Program Structure
The Curriculum & Instruction Master’s program provides teacher leaders with a contemporary focus on learning, leadership, and opportunities for in-depth professional development to improve learning for teachers and students. Master’s candidates in the program will complete six required core courses in curriculum and instruction, with an emphasis on teacher leadership in the school environment. Students will choose 12 hours from one of the elective strands: curriculum, leadership and administration, and reading. Candidates in the program may also choose a generalist approach and select 12 hours from any of the elective strands.
These strands are intended to maximize the candidate’s potential to continue studies for endorsements and certification beyond completion of the Master’s program. The leadership and administration strand can provide eligibility for the Teacher Leader Endorsement; coursework in that strand also can apply towards the Master’s in Educational Leadership, which provides eligibility for the principal endorsement. The LBS1 strand can apply towards a Learning and Behavioral certification.
The program is based on the Teacher leader Model Standards and also aligned to the Danielson Framework. It requires that each candidate in the program develop a standards-based portfolio that reflects the growth and development of teacher leadership in curriculum and instruction as well as devise a culminating conceptual framework portfolio, which is a component of the program’s capstone course. Teacher Leader I (EDN 503 ) is designed as the entry point for the program and Teacher Leader (EDN 697 )as the capstone course.
All students are required to complete a total of 33 credit hours: 18 credit hours of core courses and 12 credit hours of elective courses (which will meet specific needs in their discipline) and one Liberal Studies elective. All courses are worth three credit hours.
