MS Ed. Special Education Written Comprehensive Exam Overview

Master’s Degree Exit Requirements Revised February 2015 In order to exit the program, students must have completed all of the following: 1) A cumulative grade point average of 3.00; minimum of 30 hours at the graduate level completed within a six year period 2) A grade of B- or better in all master’s degree coursework; a grade of B or better in all practicum courses 3) Praxis II: Elementary Education Content (5031 on or before June 30, 2015; after 5001 after July 1st, 2015) and technology requirement. a) Refer to your welcome packet or call Dr. Gear at (757) 683-4383 with questions. 4) Written comprehensive exams a) Written comprehensive examinations are composed of questions drawn from all coursework. “Comps” must be completed successfully prior to graduation and are given in October, March, and June. Only one reexamination is allowed. Please refer to the program website for more information. 5) Internship/student teaching a) The ODU MS degree in Special Education is a state-approved endorsement program. Students must complete all requirements of the program including student teaching/internship for licensure recommendation from ODU. For more information about student teaching/internship, please contact Teacher Education Services. If you are currently teaching in the special education area for which you wish endorsement, then it becomes your responsibility to seek the alternative route to licensure through your school division. Final steps to licensure include the VDOE DA 035 college verification form, provided by the special education program, and a transcript request.* 6) Exit Surveys and Assessments a) Graduate Student Assessment i) Complete the Graduate Student Assessment at http://www.odu.edu/ao/ira/assessment/graduate.shtml. b) Post-Task Rating Form i) Complete the Post-Task Rating Form from the Special Education Program webpage at: http://education.odu.edu/esse/academics/sped/grad/assessment.shtml c) Educational Benchmark Inventory (EBI) i) You will be contacted by Teacher Education Services to complete the Educational Benchmark Inventory. 7) Application for graduation a) An application for graduation must be filed at the Registrar’s Office by the following dates: 1. third Friday in July for December graduation 2. second Friday in November for May graduation 3. second Friday in April for August graduation. Dates are subject to change. Contact the Registrar’s Office for further information. Also, students must be registered at ODU during the semester that they intend to graduate. If you are not taking a course, you will need to register and pay for CDSE 999 (1 credit hour). For more information about Commencement, please visit http://www.odu.edu/ao/commencement/. The CDSE department provides this information for the convenience of the student. It is not a substitute for the University Catalog and the student is held responsible for all information contained in the graduate catalog. *Candidates seeking initial endorsement in special education will be required to have successfully completed the Reading for Virginia Educators (RVE) and the Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (VCLA). Students seeking endorsement in early childhood special education or adaptive curriculum K-12 are not required to take the RVE.

General Information The Written Comprehensive Exam (Comps) is an exit requirement for the MSEd in Special Education. Questions encompass general special education and specific endorsement area knowledge. Comps are given three times per year: October, March, and June.

Application Applications are available in the special education office in the Child Study Center, Room 122 or online at the program webpage. Applications will be accepted up to 6 weeks before the date of the exam. Completed applications should be sent to the graduate program director. Attention: Special Education Graduate Program Director Child Study Center Room 122 Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA 23529 OR Faxed to 757-683-4129

Preparation 6 weeks prior to the exam you will receive an information packet. The packet will include: Essay Questions General Content Study Guide if your endorsement area is General Curriculum [GC] or Early Childhood Special Education [ECSE] or Adapted Curriculum Exit Requirement checklist Reference Examples Parenthetical Citation Information 6 weeks prior to the exam you will receive an information packet. The packet will include: Essay Questions General Content Study Guide if your endorsement area is General Curriculum [GC] or Early Childhood Special Education [ECSE] or Adapted Curriculum Exit Requirement checklist Reference Examples Parenthetical Citation Information

Preparation – General Curriculum, ECSE or Adapted Curriculum You will be given 4 questions to prepare for the essay portion of the exam: 2 specific questions for each endorsement area sought, making a total of 4 questions specific to your endorsement areas. You will be given a study guide to prepare for the 100 question multiple choice/true false portion of the exam.

Preparation – Research Emphasis You will be given 6 questions to prepare for the exam: 3 general questions 3 specific questions from concentration area.

Preparation—References You will need to prepare a reference list for each of your answers. The reference lists and any parenthetical (in-text) citations used must conform to American Psychological Association (APA) style, 6th edition. Please utilize all resources posted on the program website. For further information, consult the APA Publication Manual and/or www.apastyle.org

Preparation—References Organize references by question. You must provide at least three (3) references per question; do not list the references at the end of the question. DO NOT cite class notes as a reference. You may cite textbooks, or other original sources of information such as journal articles.

Exam Day – General Curriculum, ECSE & Adapted Curriculum Be sure you have money in your ODU account to pay for printing. You will be assigned a student number. Do not put your name on any exam materials including references. The essay portion of the exam will begin at 8:30 am and must be completed by 10:30 am. A 20-minute break follows. At 10:50 am, the multiple choice and true/false exam will be given to the student and must be completed by 12:50 pm. Students may quietly leave the test room upon completion of the multiple choice exam.

Exam Day – Research Emphasis Be sure you have money in your ODU account to pay for printing. You will be assigned a student number. Do not put your name on any exam materials including references. Each student will answer 4 questions (2 general & 2 concentration area). 2 questions will be given to the student at 8:30 am and must be returned at 10:30 am. After a 20 minute break, the last 2 questions will be given to the student at 10:50 am and returned at 12:50 pm.

Exam Day Be sure you have money in your ODU account to pay for printing. A reference list must be submitted with each of your exam responses. Bluebooks and dictionaries will be provided. If using a computer, you may use the spell check feature. All other materials will be left at the front of the room.

Evaluation of Comps Each question is worth 10 points and will be evaluated by the following scale: Content (8 points): a. Content is accurate, up-to-date and reflects knowledge of the professional literature, including at least three (3) appropriate references. b. Content is comprehensive and reflects knowledge of and treatment of various perspectives on the subject.

Evaluation of Comps Organization and Presentation (2 points): a. Content is organized offering introductory statement(s), well-integrated discussion, and a summary/conclusion. b. Content is well written and reflects graduate-level quality (e.g., clear, concise, proper grammar, syntax, spelling, and marks of punctuation).

Evaluation of Comps General Content Section The established passing score for the general content multiple choice/ true false section is 80; a score lower than 80 will result in re-taking the exam.

Evaluation of Comps Student responses are coded by number. Student number will be assigned on the day of the examination. Questions will be scored blindly by two (2) faculty members. Faculty evaluations will be added together to provide a score for each question. A minimum of 16 points (out of a possible 20) is needed to pass each question.

Evaluation of Comps If a student earns less than 16 points on one question, he/she has failed that question and must arrange to retake a question from the same general or specific area after receiving feedback. If a student fails two (2) or more questions, the entire exam may be retaken at the next scheduled date. Only one (1) re-examination is allowed. If the student fails the exam (misses 2 questions or more) twice, that student will be unable to receive the master’s degree.

Suggestions Feeling anxious? A little anxiety is a good thing. Try outlining your answers rather than memorizing them verbatim. You can then write your outline in the blue exam book cover. Practice your responses in a blue book or on the computer. Simulate an exam, using the two hour time blocks. Be sure your answer is free of punctuation, spelling, and syntax errors. On exam day, use your time carefully; allow enough time to edit and proofread each answer.

Suggestions Answer every component of each question. See sample rubric on website. Get plenty of sleep and have a good breakfast (sound familiar?). You may work in teams to research questions, but the final analysis and writing must be your own. Use the study guide provided for the General Content portion.

Types of Paragraphs Enumerative Paragraph Scientists have discovered three main types of glaciers. Sometimes a glacier grows outward in all directions from the spot in which it started. Such a glacier is called an “icecap.” When a glacier begins at the top of a mountain and grows by moving slowly down the valley, it is known as a “valley glacier.” Sometimes a valley glacier reaches a wide flat area and spreads out over it without melting. This kind of glacier is known as a “piedmont glacier.” All glaciers can be divided into three major types. Compare & Contrast Paragraph There are a number of different kinds of building stones. Limestone is popular because it is hard, lasts a long time, and is easy to cut and shape. It is often placed over rough surfaces to make them more attractive. Marble is the most beautiful building stone. Unlike limestone, it is very colorful. It is not usually used in buildings because of its expense. Granite is even stronger and harder than limestone and is used most often for buildings. However, it is hard to cut and handle. Like marble, granite can be polished to a shiny finish. Granite, limestone, and marble are just three of the many different stones used today. Sequential Paragraph There are a number of steps that should be taken in preparing to write a report. First, you should decide on a topic or a subject for the report. Then, make a list of questions on this topic for which you need to find answers. The questions should then be turned into statements. The next step is to read books and magazines and take notes on the subject, trying to find information on the statements you have listed. When all the necessary information has been written down, you should make an outline. After all these steps have been completed, it is time to write the report.

Frequently Asked Questions How long should a response be? Your response should fully answer every part of the question. There is no length requirement. If I have to cancel taking the exam, will I be penalized? No, canceling prior to the exam date does not constitute an attempt to take comps.

Frequently Asked Questions Can faculty members read response drafts before the exam? You may contact the faculty when formulating your answer with an outline, but faculty members will not pre-read draft responses. How will I find out the results of my exam? Four to six weeks after the exam, a letter will be sent to your home address notifying you whether you passed or failed.

Final Notes More questions? Call the special education graduate program director at (757) 683-3307 or 1 (800) 968-2638, ext. 3307. If this is your last semester in the program, you will be required to complete the ODU Graduate Exit Survey and the program Post Task Rating Form. See program web page to see the master’s exit requirements and assessment pages.

Final Notes Reminders: Have you applied for graduation? Are you currently registered? If not, you must register for CDSE 998. A VDOE College Verification form will be completed and sent directly to your home address on file with ODU after your master’s degree has been posted.

Most Importantly... Prepare well ahead of the exam date and do your best.