Candidates will learn how to develop and use a variety of evaluation methods to monitor student academic achievement and teaching effectiveness. Special emphasis will be placed on relating evaluations to curriculum and instruction. The course covers standardized tests and other diagnostic tools, including intelligence, achievement, aptitude and personality tests, frequently encountered and/or used by classroom teachers. Particular attention will be given to adapting assessments to meet the needs of all students. Candidates will plan, construct, administer and analyze data for a diagnostic evaluation of achievement for a content unit. Contemporary issues related to testing, grading, evaluation, and accountability will also be addressed.

Course participants are introduced to the cultural and English learning needs of ELLs (both academic and communicative). Course emphases include knowledge and strategies for making academic content accessible to ELLs; recognizing linguistic and cultural bias in instruction; using assessment data for modifying instruction; knowing legal responsibilities to ELLs; and communicating with their families. (PA Code, 49.13)

An analysis of the function of ethics in professional life and a study of the influence that ethical concerns and judgments exert on the educational leader and the implications of the interdisciplinary nature of ethics.

This course provides coverage of the teaching profession and the issues/controversies confronting American Education. It includes how schools are organized, administered, regulated and financed, along with various philosophies of education, currculum design, and instructional practices. In addition, it introduces critical analysis of major theories of human learning, cognition, and motivation while describing theories of behaviorism, cognitivism, and social learning.

This course focuses on curriculum, assessment, and methods in mathematics, social studies, science, and technology for early childhood education students. Content follows the Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards Aligned System with emphasis on twenty-first century learning skills including critical problem solving, inquiry-based learning, and accommodations for children with different learning styles.

This course, aligned with the PA Leadership Core Standards and Corollary Standards, is a survey of the field of administration designed to provide aspiring administrators with a framework for understanding change as a process, educators as people, and leadership as a skill. Through research, problem-based learning, in-class scenarios, case studies and discussion, the course will focus on the skills needed for effective leadership, decision making and increased student achievement.

Examination of principles and procedures in curriculum development with a focus on adapting curriculum to the needs of students as well as implementation and teaching strategies. Emphasis on the elements of assessment is included.

This course, aligned with the PA Leadership core Standards and Corollary Standards, examines the goals, principles and approaches to supervision of instruction. Options for working with teachers in a learning community and for encouraging teacher leadership are included. Through research, problem-based learning, in-class scenarios, case studies, and discussion, the course will focus on leadership and the role of supervision in student achievement.

The purpose of the course is to provide students with a basic understanding of the legal system and the fundamental principles of law as they apply to education, as well as the social and political influences between state and local governments, organizations, and their influences on public education.

This course investigates the responsibility of the principal/supervisor to communicate effectively with all groups both internally and externally to the school/district. Importance is placed on the principal’s and supervisor’s responsibility to explain and interpret the school’s goals to the community with emphasis on student learning and achievement.