Teaching (M.A.T.) Program Requirements
Complete one of the following teacher certification sequences, and then complete additional MAT course offerings (if necessary) to earn the 30-credit degree.
- Comprehensive Business (K-12)
- Early Childhood Education (P-3)
- Elementary Education (K-6)
- English as a Second Language/ESL (P-12)
- English Education (K-12)
- Mathematics Education (K-12)
- Music Education (K-12)
- Science Education (K-12) (Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Earth Science, Physical Science and/or Physics)
- Social Studies (K-12)
- Theater Education (K-12)
- World Languages Certificate in French or Spanish (K–12)
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Additional Required Courses | ||
| CURR 531 | Strategies for Curriculum Development, Innovation and Change | 3 |
| SPED 500 | 3 | |
| or CURR 538 | Assessment of Curriculum and Instruction to Improve the Performance of Teachers and Diverse Learners | |
| or CURR 548 | Curriculum and Instruction for Diverse Learners | |
| EDAD 521 | Using Research Strategies and Analysis of Data to Make Decisions in Schools | 3 |
| Total Credits | 9 | |
- Meet general master’s degree requirements;
- Successful completion of all academic requirements;
- Completion of 30 graduate credits with a minimum GPA of 3.00; and,
- Successful demonstration of professional dispositions and behavior.
Additional M.A.T. Courses and Descriptions
CURR 541 Assessment and Student Learning 3 Credits
This course provides hands-on opportunities to create and design varied classroom assessments that help teachers align their teaching goals with student learning goals. With a focus on NJ Student Learning Standards across the curriculum content areas and grade levels, assessments will be designed for use in individual teaching practice and with a variety of diverse learners. Topics include designing assignment rubrics and effective essay prompts as well as developing evaluation criteria.
CURR 548 Curriculum and Instruction for Diverse Learners 3 Credits
This course will examine the curricular and instructional issues that educational leaders must address in accommodating the school program to the needs and abilities of diverse learners. A historical perspective will be developed with an emphasis on how schools have responded to meet the needs of the exceptional child. Legal issues and programmatic trends will be examined and assessed since the inception of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Multicultural issues will be introduced within the context of school and society. The responsibility of the educational leader in fostering a multicultural perspective pertaining to curriculum and instruction, governance, bias and prejudice and school climate and culture will be emphasized. Students will identify and develop curricular possibilities and solutions in school settings to accommodate learners’ diverse needs. Students will demonstrate course understandings through actual classroom and school applications that are referenced to state adopted core curriculum content standards, professional development standards, state adopted core curriculum content standards, professional development standards, standards and national school leadership standards.
CURR 652 Differentiating Instruction for the Gifted and Talented 3 Credits
This course provides the rationale and practical strategies for effective instructional differentiation for the gifted and talented within and beyond the regular classroom. Participants will learn how to differentiate within subject areas by adjusting content, process, product, and learning environment to meet the needs of learners. They also will explore the nature and nuances of differentiation by ability, readiness, and interest, as well as the implications of instructional differentiation for formative and summative assessment. Throughout the course they will design and share examples of differentiation including tiered assignments, complex instruction, independent studies, graphic organizers, and learning contracts.
LITR 508 Literacy and the Bilingual/Bicultural Child 3 Credits
Presents multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives on bilingual/bicultural children and their reading process. Strategies and materials for second language reading instruction are suggested and discussed.
SPED 512 Psychology of Exceptionality 3 Credits
This course provides opportunities for the study of school psychological issues associated with supporting students with exceptionalities. Philosophical, historical, and legal foundations of special education, and the characteristics of students with disabilities will be examined. Special education policy, legal foundations, and evaluation procedures are discussed. Current issues related to inclusive practice and intervention strategies are examined from a psychological and sociocultural perspective. An experience in the field will enable students to apply knowledge in a realistic classroom setting. This course, or its equivalent, will be the prerequisite for all other SPED courses.