Instruction: Gifted and Talented

Master of Education

About This Program | Program Requirements | Admission

About This Program

Program Purpose

The Master of Education program in Instruction: Gifted and Talented focuses on issues of teaching and learning from the perspective of the practicing classroom teacher who is interested in teaching and/or designing programs for gifted and talented children. Candidates are provided with the knowledge, skills, and experiences needed to enhance student learning, and to increase their effectiveness as teachers and instructional leaders. The program addresses research, theory, and best practices related to: removing barriers to student achievement, learning environment and school culture, educational reform, and the appropriate uses of technology. Translating theory into practice is a primary emphasis. The program consists of eleven 3-credit courses and a 3-credit practitioner research project, the Integrated, Independent Study Project, for a total of 36 credits.

Program Competencies

The M.Ed. program in Instruction: Gifted and Talented is designed to produce educators who will:

1. Identify and resolve common and potential legal/ethical issues related to gifted and talented education.
2. Develop and communicate (within a school and the community it serves) a shared vision of teaching and learning related to gifted and talented education.
3. Make decisions based on a thorough understanding of the historical and philosophical foundations of gifted and talented education, as well as on an understanding of contemporary issues related to inclusion, diversity, and context.
4. Implement methods of instructional supervision and staff selection, appraisal, and renewal that are relevant, results-oriented, research-based, and standards-driven.
5. Create and maintain classroom and school teaching/learning environments that remove barriers to student achievement.
6. Link learning theories/psychological principles with best practices related to gifted and talented learners.
7. Develop creative and critical thinking skills based on an understanding of the characteristics of highly creative people and the creative process.
8. Make data-driven instructional decisions that are based on multiple, valid, and reliable measures of student learning.
9. Design, implement, assess, and revise curriculum for P-12 gifted and talented students.
10. Select and use appropriate and effective ICT (information and communication technology), especially as related to gifted and talented education.
11. Design and carry out high-quality practitioner research in the field of gifted and talented education.

Outcomes Assessment

Multiple assessments are used to determine candidate growth toward achievement of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions described in M.Ed. Instruction: Gifted and Talented program competencies and college-wide graduation competencies. Rubrics-based evaluations of fieldwork, projects, assignments, research papers, and final grades for courses represent the first level of assessment. Goals, learning outcomes and activities, external assignments, and assessment strategies are linked directly to program and graduation competencies and are clearly stated on each course syllabus. Other assessment strategies include individual progress and advising conferences, observations of candidate performance in authentic settings, a capstone practitioner research project, and a Program Portfolio that includes reflections, course-related artifacts, and other evidence that the candidate has acquired the knowledge, skills, and dispositions described in the NAGC/CEC Standards (National Association for Gifted Children/Council for Exceptional Children).