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Program Mission Statement

The mission of the Deaf Education program is to develop highly effective teachers who are equipped to work with students who are deaf or hard of hearing in a variety of educational settings and have mastered the Florida Educator Accomplished Practices (FEAPs) and Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) teaching standards.

Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates will be able to:

Content/Discipline-Specific Knowledge/Skills

design instruction and plan lessons for students who are Deaf or hard of hearing

Communication Skills

• design and create a learning environment that is responsive to the diverse needs of students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• seek and engage in opportunities for continuous professional improvement.

Critical Thinking Skills

• deliver differentiated instruction and facilitate learning.
• use and administer a variety of assessment tools for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Other Skills (Opt.)

demonstrate professional responsibility and ethical conduct.

Assessment Approaches

Candidates of the BAE in the Education of the Deaf program will be assessed through a variety of measures to reflect their proficiency in the six student learning outcomes detailed in the programs academic learning compact (ALC). There are four ALC outcome categories:

Content/Discipline-Specific knowledge/skills, Communication, Critical thinking and “other”. In this program “other” refers to professional ethic and development. These categories determine how the outcomes will be assessed. Content/discipline-specific knowledge/skills will be assess by means of written examinations/quizzes, field and case-based instructional projects, audio-visual, oral and teaching presentations, and research papers, most of which are rated using agreed upon rubrics. Written examinations and quizzes will be scored by the number of correct responses divided by total points possible.

Communication skills will be assessed through field and case-based instructional projects, audio-visual, oral and teaching presentations, and research papers, all of which are rated using agreed upon rubrics. Candidates will be expected to present and deliver lessons and classroom behavior management plans in the university classroom as well as in the K-12 educational setting. Candidates communication skills during these activities will be evaluated using lesson plan and behavior management rubrics, respectively.

Critical thinking skills will be assessed through the development of and implementation of lesson plans specific to the unique needs of a variety of children who are deaf or hard of hearing. In addition, candidates will learn about different types of assessment tools and what accommodations are needed to administer the assessments to learners with a hearing loss. After administering the assessments, candidates will use this data to think critically about the developing goals and objectives appropriate to project continued growth throughout the school year. Candidates will review and analyze journal articles specific to research and the education of individuals who are Deaf and hard of hearing. All projects will be graded using agreed upon rubrics.

“Other”/Professional development skills will be assessed through candidates disposition and behaviors observed in the classroom environment during various university assignments that take place in the K-12 setting including those assigned during practicum and internship placements. Candidates' performance will also be evaluated by a directing teacher and a university supervisor in the field with respect to instructional practices, assessment and evaluation, classroom management, communication skills, interpersonal interactions and professionalism and technical skills.