Texas State University at San Marcos



Handbook for Educational Diagnostician Program

Texas State University

Table of Contents

I. College of Education at Texas State University …………………………… 2

Curriculum and Instruction Department ……………………………… 2

Faculty Listing ………………………………………………………... 2

RRHEC Campus ……………………………………………………… 3

II. Educational Diagnostician Program ……………………………………….. 3

Admission to the Program …………………………………………………. 3

For students with a Master’s degree seeking certification only……….. 3

For students seeking a Master’s degree and certification

Admission to the graduate school……………………………… 4

Program of work ………………………………………………. 4

For all students seeking admission to the diagnostician program ……... 5

Recommended sequence of courses …………………………………… 5

III. Tips: Course Information to Keep in Mind when Planning for Classes …… 6

IV. Program Standards …………………………………………………………. 8

Summary of State-mandated Standards ………………………………… 9

Comprehensive Departmental Examination ……………………………. 9

State-mandated Examination (TExES) ………………………………….. 10

V. Q & A ……………………………………………………………………... 10

VI. Final Semester Checklist…………………………………………………. 12

I. The College of Education, Texas State University at San Marcos

The College of Education comprises three academic departments: Curriculum and Instruction; Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education, and School Psychology; and Health and Human Performance.

Teacher education is a campus-wide commitment at Texas State. Many academic departments offer core curriculum courses and major/minor courses, and the College of Education offers the certification courses. Programs leading to teacher certification are available for elementary, middle, high school and all-level teachers. These are the EC-6 ESL (Early Childhood through Grade Six, English Second Language), the 4-8 (Grade Four through Grade Eight), the 8-12 (Grade Eight through Grade 12), and All-Level (Early Childhood through Grade 12) certificates.

Students seeking the EC-6 ESL, 4-8, or Special Education certificate will be majors in the College of Education, and students seeking the 8-12 or All-level certificate will complete an academic major of their choice in the appropriate department.

The College of Education offers three doctoral degree programs: (a) Doctor of

Philosophy degree with a major in School Improvement; (b) Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in Adult, Professional, and Community Education; and (c) Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in Developmental Education. More information about these degrees may be obtained from the Graduate College or from the College of Education website.

The Curriculum and Instruction Department is housed in the Education Building. There are a dozen departmental programs, many of which offer initial teacher certification and others that offer support for teachers at different phases of their careers (e.g., New Teacher Induction, Teacher Fellows Program, Teacher Recruitment). Programs include Bilingual Education, Career Alternatives in Special Education (CASE), Educational Technology, Gifted and Talented, Reading, Elementary and Secondary, and Special Education. The departmental website can be accessed through links under Academics on the Texas State University website.

The Special Education faculty and their contact information are as follows:

Dr. Amanda Boutot Dr. Russell Lang

eb15@txstate.edu rl30@txstate.edu

Dr. Glenna Billingsely Dr. Brenda Scheuermann

gbillingsley@txstate.edu bs10@txstate.edu

Dr. Stephen Ciullo Dr. Marilyn Goodwin

ciullo@txstate.edu mg21@txstate.edu

Dr. Larry Wheeler, Graduate Advisor

lw06@txstate.edu

Round Rock Higher Education Building (RRHEC)

The Round Rock Higher Education Center (RRHEC) is located in the beautiful new Avery Building located at 1555 University Boulevard (formerly Chandler Road) in Round Rock, 78664. RRHEC information can be accessed via their website RRHEC.edu.

At the current time there are a limited number of special education courses available at the RRHEC.

II. What is the Educational Diagnostician Program?

The educational diagnostician program prepares students to work in the schools with special needs populations, their teachers and families. One of diagnosticians’ chief responsibilities is to collect data and administer evaluations required for establishing eligibility for special education services.

Requirements for professional educational diagnostician certification are:

• A Master’s degree in education

• A valid Texas teacher certificate

• Two years of teaching experience

• Successful completion of required coursework

• Successful completion of the state certification exam, the TExES

Admission to the Educational Diagnostician Program

Prior to applying to the Educational Diagnostician program at Texas State University, students must possess a valid Texas teacher certificate and two years teaching experience in a public or accredited private school (special education teaching experience recommended but not required).

There are two types of students seeking admission to the diagnostician program: those who currently have a Master’s degree and are seeking certification only, and those who are seeking a Master’s degree in conjunction with certification. Programs of study will be vastly different for the two groups for obvious reasons. Programs of study will also vary for individuals with Master’s degrees because of differences in previous graduate work, amount of time lapsed since coursework, work experience, previous grades, etc. The Graduate Advisor develops a degree plan for students seeking a Master’s degree and a deficiency plan for those students who have a Master’s and are seeking certification only. Therefore, the degree plan or deficiency plan developed by the Graduate Advisor is the key document for students to follow for planning coursework throughout the program.

For Students Who Already Possess a Master’s Degree in Education

Students with a Master’s degree in education may seek information prior to making a formal application to the program by contacting the Graduate Advisor (GA; currently Dr. Wheeler).

Unofficial deficiency plan vs. official deficiency plan. A student who already has a Master’s in education and wonders how many credits he/she will need to become certified may send his/her transcript directly to the GA for an “unofficial deficiency plan.” There is no cost associated with this service. This plan becomes an “official deficiency plan” when the student decides to pursue it, applies to the graduate school and pays $75 for the Advising Center to develop, with the input of the GA, an official deficiency plan.

For Students seeking a Master’s Degree in Education in Conjunction with Educational Diagnostician Certification

Admission to the Graduate School. Students without a Master’s degree seeking to be admitted to the educational diagnostician certification program must first be admitted to the Graduate School. The basic graduate school requirement is a 2.75 GPA on the last 60 hours of undergraduate work and completion of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). The Graduate School may take one of three actions upon receiving applications: (1) admitted unconditionally, (2) admitted conditionally, or (3) not admitted. Once students are accepted, the Graduate College develops a degree plan in conjunction with the special education Graduate Adviser (GA).

Program of Work. Students wishing to obtain a Master’s degree and certification as an educational diagnostician concurrently will need to complete a 36-hour degree program. Students should list their major as special education (24 hours required) with a specialization as educational diagnostician. They should list their minor as cognate (12 hours, non-special education courses).

In general, the following coursework should be completed. This listing is by category; the recommended sequence of courses follows in the next few pages.

Characteristics, Legal, and Ethical Foundations (6 hours)

SPED 5360 Survey of Exceptionality

SPED 5385 Educational Diagnostician Ethics, Standards, and Procedures

Curricula and Instructional Strategies for Students with Disabilities (9 hours)

SPED 5313 Educating Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

SPED 5340 Principles and Practices in Effective Instruction for Students with Disabilities

SPED 5327 Educating Students with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities

Psychoeducational and Other Diagnostic Procedures (9-12 hours)

SPED 5334 Assessment and Evaluation of Students with Disabilities

COUN 5305 Standardized Testing (optional; some overlap with SPED 5334)

SPSY 5376 Psychoeducational Assessment

SPED 5390 Practicum (last course taken)

Cultural Diversity (3 hours)

SPSY 5394 Psychological and Cultural Aspects of Instruction and Remediation

or

CI 5330 Multicultural Teaching and Learning

Behavioral and Social Skills (6 hours)

SPED 5375 Classroom and Behavior Management Strategies for Students with Disabilities

SPED 5380 Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in Schools

For All Students Seeking Admission to the Educational Diagnostician Program

Each applicant must submit the following information to the Graduate College at Texas State University for admission into the university:

• an online application through ApplyTexas - visit gradcollege.txstate.edu for online

application

• one official transcript from each senior-level post-secondary institution attended

• official results of the verbal/quantitative GRE (NOT REQUIRED FOR STUDENTS

SEEKING CERTIFICATION ONLY)

• special education departmental application (this application is in addition to the Graduate

College application and does not substitute for it) – visit education.txstate.edu/ci/sped for

special education departmental application

• one-to-two page letter of intent stating career goals

• resume

• two letters of recommendation from persons familiar with your professional work, including at

least one supervisor

• copies of certifications or licensures if applicable

Applications are due June 15 for the fall semester, October 15 for the spring semester, and April 15 for summer sessions.

Changes to degree/deficiency plan. Once a student is admitted, the GA develops a Degree Plan (for those seeking a Master’s) or a Deficiency Plan (for those seeking certification only). If substitutions to either plan are requested by the student, he/she must apply to the GA, who will decide if it is appropriate and then will initiate the change with the Advising Center.

Recommended Sequence of Courses. Following the development of a student’s degree/deficiency plan, he/she should know the specific courses needed and should complete a planning worksheet. As some courses are prerequisites to others and some are offered only during one semester a year, this planning is crucial to timely completion of courses and graduation goals. A copy of the planning form can be accessed via the website above.

First Sequence:

SPED 5334 Assessment & Evaluation of Students with Disabilities

SPED 5360 Survey of Exceptionality

Second Sequence

SPED 5385 Educational Diagnostician Ethics, Standards, and Procedures* (can also be taken at end of program, prior to or concurrent with SPED 5390, Practicum)

COUN 5305 Standardized Testing (optional)

Third Sequence

SPED 5313 Educating Students with Emotional/Behavior Disorders

SPED 5340 Principles and Practices in Effective Instruction for Students with Disabilities

SPED 5327 Educating Students with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities

Fourth Sequence

SPSY 5376 Psychoeducational Assessment (prerequisite: SPED 5334)

Fifth Sequence

SPSY 5394 Psychological/Cultural Aspects of Instruction/Remediation

(prerequisite: SPSY 5376)

OR

CI 5330 Multicultural Teaching and Learning

SPED 5375 Classroom Behavior Management Strategies

SPED 5380 Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports in School

Final Sequence

SPED 5390 Practicum for Educational Diagnosticians (prerequisites: all coursework; a B or better in SPSY 5376; and prior approval of instructor and GA)

For further information contact:

Graduate Admission Advising

Dr. Larry Wheeler

Graduate Dean Professor and Graduate Advisor, Special Education

Graduate College Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Texas State University – San Marcos Texas State University – San Marcos

San Marcos, Texas 78666 San Marcos, Texas 78666

(512) 245-2581 (512) 245-2037

III. TIPS: Course Information to Keep in Mind When Planning and

Registering for Classes

1) COUN 5305 is not a prerequisite to SPSY 5376. It is no longer a required course but can be taken if you need hours to complete your program. You may ask for a substitution if there is another course you prefer to take in lieu of it. SPED 5334 Assessment and Evaluation of Students with Disabilities is a prerequisite to SPSY 5376. You should have a strong basic knowledge of tests and measurement terminology before taking 5376.

2) SPSY 5376 Psychoeducational Assessment is a hands-on testing course where you learn to give the individualized, standardized, norm-referenced tests that are part of a diagnostician’s basic repertoire. It is intensive, time-consuming, and requires finding students on whom to practice administering the tests. Keep the time requirement in mind when planning your semester. PLEASE NOTE: This is considered a core class which teaches essential testing skills; therefore, students must obtain a B or higher in order to progress to the next courses in the program. Students making a C or lower must re-take the class until competency is attained.

3) There are currently two courses for diagnostician students only. They are: SPED 5385 Ethics, Standards and Procedures, and SPED 5390 Practicum.

4) SPED 5385 covers standards, laws, ethics, policies and procedures and is taught only in spring semester at the San Marcos campus. It was envisioned as a course to be taken early in the program but can be taken whenever it fits your schedule, even at the end of the program if need be. Taking it toward the end of the program may better prepare you to take the TExES.

5) SPED 5390 (Practicum) should be the last course in your program. It is site-based, meaning that you will need an educational diagnostician or an LSSP in your district to agree to be an on-site supervisor. If you are not currently employed, we can help you find a district and an on-site supervisor.

If needed, you can take another course concurrent with practicum. It is not recommended that you try to take two courses in addition to practicum in one semester. You should talk to the practicum instructor and/or the Graduate Adviser if you are not sure of when to take the practicum and which courses, if any, to take concurrently.

Requirements of the practicum:

• You can do the practicum while continuing in your current job. You need to get the support of your principal and whomever else to whom you report (supervisor). With the proper permission or supports in place, there should be no surprises when you begin because you may need to take personal days, switch your hours or schedule around for a short period, etc.

• The duty of the on-site supervisor is making sure that you have all the experiences to complete your requirements, including finding referrals and co-signing your reports (FIEs).

• The specific requirements of the syllabus may change somewhat from semester to semester, but probably will not basically differ from the following:

✓ 5-6 full individual evaluations (FIES) with students with different disabilities; you do all testing and report writing

✓ 5-6 meetings, including different types of ARDs and staffings; you write narrative summary notes for each

✓ Functional Behavioral Analysis and a Behavior Intervention Plan (one each)

✓ an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

• This practicum is experience-based, not hours-based, meaning that there are no set

hours per week. Some weeks you may spend 12-15 hours and some weeks, very little time. It will depend upon when the referrals are made, students are available, meetings are set, etc.

• Weekly meetings on campus are not held. Typically students in practicum meet in a

group with the instructor two or three times as needed over the course of the semester.

• SPED 5390 is credit/no credit.

6) Summer Course Offerings: Courses that are being offered this summer will probably also be offered next summer, but there is no guarantee of that. The SPED and EDP faculty recognize that it would be better for you if more courses were offered in summer, but there are many factors that decide summer course schedules. This uncertainty in course offerings is a very good reason for getting your course sequences in order as early in the program as possible. Several special education courses are usually offered in summer. SPSY 5394 may be offered in summer. SPSY 5376 and SPED 5390 will probably never be taught in summer for both academic and practical reasons. (Access to public school students and time are issues).

IV. Program Standards

Two sets of professional standards serve as guidelines for the coursework in the diagnostician program at Texas State University and the competencies required of its graduates. National standards were developed by the international special education professional organization, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). These standards include knowledge of:

• laws and policies related to assessing individuals with exceptional learning needs

• factors that influence the overrepresentation and stigmatization of individuals with cultural and linguistic diversity

• influences of diversity on assessment results

• range of individual abilities within categories of exceptionality

• communication about assessment purposes, methods, results and implications to team

members

• basics of assessment:

* skills necessary to administer and interpret tests

* standards for test validity and reliability

* use of standard error of measurement

* understanding possible sources of test error

* selection of assessment instruments based on technical quality

* use of formal and informal observation techniques

A second set of standards for diagnosticians in the state of Texas was developed by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC). These standards for educational diagnostician certification serve as the foundation for the required state certification examination (the TExES), the professional growth plan, and continuing professional education activities for diagnosticians.

A summary of these standards follows:

Standard I. The educational diagnostician understands and applies knowledge of the purpose, philosophy, and legal foundations of evaluation and special education.

Standard II. The educational diagnostician understands and applies knowledge of ethical and professional practices, roles, and responsibilities.

Standard III. The educational diagnostician develops collaborative relationships with families, educators, the school, the community, outside agencies, and related service personnel.

Standard IV. The educational diagnostician understands and applies knowledge of student assessment and evaluation, program planning, and instructional decision making.

Standard V. The educational diagnostician knows eligibility criteria and procedures for identifying students with disabilities and determining the presence of an educational need.

Standard VI. The educational diagnostician selects, administers, and interprets appropriate formal and informal assessments and evaluations.

Standard VII. The educational diagnostician understands and applies knowledge of ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic diversity and the significance of student diversity for evaluation, planning, and instruction.

Standard VIII. The educational diagnostician knows and demonstrates skills necessary for scheduling, time management, and organization.

Standard IX. The educational diagnostician addresses students' behavioral and social interaction skills through appropriate assessment, evaluation, planning, and instructional strategies.

Standard X. The educational diagnostician knows and understands appropriate curricula and instructional strategies for individuals with disabilities.

These standards are incorporated into coursework for diagnosticians, particularly in EDP 5376, SPED 5334, SPED 5385, and SPED 5390. Candidates should become familiar with both sets of standards.

Comprehensive Departmental Examinations

Students seeking a Master’s degree in conjunction with certification as a diagnostician must take departmental comprehensive exams. Comprehensive examinations are administered during the final semester of the student’s coursework to assess the student’s level of knowledge gained throughout the Master’s degree program. Students should be aware that high grades in courses do not necessarily guarantee success on the comprehensive exam.

State-Mandated Competency Examination, the TExES: During the last semester of coursework, students in the graduate program for educational diagnosticians should take the required TExES exam. The scheduled dates and procedures for registering and taking the examination are available on the SBEC website (sbec.state.tx.us ).

V. Questions & Answers

Q: When are the graduate classes in special education needed for diagnostician certification usually held?

Special Education graduate classes are usually offered at 5:00 or 6:30 in order to accommodate students’ work schedules. Some educational psychology classes have been offered at 3:00 but we have been working with that program to ensure that diagnostician students can access needed classes with a later start time.

Q: How do I register for departmental comprehensive examinations?

Contact the Graduate Advisor at the beginning of the semester in which you plan to take your comprehensive exams (the semester in which you plan to graduate). Examinations are scheduled during all three semesters.

Q: How should I prepare for departmental comprehensive examinations?

The department offers a study guide to help students in their preparations.

Q: When can I take my TExES for Educational Diagnostician certification?

This is a rigorous state competency examination that should be taken during your last semester in the program.

Q: How do I go about registering for and taking the TExES?

The student should contact the Graduate Advisor early in his/her last semester to obtain permission to take the exam. The GA then forwards the student’s name to an officer in the College of Education, who will email the student with a number code that allows the student to register online.

All information needed for registering and taking the TExES is available on the SBEC website (sbec.state.tx.us ). The student is responsible for registering and passing the TExES and for meeting all deadlines in order to become certified.

Q: What can I do to prepare for the TExES?

The SBEC website offers a preparation manual for educational diagnosticians that can be downloaded and studied prior to taking the TExES. This manual contains 17 questions that are similar in format and content to the questions on the exam.

Neither a review session nor preparation manual specifically for diagnosticians is offered by the department at this time. However, students should keep in mind that the required diagnostician coursework and the TExES exam are based upon the same SBEC standards. Some students have found it helpful to form study groups to help prepare themselves for this exam.

Q: How do I become certified?

After completing your coursework, the comprehensive exams (if needed), and the TExES, you apply to SBEC online by filling out their form. SBEC then forwards that form to the Texas State designated certification officer.

Q: Do I have to renew my certificate?

Yes, certificates are currently good for five years. The holder of the certificate needs 200 hours of continuing education (or about 40 hours per year) to renew the certificate.

Last Semester Checklist **

Prior to your last semester, set up your practicum experience (see handbook under “Practicum”).

____ Begin Diagnostician Practicum

____ Apply for Graduation via Catsweb on the Texas State website

____ If participating in the graduation ceremony, order cap, gown, and hood

____ Send a copy of all classes taken to Dr. Wheeler at

lw06txstate.edu

____ If receiving a master’s degree, request permission to take written comprehensive exams by notifying Dr. Wheeler

____ Complete comprehensive exams

____ Request permission to take the state certification test, the TeXes Diagnostician Exam by notifying Dr. Wheeler

____ Once you have received your approval code from the university, register for TeXes Exam through SBEC website

___ Complete the TeXes Exam

____ Complete Diagnostician Practicum and turn in portfolio

____ After you have passed all exams and graduated, register for

Diagnostician certificate through SBEC website

** Prepared by students in their last semester of the program as an aid for future students

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