designed for:

• Licensed Pre-K–12 teachers
• Individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree in any subject who want to enter the intervention specialist field
• Adults seeking to earn an advanced degree in a flexible study format

Why Notre Dame College

Located in South Euclid, Ohio, Notre Dame College is a small yet vibrant liberal arts Catholic college. We are committed to offering world-class learning both on campus and online with student success as our top priority. Our reputation for excellence is rooted in our variety of degree programs, expert instructors and continuous support of our students. Whether you learn on campus in Ohio or in one of our flexible online degree programs, you’ll experience the exceptional education Notre Dame College is known for.

Notre Dame College’s Elementary/Intermediate Classroom Teacher Programs have been nationally recognized by the ILA (International Literacy Association) for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals.

Courses & Requirements

Your course of study will help you earn the credential you need to take the next step in your career. Our online M.Ed. in Intervention Specialist Licensure for Mild/Moderate Needs requires 36-48 credit hours depending on your background.

Mild/Moderate Content Courses (for licensure) (15-24 hours)

Students without a Teaching License (24 hours) 

Course	Description	Credits
ED 510	Foundations in Mild/Moderate Disabilities This course is an introduction to the field of special education, based on current and past theories. It focuses on the specific challenges for individuals with exceptional learning needs in the areas of mental, sensory, physical, communicative, social and emotional skills. Classroom activities center on each of the thirteen categories of disabilities as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act. Ten hours of field experience are required.	3
ED 520	Children & Young Adult Literature Studies This course offers an in-depth overview of children’s and young adult literature, covering topics such as genres; children’s and young adult books from developmental and sociocultural perspectives; the history of children’s and young adult literature in Western cultures; multicultural books; culturally competent teaching using children’s and young adult literature; psychological, educational, and literary theoretical approaches; and children’s and young adult literature in various media. Graduate candidates will explore titles of their choice as well as touchstone titles for whole group discussion.	3
ED 525	Foundations of Literacy This course presents major theories and research studies from the past 100 years that form the basis of current literacy practices and instruction and describe cognitive, linguistic, motivational and sociocultural foundations of literacy development, processes and components. Graduate candidates become familiar with models of literacy processes and examine and apply the models as they are related to analytic and systematic phonics instruction, whole language approaches, literature-based instruction and balanced approaches to literacy.	3
ED 530	Phonics This course is an intensive study of phonology and phonics in terms of phonological and phonemic awareness of Pre-K–12 students. Candidates learn to apply strategies that develop and build on students’ understanding of the sound-symbol system as part of a balanced literacy curriculum. Graphophonic and morphological word identification strategies are used in a field experience that grounds students in learning to go beyond basic word-calling to reading for meaning.	3
ED 535	Disciplinary Literacy This course exposes graduate candidates to a variety of disciplinary (content area) literacy skills that help Pre-K–12 students learn specific content through critical thinking, problem solving and collaborative interactions. While the course content focuses on literacy for the middle and secondary levels, candidates learn how to adapt and differentiate basic before, during and after reading strategies to all grade levels.	3
ED 553	Assessment in Special Education This course presents measurement and assessment theory which is integral to making appropriate decisions for pre-referral, identification, placement and individualized instruction for students with disabilities. Terminology, instruments and procedures used for assessing behavior, learning, achievement and the environment are explored. Administration of assessment protocol, data collection and analysis of assessments and experiences are provided. Graduate candidates become collaborators on educational teams, where they analyze assessment findings; write IEP academic goals and objectives; implement intervention strategies; and determine adaptations, accommodations and modifications. Twenty-five hours of field experience are required.	3
ED 554	Instructional Strategies for Mild/Moderate Disabilities This course teaches the skills of building individualized education programs (IEPS) based on assessment data, planning and monitoring instructional strategies, developing curriculum and supporting materials, creating lesson plans and preparing students for inclusion and/or transition programs or specialized environments. Formative evaluations are completed for non-licensed graduate candidates. Foundations in Mild/Moderate Disabilities (ED 510) is a prerequisite for this course. Twenty-five hours of field experience are required.	3
ED 652	Student/Class Management This course focuses on increasing adaptive behaviors, decreasing maladaptive behaviors, developing positive behavior support interventions, collecting and analyzing data, legal and ethical implications and strategies for managing academic and social behaviors that integrate the cognitive and affective domains, establishing classroom environments that foster the development of life skills, implementing transitional intervention techniques such as teacher and peer mediation, increasing social skills, facilitating learning through an environment created through teacher behavior and assisting parents to develop home management systems. Twenty hours of field experience are required for this course.	3

Students with a Teaching License (15 hours) 

Course	Description	Credits
ED 510	Foundations in Mild/Moderate Disabilities This course is an introduction to the field of special education, based on current and past theories. It focuses on the specific challenges for individuals with exceptional learning needs in the areas of mental, sensory, physical, communicative, social and emotional skills. Classroom activities center on each of the thirteen categories of disabilities as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act. Ten hours of field experience are required.	3
ED 525	Foundations of Literacy This course presents major theories and research studies from the past 100 years that form the basis of current literacy practices and instruction and describe cognitive, linguistic, motivational and sociocultural foundations of literacy development, processes and components. Graduate candidates become familiar with models of literacy processes and examine and apply the models as they are related to analytic and systematic phonics instruction, whole language approaches, literature-based instruction and balanced approaches to literacy.	3
ED 553	Assessment in Special Education This course presents measurement and assessment theory which is integral to making appropriate decisions for pre-referral, identification, placement and individualized instruction for students with disabilities. Terminology, instruments and procedures used for assessing behavior, learning, achievement and the environment are explored. Administration of assessment protocol, data collection and analysis of assessments and experiences are provided. Graduate candidates become collaborators on educational teams, where they analyze assessment findings; write IEP academic goals and objectives; implement intervention strategies; and determine adaptations, accommodations and modifications. Twenty-five hours of field experience are required.	3
ED 554	Instructional Strategies for Mild/Moderate Disabilities This course teaches the skills of building individualized education programs (IEPS) based on assessment data, planning and monitoring instructional strategies, developing curriculum and supporting materials, creating lesson plans and preparing students for inclusion and/or transition programs or specialized environments. Formative evaluations are completed for non-licensed graduate candidates. Foundations in Mild/Moderate Disabilities (ED 510) is a prerequisite for this course. Twenty-five hours of field experience are required.	3
ED 652	Student/Class Management This course focuses on increasing adaptive behaviors, decreasing maladaptive behaviors, developing positive behavior support interventions, collecting and analyzing data, legal and ethical implications and strategies for managing academic and social behaviors that integrate the cognitive and affective domains, establishing classroom environments that foster the development of life skills, implementing transitional intervention techniques such as teacher and peer mediation, increasing social skills, facilitating learning through an environment created through teacher behavior and assisting parents to develop home management systems. Twenty hours of field experience are required for this course.	3

Common Core (12 hours)

Course	Description	Credits
ED 501	Integrating Technology through Collaborative Teaming Across the Curriculum This research course focuses on technology integration, research studies and assessment of the effectiveness of technology integration in the classroom. It assumes the graduate candidate has basic computer literacy. The course is delivered on three levels: (1) Research: graduate candidates research effective methodology and pedagogy in technology integration, (2) Technical: graduate candidates explore emerging technologies (which include assistive technologies) and their relevance to academic content and a diverse student population and (3) Design, Preparation and Assessment: graduate candidates apply a variety of design models to create and assess a learning environment enhanced by technology.	3
ED 503	Social and Cultural Issues in Education This course introduces the historical and social forces that shape American education as well as the political and economic conditions underlying modern schooling; examines the Ohio Standards for Teachers and the Code of Professional Conduct; considers the spectrum of contemporary thought and controversy that has influenced the character of American education; and explores the nature of diverse schools, school choice and the “new segregation”.	3
ED 504	Psychological Implications for the Professional Educator This course provides a study of learning principles and theories from several perspectives: the physiological basis of thinking and learning, behaviorism, social cognition, learning and memory, developmental stages of cognition, and motivation. Graduate candidates will use these perspectives as lenses through which to evaluate and implement teaching and learning practices.	3
ED 506	Introduction to Educational Research This course introduces the fundamentals of educational research. Topics include the nature of scientific investigation, ethical considerations in human subject research, quantitative and qualitative research methodology and their respective philosophies and appropriate data analysis techniques for different research designs. Graduate candidates learn to analyze and interpret published research reports in order to become better consumers of research.	3

Capstone (6 hours) - Select One

Course	Description	Credits
ED 670	Action Research This capstone is designed for candidates who are currently teaching or in a professional capacity in which an Action Research project can be implemented for a period of four weeks. Candidates identify a content or classroom/ student management area for study that adds to or improves their teaching practice. Candidates use 20 sources of archival research that informs the methodology. The methodology is implemented over a four- week period and data is collected on its impact. A public presentation of the project is scheduled at the end of the semester.	6
ED 671	I-Search Although this capstone is intended for all candidates, its design will accommodate candidates who are either not currently teaching or not sufficiently familiar with the 40 instructional and programmatic regularities of an educational site where they can develop a proposal that includes active data collection for a sustained period of eight to 10 weeks. Candidates will identify a topic for study that is of interest and importance to their practice. Methodology will focus on incorporating primary data sources. Hence, in addition to archival sources, candidates are required to use three forms of multimedia [e.g. documentary, videotape, DVD, radio and/or television interviews]; three in-person interviews consisting of at least 10 faculty-approved questions and two observations using a faculty-approved observation protocol. Data is gathered, analyzed and reported. A public presentation of the project is scheduled at the end of the semester.	6
ED 674	Master Capstone Project	6

Clinical Internship (3-6 hours)

Course	Description	Credits
ED 614	Student Teaching in Special Education/Mild/Moderate Intervention Specialist This course is the required 15-week student teaching experience for the graduate candidate seeking the first or initial license in the Mild/Moderate Intervention Specialist program. The Placement Coordinator arranges an appropriate classroom setting for the graduate candidate. Attendance at a bi-weekly seminar is required for this course. All MMIS content courses should be completed before registering for this course.	6

Admission Requirements

Students applying for the online M.Ed. in Intervention Specialist Licensure for Mild/Moderate Needs must meet the following requirements:

1. Have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university and a minimum of a 3.0 GPA. Applicants with a GPA below 3.0 may be provisionally accepted.

How to Apply

Students applying for admission to the online M.Ed. in Intervention Specialist Licensure for Mild/Moderate Needs must submit the following materials:

1. A complete online application
2. Official transcripts from your degree granting institution
3. Two professional references
4. A current Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation check OR verification of current BCI check
5. Current Teaching License (if applicable)

Costs & Financial Aid

Notre Dame College Online features a high-quality education at a price you can afford. See how your past academic credentials can help you make the most of your college education.

Outcomes & Resources

Careers

Learn more about potential careers available after you graduate. Some include:

• Special education teacher
• Family intervention specialist
• Early intervention specialist

Related Programs

Learn more about similar programs of study offered by Notre Dame College.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I be a successful online student?

Online students are exceptionally self-motivated. They demonstrate determination, discipline and a willingness to fulfill their commitments. Be prepared to devote a significant amount of time each week to your classes. Engage in discussion, meet your deadlines and communicate with your advisor if you have questions or concerns. These habits will help you move successfully through our programs.

Can I afford Notre Dame College Online?

Yes! Notre Dame College Online recognizes the importance of an affordable education, and we strive to ensure your financial situation is not a boundary when it comes to your career success. Refer to our Financial Aid page to learn more about how to pay for your degree.

What is FAFSA and how can it help me fund my education?

The Free Application for Free Student Aid determines your eligibility for financial aid programs, such as loans and grants. It helps identify the types of aid you may receive, such as federal and state grants, work study programs and low interest loans. We strongly recommend you fill out your FAFSA form each year to help identify which financial aid opportunities may be available to you.