Murray State UniversityCOURSE SYLLABUSRevised Fall 2009DEPARTMENT: ACS COURSE NUMBER: SED 400 CREDIT HOURS: 3I. TITLE: Characteristics of Students with Mild DisabilitiesII. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course includes an overview of the educational characteristics of children and youth with disabilities and legal requirements of the individual education plan component of federal and state laws. Participants will gain skill in writing individual education plans for students with mild disabilities and information regarding service delivery models. Prerequisites: SED 300.III. PURPOSE: The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the educational characteristics of children and youth with mild disabilities and legal requirements of the individual education plan (IEP) components of federal and state laws. Participants will gain an understanding of the learning styles of students, the importance of collaboration with peers and parents, as well as classroom organization and management styles.IV. COURSE OBJECTIVES:Class activities will focus on attaining course objectives listed below. These objectives are understood to be reflective of, but not limited to those behaviors advocated by the Kentucky Reform Act guidelines and initiatives. Following each objective, and enclosed in parentheses, are numbers which reference the Kentucky Teacher Standards for Preparation and Certification (KTS) addressed by that objective. Additionally, enclosed in brackets, are numbers which reference the IECE Standards which are addressed. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:A. develop an understanding of the foundations of education with an emphasis on special education laws (KTS #1) [ 4]B. identify causes and characteristics of mild disabilities (KTS #1) [1]C. examine the pros and cons of collaboration with regular education (KTS #3, 4) [1]D. connect knowledge of student learning style with instructional models (KTS #1, 2, 3, 5) [3,4]E. analyze importance of classroom organization and classroom management to classroom success (KTS #3, 4) [1,4]F. examine appropriate and successful ways to form family partnerships (KTS #5, 7, 8) [4]G. demonstrate an understanding of the necessity of social skills through class discussion (KTS #2, 4) [1] The COE Theme of Reflective Decision Maker is addressed in this course by requiring students to reflect on journal articles. Students will reflect on each article and specifically on what they can take from the article into the classroom.The EPSB Themes of Diversity, Literacy/Reading, and Closing the Achievement Gap are examined through this course in various chapters in the text and through activities such as prevalence of disabilities, readability of textbooks, and positive collaboration methods. V. CONTENT OUTLINE:A. Foundations of EducationB. Mild Mental RetardationC. Behavior/Emotional DisordersD. Specific Learning DisabilitiesE. Inclusive ClassroomsF. Learning and TeachingG. Instructional ModificationsH. Classroom ManagementI. Social SkillsJ. Family PartnershipsVI. INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES:A. Lecture and discussionB. Collaborative learning activitiesC. Written assignmentsD. Video presentationsE. ExamsF. QuizzesG. Journal abstracts .VII. FIELD, CLINICAL, AND/OR LABORATORY EXPERIENCES:None VIII. RESOURCES:A. Waterfield Library at Murray State UniversityB. RACERtrak, ERIC, and the InternetC. MSU Computer LabsD. Curriculum Material Center in Alexander HallIX. GRADING PROCEDURES:A. Course Requirements:Assignment PointsJournal reflection (11 @ 20 points each) 220Exams (mid term and final@ 100 each) 200*Class presentations (4 @ 25 points each) 100Readability assignment 20***Although activities and grading procedures may vary by instructor the * items arerequired in all sections must use the same scoring rubric.Specific Assignment Requirements:Journal articles (220) Students are to read and article from a professional publication dealing with each chapter discussed in the text. The appropriate format for the reflection will be supplied by the instructor.Exams (100 ) Students will be given a midterm and final examination each worth100 points.Class presentations (100) Students have a minimum of four (4) class presentations during the semester each being worth 25. These presentations will deal with the areas of learning styles, litigation and law, behavior strategies, and professional organizations.B. EvaluationGrades will be awarded for performance in accordance with the MSU scale. Student’s attendance and participation will be considered when calculating the final grade. Work not turned in on due date will have 3 points subtracted from the grade for each day it is late.Percentage Grade90-100% A80-89% B70-79% C60-69% D 0-59% EX. ATTENDANCE POLICY:This course adheres to the attendance policy published in the current MSU Undergraduate Bulletin. Attendance is important and roll is taken daily. You will be expected to sign in for documentation of attendance. After two (2) absences the student must meet with the instructor. After missing three hours of classes, a student’s final gradewill be lowered a minimum of one letter grade and will result in a flag. XI. ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY:This course adheres to the academic honesty policy stated in the current MSU Undergraduate Bulletin. XII. TEXT AND FEFERENCES:Henley, M, Ramsey, R. S., and Algozzine, R.(2006). Characteristics of and strategies forteaching students with mild disabilities. 5th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn and BaconXIII. PREREQUISITES:SED 300XIV. NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY STATEMENT:Murray State University endorses the intent of all federal and state laws created to prohibit discrimination. Murray State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, veteran status, or disability in employment, admissions, or other provision of services and provides, upon request, reasonable accommodation including auxiliary aids and services necessary to afford individuals with disabilities equal access to participate in all programs andactivities. For more information, contact Director of Equal Opportunity, Murray State University, 103 Wells Hall, Murray, KY 42071-3318. Telephone: 270-809-3155 (voice),270-809-3361 (TDD).XV. FLAG SYSTEM/CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT:Student progress is continuously assessed throughout the teacher preparation program. Appropriate professional