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Early Childhood Education and Teaching Students with Disabilities (B-2), Master of Science in Education

The Field Change and Career Change programs are intended to foster the development of skills, attitudes and knowledge needed to teach diverse populations of young children (birth to grade 2) across the full range of abilities.

The Field Change and Career Change programs are intended to foster the development of skills, attitudes and knowledge needed to teach diverse populations of young children (birth to grade 2) across the full range of abilities. They are structured to prepare teachers to support the learning and development of students in general education, early intervention, “inclusion” and self-contained special education settings. These objectives are achieved by integrating knowledge of the importance of developmentally appropriate practices and play-based activities with an understanding of developmental delays and related disabilities. Specifically; the programs promote teacher knowledge and skills in:

  • Providing developmentally appropriate environments for all children
  • Addressing the needs of children with developmental delays and specific developmental disabilities
  • Understanding different models of service delivery
  • Selecting, using and understanding methods of developmental assessment
  • Developing, modifying and implementing curriculum
  • Aligning curriculum goals with appropriate state and national standards
  • Working with interdisciplinary teams and culturally diverse families
  • Using assistive and other technologies to enhance children’s learning and communicative skills
  • Providing advocacy for children and their families in the framework of current legislation
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Degree Type
MSEd
Area of Interest
Education
Associated Colleges or Schools
Program Location
  • Queens Campus
Required Credit Hours
45

Admissions

  • Application
  • Nonrefundable application fee of $70
  • Statement of goals
  • Satisfactory Grade Point Average (3.0-3.5 depending on program)
  • Official transcripts showing conferral of bachelor’s degree in education
  • Must possess NYS initial/professional certification

*If you are an international student you must submit TOEFL or IELTS.

  • Application
  • Nonrefundable application fee of $70
  • Statement of goals
  • Satisfactory Grade Point Average (3.0-3.5 depending on program)
  • Official transcripts showing conferral of bachelor’s degree

*If you are an international student you must submit TOEFL or IELTS.

Please view the School of Education Graduate Admission Application Requirements for detailed admission information.

Courses

  • edTPA is done during this semester. ** ADVISOR CONSULTATION REQUIRED**
  • *SJU Comprehensive Exam must be passed during the final semester of classes.

EDU 3210: Research & Practice of Teaching Writing/English Language Arts in General & Inclusive Education, B-6
EDU 7122: Programs in Early Childhood Education: Play, Social Learning, and Early Childhood Environments (20 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 7126: Observing and Recording the Behavior of Young Children (15 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 7127: School, Family and Community Partnerships
EDU 7114: Early Childhood Education Associate Teaching (Student Teaching)
Must be taken in your second to last semester and certification.
New York State Required Examinations must be passed prior to enrollment in Student Teaching: EAS, CST-Multi Subject.

edTPA is done during this semester. ** ADVISOR CONSULTATION REQUIRED**

Choose Two Out of Four (6 Credits) Including at Least One Field Experience

EDU 7002: Early Childhood Study Abroad Elective: International Perspectives in Early Childhood Education
EDU 7123: Creative Arts in Linguistically/Culturally Diverse and Inclusive Early Childhood (15 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 7128: Integrated Curriculum in Early Childhood Settings (15 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 7129: Mathematics and Science in Early Childhood
Special Education Core Courses (24 Credits)

EDU 9716: Curriculum and Instruction Design for Teaching Literacy to Individuals with Exceptionalities: Childhood (20 Hrs. Fieldwork)    
EDU 9719: Principles of Applied Behavior Analysis and Positive Behavior Supports, K-12 (15 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9733: Educational Assessment of Young Children with Exceptionalities (prerequisites EDU 7126 and EDU 9737) (20 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9734: Curriculum Modifications for Teaching Students with Disabilities in Diverse Early Childhood Settings (15 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9736: Early Intervention and Provision of Services for Preschoolers with Special Needs (prerequisites EDU 7126 and EDU 9737) (15 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9737: Early Childhood Special Education (15 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9738: Research on Issues in Early Childhood Special Education (10 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9739: Practicum in Special Education Early Childhood (150 Hrs.)
Must be taken in your final Semester. Must have completed EDU 7114, all Special Education Coursework and CST- Students with Disabilities

EDU 3210: Research & Practice of Teaching Writing/English Language Arts in General & Inclusive Education, B-6
EDU 7122: Programs in Early Childhood Education: Play, Social Learning, and Early Childhood Environments (20 Hrs. Fieldwork)     
EDU 7123: Creative Arts in Linguistically/Culturally Diverse and Inclusive Early Childhood (15 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 7126: Observing and Recording the Behavior of Young Children  (15 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 7127: School, Family and Community Partnerships
EDU 7128: Integrated Curriculum in Early Childhood Settings (15 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 7129: Mathematics and Science in Early Childhood
EDU 7114: Early Childhood Education Associate Teaching (Student Teaching)
Must be taken in your second to last semester and certification.
New York State Required Examinations must be passed prior to enrollment in Student Teaching: EAS, CST-Multi Subject.

EDU 9716: Curriculum and Instruction Design for Teaching Literacy to Individuals with Exceptionalities: Childhood (20 Hrs. Fieldwork)    
EDU 9719: Principles of Applied Behavior Analysis and Positive Behavior Supports, K-12 (15 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9733: Educational Assessment of Young Children with Exceptionalities (prerequisites EDU 7126 and EDU 9737) (20 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9734: Curriculum Modifications for Teaching Students with Disabilities in Diverse Early Childhood Settings (15 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9736: Early Intervention and Provision of Services for Preschoolers with Special Needs (prerequisites EDU 7126 and EDU 9737) (15 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9737: Early Childhood Special Education (15 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9738: Research on Issues in Early Childhood Special Education (10 Hrs. Fieldwork)
EDU 9739: Practicum in Special Education Early Childhood (150 Hrs.)
Must be taken in your final Semester. Must have completed EDU 7114, all Special Education Coursework and CST- Students with Disabilities

Career and Education Opportunities

Program graduates will be able to assume such positions as:

  • Early childhood teachers in general education or inclusion settings
  • Special education collaborative team teachers
  • Special education itinerant teachers
  • Special education teachers in self-contained settings
  • Providers of one-on-one home-based early intervention services
  • Graduates of either the Career Change or the Field Change Master’s Programs will qualify for New York State dual certification in early childhood education (B-2) as well as for teaching students with disabilities (B-2), provided all state-mandated external tests, training modules and teaching experiences are completed.

Top Outcomes for this particular program

In this program you will develop the ability of teachers, attitudes, and skills to identify and remediate learning and behavior disorders, ranging from mild to profound, regardless of etiology. This program will support your understanding of child development, its variation, intervention strategies, program planning, and assessment. You will learn to implement evidence-based strategies from current research in various early childhood educational settings. 

The program prepares graduates to:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of human developmental processes and variations
  • Engage all young children in play, learning, and interaction in meaningful ways
  • Collaborate effectively with parents, families, educators, and related service providers
  • Develop skills that facilitate the use of research and technology in the broader context of special and inclusive education
  • Use the basic principles and strategies of the science of applied behavior analysis with students who have disabilities
  • Use, interpret and analyze various forms of assessment (formal, informal, formative, summative) to gather detailed information, from multiple sources, about student learning
  • Create and implement educational programs for children with disabilities  
  • Assess and evaluate the development and implementation of effective strategies for children with learning and behavior challenges in early childhood educational settings
  • Interpret and apply standards of professional and state organizations
     

Top three features/qualities of our program:

Our full-time faculty is highly qualified with many years of experience working with individuals with disabilities, and their families, in diverse school and clinical settings, and is also actively engaged in research and professional service. Further, we have a strong supporting Adjunct faculty that brings unique practitioner inputs to our programs. To access information about our Faculty, please visit:
 

http://www.stjohns.edu/academics/schools-and-colleges/school-education/education-specialties-and-counseling/department-faculty

Our courses are offered across multiple campus sites (Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island, and Long Island) with ample online course offerings.  Online courses allow students to learn at their own pace and participate in interactive and creative online learning opportunities

Programs that offer multiple opportunities for engagement in professional activities, academic service learning, and global education consistent with the University’s Catholic and Vincentian mission. Our school’s mission of “Preparing teachers, counselors, and administrators as transformational leaders who honor the dignity of all people” guides our programs and informs our practice each day.
 

Why is the experience unique at St. John’s ?

Our students complete 150 hours of supervised special education practicum in various settings including self-contained, inclusive, and mainstreamed classrooms. St. John’s program is unique in that it allows students to develop skills to teach exceptional students in schools, clinics, and early intervention settings. Students are exposed to instructors, current researchers, and leaders in the field of special education who have many years of experience and expertise working directly with children in diverse, multicultural, and high-needs urban and suburban school settings.

Our graduates are successful and highly proficient teachers trained to meet the highest professional standards in special education set by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), through rigorous course work based on evidence-based practices, applied observation and practicum experiences, and engagement in student activities, including academic service learning. We are excited to welcome you to join this cadre of effective teachers and global citizens effecting change in the lives of children and youth through education and service.
 

Our students participate in many online learning opportunities that allow for current and effective use of online resources for research and practice in special education and preparation for careers in an increasingly global and digital world
 

Our students engage in several professional and networking events throughout their program developing their competencies to effectively communicate and interact with stakeholders in collaborative and inclusive ways.  Please visit our CEC Student Chapter page at cecatsju.weebly.com to learn more about the exciting opportunities for professional preparation and student engagement that we offer to our students as part of their overall experience in our Special Education program.
 

Success Stories

We succeed in graduating excellent teachers, who are caring and sensitive individuals. Our graduates are always sought after by both public and private schools, including a host of Catholic programs. 

Our graduates attest to their academic preparation and growth as professionals in the field of special education and inclusive collaborative services

“I felt very confident going into my first year of teaching and practicum this year after completing many of my courses”

Early Childhood Special Education Teacher

 

“The special education courses provided me with a different lens and particularly allowed the facilitation and continuity of being mindful of each student’s particular needs and style of learning.”

Early Childhood Special Education Teacher

 

“St. John’s really prepared me to grow as an educator and it prepared me to go out to schools and maintain a close connection with the teachers”

Childhood Special Education Teacher

 

PROGRAM NEWS

Programs in Special Education host a College Immersion Program for Youth and Young Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to increase inclusive opportunities in Higher Education:  Funded Grant Project with the Cooke Center for Learning and Development, New York City (2016- present)

 

 

Our Faculty

  • Faculty with extensive experience as school and community-based professionals are actively engaged in school-based research and service activities
  • Faculty regularly present at local, national, and international special education conferences
  • Faculty have published in highly regarded peer-reviewed education and special education journals including Review of Educational Research, Learning Disability Quarterly, Learning Disability Research & Practice, Behavior Modification, Preventing School Failure, Beyond Behavior, Intervention in School and Clinic, International Review of Research in MR, American Journal of Mental Retardation, Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, International Journal of Inclusive Education, and International Interdisciplinary Journal of Education

Associate Professor and Program Coordinator

Dr. Khemka received her Ph.D. with distinction from Columbia University in the area of Intellectual Disability and Autism in 1997.  She has been involved in teacher preparation programs for many years now and has taught previously at Teachers College, Columbia University and Long Island University, C.W. Post, NY.  She has directed several intervention-based research and evaluation projects and has extensive experience in bilingual evaluation and arts based programming for students with special needs. Dr. Khemka is well known for her work in the area of interpersonal decision-making and prevention of peer-victimization and abuse in adults and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism.  She is the lead author of 2 evidence based instructional programs (ESCAPE and PEER-DM) designed to provide effective, strategy-based decision making training for the reduction of risk and abuse.  Her new research focuses on studying the impact of cyber bullying in school-aged children with special needs and in designing targeted, disability-specific interventions. 

Research Interests: Among adolescents and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (including autism) : decision-making, prevention of peer victimization, abuse prevention, development of evidence based curricula

Sullivan Hall, Room 410
(718) 990-2631
[email protected]

 

Assistant Professor

​​Rebecca A. Louick, Ph.D., a native New Yorker, is an Assistant Professor of Special Education in the Department of Education Specialties at the School of Education, St. John's University. For eight years, she was a middle- and high-school teacher at schools for students with learning disabilities. Dr. Louick has a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College, an M.S.Ed. in Special Education/Learning Disabilities from City University of New York-Hunter College, and an A.B. in English and Sociology from Amherst College. She has taught courses on reading methods for students with special needs, assessment of students with special needs, and special education more generally. Her research focuses on the learning needs of adolescents with learning disabilities, particularly in terms of communication and academic motivation.

Research Interests: Among adolescents with learning disabilities: academic motivation, literacy skill development, language and communication skills

Sullivan Hall, Room 414
718-990-8035
[email protected]

 

Assistant Professor

Dr. Mello received her Ph.D. in Special Education from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Mello combines her research with effective practical work in the field. Before coming to St. John’s she taught young adults with intellectual disabilities for six years in a college program for students with intellectual disabilities. She also served as the coordinator for a special education advocacy training program for parents of children with disabilities. Her research explores the area of transition to adulthood of adolescents and young adults with intellectual disabilities and autism. More specially, she examines the acquisition of independent living skills and access to postsecondary education and housing. She conducts research on service provision and family advocacy in underserved communities. Dr. Mello is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).

Research Interests: Among young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (including autism):  transition to adulthood, postsecondary education programs, access to affordable housing and supported living, acquisition of independent living skills with assistive technology, service provision in underserved communities

Sullivan Hall, Room 412
718-990-7686
[email protected]

 

 

Assistant Professor

Dr. McDevitt received her Ed.D. in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University. Prior to joining the St. John’s University community, she spent over a decade working with young children with and without disabilities and pre- and in-service teachers in various educational settings. Her research interests are broadly in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion. More specifically in the field of early childhood inclusive education, she examines teacher development and diversity, young children’s experiences of “schooling,” and inclusive, culturally sustaining and relationship-based practice.

Research Interests: Teacher education and development for teaching immigrant children and children with disabilities; Young children’s experiences of transition; Inclusive, culturally sustaining and relationship-based practice

Sullivan Hall, Room 413
718-990-1560
[email protected]

Program Contact

Ishita Khemka

Associate Professor

Sullivan Hall Queens Room 412

718-990-2631

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