Educational Specialties
Our unique educational specialties area consists of three fields of education that are crucial in the public schools:

Each of these programs provides you, the future teacher, with knowledge and skills that add valuable depth to your expertise as a professional educator. Every year, public schools search for potential teachers who are experienced in working with special and culturally diverse populations. Preference is also given to teachers who understand the potential of technology as an instructional tool in the classroom and who can go far beyond basic computer games and word processing.

The overall purpose of each of our programs is to prepare you to deal effectively with the special and unique needs of all children and youth. Our national demographic characteristics are continually changing, and you must be able to provide all students with appropriate instructional programs. By expanding your professional education preparation beyond the general programs of elementary and secondary education, you will be well prepared to compete for positions virtually anywhere in the United States as well as in international education.

Bilingual and
Multicultural Education
Center for Excellence in Education

Eastburn Education Center (building 27),
PO Box 5774, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5774

Graduate Studies Office--520-523-5342

"We are very proud of the direction our bilingual and multicultural program is taking. It is a program of high quality, it is rapidly growing in recognition, and it has an enlightened, humanistic faculty. Students and faculty come from many cultural backgrounds, bringing an exciting quality to our courses."
     --Malathi Sandhu, Interim Chair
        Educational Specialties

Introduction
If you are a teacher or prospective teacher planning a career in the Southwest or another multicultural area, you should seriously consider the field of bilingual and multicultural education. There is a growing demand for individuals with this preparation, and employment opportunities are unlimited.

Our faculty members have experience with Hispanic, Native American, and various international cultures, and you have many opportunities to interact with faculty and students from a wide variety of cultures.

Our programs include:

These programs prepare you for a career as a bilingual classroom teacher, bilingual resource teacher, or a teacher responsible for providing bilingual instruction and support in the regular classroom or special settings. You also receive preparation in designing and directing bilingual programs. If you are a teacher and obtain the Arizona bilingual endorsement, you are also approved to teach English as a second language (ESL).

We also offer doctoral-level programs in the areas of curriculum and instruction and in educational leadership. These programs prepare you for leadership positions within your ethnic group and in institutions serving language minorities.

Admission Requirements
To apply, you must submit your graduate application and official transcripts to NAU's Graduate College.

In addition, you must:

You may demonstrate language proficiency in a variety of ways. Achieving a passing score on the Spanish proficiency examination or Navajo oral proficiency examination is one alternative. If you are a member of a Native American tribe other than Navajo, you may have tribal officials provide a letter documenting your proficiency in your particular language. You may also use academic records as evidence; for example, you might have an undergraduate major in Spanish and experience teaching Spanish in the secondary schools.

If you are an international student whose second language is English, you must earn a minimum score of 550 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

For more detailed information about admissions requirements, contact CEE's Graduate Studies Office.

Financial Assistance
Our faculty have been successful in securing financial assistance for students through grants from the U.S. Department of Education. This assistance is available for limited periods of time and is constantly changing. Contact a faculty adviser or the chair of Educational Specialties for current information.

If you meet all of our program requirements, you may be eligible for an assistantship. Graduate assistantships are offered through CEE's Graduate Studies Office as well as some other departments. The number of these positions is limited, and you must apply early in the semester before the one in which you need the assistantship. If you receive an assistantship, we expect you to carry 9-12 credit hours per semester, and we assign you responsibilities to which you must devote a specified number of hours each week.

See the Financial Information chapter in this catalog for more detailed information about assistantships and various other types of financial aid.

Placement Assistance
Our faculty members provide you with informal placement assistance. We have established contacts with school administrators throughout the region and frequently receive requests for names of prospective teachers from employers in Arizona schools.

Formal assistance is also available through NAU's Career Services office.

Degree and
Endorsements Offered
You may pursue an M.Ed. in bilingual and multicultural education with an emphasis in either bilingual or multicultural education, or you may pursue nondegree programs leading to either the Arizona bilingual endorsement or the English-as-a-second-language endorsement.

Please be aware that our degree program does not automatically lead to endorsement. If you are interested in both a degree and an endorsement, you must work closely with your adviser to achieve both goals. Our degree and nondegree programs are available on both the Flagstaff and Yuma campuses.

M.Ed. in Bilingual and
Multicultural Education
We offer this degree under the extended coursework option only. To earn this M.Ed., you must take at least 36 credit hours, including a 15-hour block of required courses, 9 hours of foundations courses, and 12 hours of electives that you chose with your adviser's approval.

You can take either the bilingual or the multicultural emphasis for this degree. We describe these emphases briefly in the sections that follow, and you can get detailed outlines for each from CEE's Graduate Studies Office.

Bilingual Emphasis
You must have intermediate language proficiency in a second language.

If you wish to meet the Arizona bilingual endorsement requirements, you may, through careful planning with your adviser, earn this endorsement within your master's degree program.

Multicultural Emphasis
If you are interested in learning about different cultures but are not necessarily interested in a career related to the education of bilingual or limited-English-proficiency (LEP) students, you may want to consider this emphasis.

You needn't demonstrate language proficiency in a second language. However, if you decide to earn either the bilingual endorsement or the ESL endorsement, you will need to fulfill the language proficiency and teacher certification requirements of these endorsements.

Bilingual Endorsement
If you are interested in providing bilingual instruction in the schools, you will need the Arizona bilingual endorsement. This endorsement requires that you complete 21 hours of coursework, including 3 hours of foundations, 9 hours of bilingual methods, 3 hours of linguistics, 3 hours of culture, and 3 hours of electives approved by your adviser.

We offer courses that meet the requirements for this bilingual endorsement, and you can incorporate coursework for it into your M.Ed. program in bilingual and multicultural education. However, the M.Ed. does not automatically lead to an endorsement.

After you have completed the appropriate courses, you can obtain the endorsement by applying directly to the Arizona Department of Education. Individuals who have the Arizona bilingual endorsement are also approved to teach English as a second language.

Please be aware that to receive either endorsement, you must also be certified to teach elementary, secondary, or special education; the endorsement alone does not certify you to teach in Arizona.

Bilingual and Multicultural
Education Courses
Some courses may not be offered every semester. Check with the department for current information about when specific courses are offered.

BME 531 Bilingual Methodology (3). Theories and practices related to using two languages in teaching minority students. Summer, Fall

BME 532 Administration of Multicultural Programs (3). How to plan, implement, manage, and evaluate multicultural programs. Summer, every other year

BME 533 Curricula and Materials for Bilingual and ESL Classrooms (3). Practice in developing curricula and materials for minority students in their native language and in English. Summer, Spring

BME 534 Science and Mathematics Education for LEP Students (3). Provides teachers with pedagogical information and experiences to develop and implement science and mathematics curriculum with limited-English-proficiency students.

BME 535 Spanish for the Bilingual Classroom Teacher (3). Designed to improve bilingual teachers' Spanish in classroom situations for teaching content, communicating with parents, and writing. Prerequisite: intermediate to high Spanish language or approval of instructor.

BME 593 In-Service Workshop (1-3). (Normally, no more than one-sixth of the credit hours taken from NAU in a graduate program may be in teacher in-service workshops--for instance, no more than 6 hours in a 36-hour master's program.)

BME 599 Contemporary Developments (1-3).

BME 608 Fieldwork Experience (1-12). Fee required. Every semester

BME 630 Foundations in Bilingual and ESL Instruction (3). The theoretical, historical, and legal background of bilingual and ESL instruction, including an overview of current models. Summer, Fall

BME 631 Content-Based English Instruction for LEP Students (3). The teaching of content in English to limited-English-proficient students in K-12 using appropriate approaches, methods, and techniques.

BME 634 Testing and Evaluation of Minorities (3). A practicum in the assessment of minority students, covering legal issues, nondiscriminatory testing, and evaluation of language dominance and proficiency. Prerequisite: EPS 525 or 664 and ESE 655 or instructor's permission.

BME 637 The Cultural Component of Bilingual and ESL Instruction (3). How to develop and implement programs and practices relevant to local cultures and subcultures to promote parental and community involvement. Summer, Spring

BME 685 Graduate Research (1-6). Every semester

BME 697 Independent Study (1-3). Every semester

BME 698 Graduate Seminar (1-3). Spring, Summer

BME 699 Thesis (1-9). Every semester

Educational Technology
Center for Excellence in Education

Eastburn Education Center (building 27),
PO Box 5774, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5774

Graduate Studies Office--520-523-5342

"We are helping to prepare educators to meet the challenge of the increasing use of technology in our educational systems."
     --Malathi Sandhu, Interim Chair
        Educational Specialties

Over the last several years, study after study has identified good pre-service and in-service training in technology as the most pressing public-school need related to educational technology. Many national reports cite the critical need for prospective teachers to have training in technology. Several states have already mandated an undergraduate course in computer education for all teachers. Many school districts in Arizona look for a course in educational technology on the transcript of applicants for teaching positions.

Although NAU has no official program currently in place, we do offer courses in educational technology. If you are unfamiliar with the use of technology in education, you should consider taking ECI 447 (Technology in the Classroom). In this course, we provide teachers with the knowledge and skills to design effective learning environments that include technology by using what is known about how children think and learn.

We also offer specialized courses in the areas of educational leadership, instructional leadership, and special education (see these sections), and additional courses are under development. If you are interested in educational technology, you will find a variety of courses that provides a strong background to supplement our graduate degrees.

Special Education
and Gifted Education
Center for Excellence in Education

Eastburn Education Center (building 27),
PO Box 5774, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5774
520-523-4129

Graduate Studies Office--520-523-5342

"Serving at-risk students has become one of the most critical concerns for many schools across the country. There may be no greater need than to prepare personnel to deal with special populations--both disabled and gifted. Our special education faculty members are committed to preparing our graduate students to deal with these students and their families."
     --Malathi Sandhu, Interim Chair
        Educational Specialties

Introduction
As a graduate student in special and gifted education, you may select from a wide variety of programs at NAU. You may be interested in working with young children or young adults--disabled or gifted--or in becoming more knowledgeable, skilled, and effective at mainstreaming exceptional students in your regular classroom. You might want to teach in a special resource room or self-contained program. Or perhaps you want to work with classroom teachers and other personnel as a curriculum director or program coordinator.

Throughout the nation, the demand for teachers of both gifted and disabled students continues to exceed the supply. The most recent survey of relative demand by teaching area once again confirms the high demand for teachers of special education. Our faculty advisers are sensitive to employment trends and can help you select career choices that will lead to viable employment opportunities.

Our faculty members are well qualified and experienced in their fields of emphasis. All of our full-time professors have doctorates and keep current in their fields by participating in research, scholarly papers, grant activities, consultation, and conferences. As a graduate student, particularly a full-time student on campus in Flagstaff during the year, you can work cooperatively with individual faculty members in these endeavors.

NAU's special education programs have been reviewed by the Council for Exceptional Children. All programs have been approved as meeting the CEC/National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education standards in special education.

Admission Requirements
To apply, you must submit an application and official transcripts to NAU's Graduate College.

In addition, you must submit the following materials directly to CEE's Graduate Studies Office:

You should also contact the chair of educational specialties to arrange an interview. We may waive this requirement if one of our regular special education faculty members writes a memo to the chair on your behalf.

Other admission requirements include providing documentation of successful teaching experience. You must also demonstrate your writing competency by completing a brief writing task. You can get more detailed information about these requirements from CEE's Graduate Studies Office.

Our admissions committee reviews your application and other admission materials and determines your cumulative grade point average. The committee then makes a decision on admission and assigns an adviser, who works with you to plan your individual program of study.

Financial Assistance
Our faculty members have been successful in securing financial assistance for students through grants from the U.S. Department of Education. This assistance is available for limited periods of time and is constantly changing. Contact your faculty adviser or the chair of educational specialties for current information.

Graduate assistantships are available through CEE's Graduate Studies Office and through other departments as well. To be eligible you must have met all program admission requirements. The number of assistantships is limited, and you must apply early in the semester before the semester for which you need the assistantship. If you receive an assistantship, we expect you to carry 9 to 12 hours, and we assign you responsibilities to which we expect you to devote a specified number of hours each week.

See the Financial Information chapter of this catalog for more information about graduate assistantships and other types of financial aid.

Placement Assistance
Our faculty members have established contacts with school personnel throughout the Southwest, and we frequently receive requests for the names of individuals who might be interested in specific employment opportunity.

You can also get assistance through NAU's Career Services office.

Degrees and
Certification Programs Offered
In the special education program, you may pursue an:

We also offer nondegree programs leading to endorsement in gifted education or certification in special education.

Currently, our graduate courses are available during summer sessions, although courses are also occasionally offered during fall and spring semesters.

In the following sections, we provide brief descriptions of the available programs. You can get detailed outlines of each program from CEE's Graduate Studies Office.

Master's Programs
At the master's level, we offer programs in special education, special education with a gifted emphasis, and reading and learning disabilities.

M.Ed. in Special Education
We offer this program with the following emphases:

To earn this degree, you must take either 36 hours under the extended coursework plan or 32 hours under the thesis plan.

This includes 6 hours in psychoeducational foundations, 12 hours in your major field, and additional hours in psychological foundations or electives. (Please note that, under the thesis plan, you may end up taking more hours of thesis credit than you can count toward your degree program. This is because you must register for ESE 699 each semester while you work on your thesis.)

M.Ed. in Special Education,
Gifted Emphasis
You can earn this degree under either the extended coursework plan or the thesis plan.

You must take 6 hours in psychoeducational foundations, 18 hours in gifted education, 3 hours in educational psychology or psychology, and 6 hours of electives.

M.Ed. in Reading
and Learning Disabilities
To earn this degree, you must take either 42 hours under the extended coursework plan or 39 hours under the thesis plan. (Please note that, under the thesis plan, you may end up taking more hours of thesis credit than you can count toward your degree program. This is because you must register for ESE 699 each semester while you work on your thesis.)

After you complete this degree, you can earn both an endorsement in reading and certification in learning disabilities.

Certification or Endorsement
You may not wish to pursue a graduate degree, but rather to earn:

Certification in special education requires 21 hours. If you are not already certified to teach elementary or secondary education, you must meet additional requirements for Arizona certification in regular education. Endorsement in gifted education requires 18 hours in gifted coursework and 9 additional hours in a cognate. You should work closely with your adviser to ensure that you have completed the appropriate requirements for certification or endorsement. When you have completed the necessary coursework, you must apply directly to the Arizona Department of Education to obtain certification or endorsement.

If you are interested in specializing in preschool handicaps, you may now develop a program forArizona certification in early childhood special education. Work closely with your adviser to develop an appropriate, individualized program of study for this certification.

Ed.D. in
Curriculum and Instruction
If you are a professional in a school setting, a community college, or a governmental or other agency, this degree is appropriate for you. To earn this degree, you must select 18 hours in a focus studies area, such as special education

For more information about this degree, see the heading Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction in the Instructional Leadership section, which follows.

Special Education Courses
Some courses may not be offered every semester. Check with the department for current information about when specific courses are offered.

ESE 501 Exceptional Students in Regular Programs (1-3). Selected competency-based modules on the disabled and gifted in regular programs. Offered as requested by the Arizona Department of Education.

ESE 502 Behavioral Management in Special Education (1-3). Selected competency-based modules on the management of exceptional learners, including discipline and classroom organization. Offered as requested by the Arizona Department of Education.

ESE 503 Evaluation of Exceptional Children (1-3). Selected competency-based modules on the evaluation of exceptional learners, procedural safeguards, and the team approach to assessment. Offered as requested by the Arizona Department of Education.

ESE 504 Methods and Materials in Special Education (1-6). Selected competency-based modules on teaching exceptional learners. Offered as requested by the Arizona Department of Education.

ESE 505 Consultative Techniques in Special Education (1-3). Selected competency-based modules on working with parents and related professionals, interviewing, conferencing, consulting, IEP management, and utilizing agencies. Offered as requested by the Arizona Department of Education.

ESE 506 Administration and Supervision of Special Education (1-3). Selected competency-based modules on the administration and supervision of special education and gifted programs. Offered as requested by the Arizona Department of Education.

ESE 507 Vocational and Social Aspects of Special Education (1-3). Selected competency-based modules on the vocational and social aspects of special education. Offered as requested by the Arizona Department of Education.

ESE 508 Bilingual Special Education (1-3). Selected competency-based modules on bilingual special education, including identification, placement, instruction, evaluation, and related issues. Offered as requested by the Arizona Department of Education.

ESE 509 Foundations of Special Education (1-3). Selected competency-based modules on special topics about exceptional learners. Offered as requested by the Arizona Department of Education.

ESE 520 Bilingual and Multicultural Aspects of Special Education (3). Focuses on the interface of special education and bilingual and multicultural education, and the historical and philosophical roots of both disciplines. Also covers legislation, cultural values of different groups, assessment and evaluation, instructional strategies, and community and agency resources. Summer, Spring of every other year

ESE 547 Microcomputer Applications in Special Education (3). History; adaptive devices; prostheses; assessment packages; evaluation, selection, and modification of software; administrative uses; hardware; and research with exceptional learners. Prerequisite: ECI 447.

ESE 548 Survey of Special Education (3). Develop basic understanding of learning and developmental characteristics, educational service provisions, and common instructional needs. Summer, Fall of every other year

ESE 590 Exceptional Students in Regular Programs (3). Characteristics and needs of mentally retarded, learning disabled, emotionally handicapped, physically handicapped, and gifted students; methods of teaching mainstreamed learners. Summer, every other year

ESE 593 Public School In-Service Workshop (1-3). (Normally, no more than one-sixth of the credit hours taken from NAU in a graduate program may be in teacher in-service workshops--for instance, no more than 6 hours in a 36-hour master's program.)

ESE 599 Contemporary Developments (1-3).

ESE 608 Fieldwork Experience (1-12). Fee required. Every semester

ESE 622 Special Education Performance Laboratory (1-6). Performance assessments of teachers working with exceptional children and in writing and speaking competencies. Used to plan M.Ed. program. Every semester

ESE 649 Foundations of Special Education (3). Causes, identification, characteristics, approaches, and models for emotionally disabled, learning disabled, and mentally retarded. Sections in early childhood and gifted. Combined section for emotionally disabled, learning disabled, and mentally retarded. Prerequisite: ESE 548. Emotionally disabled, learning disabled, mentally retarded, and gifted offered every summer; early childhood offered every other summer

ESE 650 Methods in Special Education (3). Techniques for addressing academic, social, behavioral, and cognitive needs. Sections in gifted and early childhood. Combined section for emotionally disabled, learning disabled, and mentally retarded. Prerequisite: ESE 649. Emotionally disabled, learning disabled, and mentally retarded offered every summer; gifted and early childhood offered every other summer

ESE 651 Education of Minority Gifted (3). Historical and legal perspectives, characteristics, identification, special instructional methods, and programs for minority gifted, including those gifted who are disabled or culturally and linguistically different. Prerequisite: ESE 649. Summer

ESE 652 Vocational and Social Aspects in Special Education (3). Exploration of studies pertaining to vocational and social adjustment of post-school exceptional persons. Prerequisite: ESE 548.

ESE 653 Administration and Supervision in Special Education (3). Organizing, financing, housing, equipping, staffing, and supervising the special education program; educational and legal provisions.

ESE 655 Advanced Assessment of Exceptional Learners (3). Basic concepts of measurement; assessment of processes and skills of exceptional learners. Prerequisite: basic statistics or testing course. Summer

ESE 656 Advanced Assessment Practicum (3). Practical experiences in assessment of exceptionalities. Administration and interpretation of formal and informal methods of evaluating learning. Prerequisite: ESE 655 or EPS 664. Fee required. Summer

ESE 685 Graduate Research (1-6). Every semester

ESE 695 Internship in Special Education (3-8). Applications in a variety of settings including classroom, one to one, and small group. Separate sections in certification area. Prerequisite: ESE 650. Fee required. Summer; other semesters by arrangement

ESE 697 Independent Study (1-3). Every semester

ESE 698 Graduate Seminar (1-3). Summer

ESE 699 Thesis (1-9). Every semester

ESE 799 Dissertation (1- 9). Every semester


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     Educational Leadership
     Educational Psychology
     Instructional Leadership
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