Policy Manual

Educational Diagnostician Program

            The Educational Diagnostician Program at the University of North Texas trains assessment specialists for school districts. Educational Diagnosticians are charged with administering the assessments that assist school districts with determining eligibility for special education placement. Because of the very critical nature of the job, the standards for the program are very high.

Admission into the Program

            The Educational Diagnostician Program at the University of North Texas is a highly competitive program designed to train high quality Educational Diagnosticians for the State of Texas. The Program is NCATE approved. Students seeking admission into the program are required to complete both an application to the Graduate School and an application to the program (www.coe.unt.edu/eddiag).

            Potential students should comply with the admission criteria posted by the Graduate School at UNT. Prior to admission into the Educational Diagnostician Program students must be admitted into the Graduate School. Admission by the Graduate School does not guarantee admission into the program. Successful applicants into the program must submit:

            Graduate Record Exam Scores (GRE)

            Three letters of recommendation

            A copy of an existing Texas teaching certificate

            Evidence of experience with special populations (a page summary of experience)

            Documentation of two years of successful teaching experience as a fully licensed   teacher (a page summary of experience)

            Applications are reviewed three times a year usually during the first weeks of April, August, and November. Admission to the program is limited. Openings in the program are awarded to the most qualified applicants.

Master's Level Students

            Courses for master's level students include:

EDSP 5710     Special Education Programs and Practices

EPSY 5210     Statistics

EDSP 5510     Introduction to Assessment of Exceptional Children

EDSP 5530     Practicum in Assessing Exceptional Children I

EDSP 5540     Practicum in Assessing Exceptional Children II

EPSY 5550     Theories of Learning

EDSP 5320     Functional Assessment

EDSP 5321     Authentic Assessment

EDSP 5720     Research in Special Education

DFST 5123     Human Growth and Development

EDSP 5520     Legal Aspects of Special Education

EDSP 5560     Assistive Technology

Measurement of Mastery of Standards (markers)

            Prior to recommendation for graduation from the program or recommendation for certification as an educational diagnostician, students must pass the following markers with a score of 80 percent score or better:

EDSP 5320     case study (functional assessment)

EDSP 5321     case study (authentic assessment)

EDSP 5560     case study (assistive technology)

EDSP 5530     Woodcock-Johnson check-out

                        Special Education Qualifying Examination

                        Final Course Examination

EDSP 5540     Wechsler Individual Intelligence-IV check-out

                        Statistics Qualifying Examination

                        Final Course Examination

Students who do not meet the above criteria must meet with their advisor to develop a written plan which will bolster the student's mastery of the standards associated with the marker.

Degree Plan  

            All students are required to file a degree plan during the first semester of coursework after acceptance into the Educational Diagnostician Program. There is no guarantee that coursework taken prior to filing a degree plan will count towards the degree or certification. Students who do not file a degree plan during the first semester of coursework, will be required to reapply to the program.

Certification Only Students

            Certification only students are admitted when openings are available. All students applying for the program must hold a master's degree in an area of education. Certification only students must meet the same admission and continuation standards as students who are pursuing a master's degree. Prior to admission into the program, students must present both undergraduate and graduate transcripts to the program advisor. A deficiency plan will be developed based on the evaluation of the student's transcripts. All deficiency plans must be filed with the Student Advising Office during the student's first semester of coursework. Students who do not file a deficiency plan will need to reapply to the program. Admission will be based on availability in this highly competitive program. 

Continuation in the Program

            Students are required to obtain a B or better on each course designated on the student's degree program to exit the program and obtain recommendation for certification. Throughout the program, students are required to maintain a 3.00 grade point average on the courses designated on the degree plan. Students who fall below the 3.00 average will be dismissed from the program. Students who are dismissed from the program may reapply after meeting a review board composed of three special education faculty members. The review board has the option of dismissing the student from the program or developing a remedial plan for the student. Students who are dismissed from the program may be required to take additional coursework prior to reapplying for the program.

            Any student who has a two year lapse or longer in coursework in the program will be required to reapply to the program.

TExES Examination

            All students in the Educational Diagnostician Program are advised to take the TExES exam during the last semester of classes. If the exam is taken earlier and the student receives less than 80% on any subtest, a remediation plan will be advised for the student by the student's advisor. Students must complete the remediation plan prior to recommendation for certification.

Practicum Course Work

            Practicum students may elect to take course work without ever coming to campus (sections 020 and 026) or come to campus four times a semester for check-outs and testing materials (sections 030, 031, and 032). Students should be in their next to last semester of coursework to sign up for Practicum I (EDSP 5530). Students should be in their last semester of coursework to sign up for Practicum II (EDSP 5540).

            Students are required to complete EDSP 5510, EDSP 5710, EPSY 5210, and EDSP 5520 prior to registering for any practicum class. Students may take EPSY 5210 concurrently with EDSP 5530. However, EPSY 5210, must be completed with a B or better grade prior to enrolling in Practicum II (EDSP 5540).

            Students must receive permission from their advisor prior to enrolling in any practicum classes. Students in sections 020 and 026 must submit to the instructor of their practicum course information on the secure testing site where students at a distance will take tests. Information to be forwarded to the instructor the first week of class would include:

            Name of the facility

            Contact person at the facility

            Email address for the facility

            Email address for the contact person

            Fax number for the facility

            The testing facilities preferred method of receiving testing materials

            Information on how the testing facility will return testing materials to the   instructor.

            Students should secure a testing facility the first week of class. All testing facilities must be approved by the instructor. The testing facility should not change during the semester. If a change is necessary, the change must be approved by the instructor. A week's notice is required prior to any scheduled testing date for a change in secure testing sites. Students may not use a testing facility in their school district as a secure testing site. Possible secure testing sites would include neighboring universities with testing facilities or commercial secure testing sites such as Sylvan Learning Centers. Students in sections 020 and 026 must schedule their testing time within one week AFTER the testing time posted in the class schedule.  Failure to comply with testing requirements will result in a grade of 0 on the test/exam and possible dismissal from the program depending upon the severity of the offence.

            Students may not switch between 020, 026 section requirements and 030. 031, and 032 section requirements within the semester.

            All students must complete all scheduled class tests and exams in a secure testing site. For students in sections 030, 031, and 032, a testing site and schedule will be assigned to the class.

Testing Materials

            Students in the Educational Diagnostician Program use very expensive tests and materials to complete course requirements. Some tests (ex. WISC-IV and WJ-III) are used several times throughout the semester and are assigned to an individual student for the semester. Some tests (ex. SB-V and WAIS-III) are used only once by the student. Students must comply with the schedule established by the course instructor so that tests can be shared equitably. Failure to comply with a posted schedule could result in failure in the course. Reduction  in grade and/or failure in the course is at the discretion of the instructor.

            Students must turn in all testing materials prior to receiving a grade in any testing course. Student who do not turn in testing materials by the due date posted in the course may receive a failing grade in the course. Grade determination is at the discretion of the instructor.

            Students in sections 020 and 026 pay student fees to have tests mailed. Students in section 020 (in-state tuition rate) may have tests mailed only to an address in Texas or an APO or FPO number. Students assume the responsibility for mailing tests back to the Special Education Program, PO Box 311337, Denton, TX 76203. Students will not receive a grade until tests are returned.

            If the instructor deems that testing materials were lost or damaged, a fee will be assigned. An itemized bill for replacement of the lost or damaged materials will be presented to the student. The bill must be paid before the student receives a passing grade in the testing course.

            Most tests given by students in the program have consumable components. Students picking up tests at UNT are provided with all of the consumable components of the tests they will use for the semester at "test check-out" at the beginning of each semester. Students should check their materials to make certain that all the needed forms are in place. Students should count their forms and inform the instructor at the time of "test check-out" if a form is missing.

            Students who receive tests in the mail should count their forms upon receipt of their tests and notify the instructor within 24 hours if a form is missing. Students should take exceptionally good care of the forms they are issued. Student fees do not cover the replacement of lost or soiled forms. Instructors are not allowed to collect additional fees from students. There is no way to replace fees without using departmental funds which are needed for other purposes.

Requirements for Online Classes

            The Educational Diagnostician Program is an online program. Students in the program are required to have specific types of technology to participate in the program. All students are required to have:

            Programs:

                        Microsoft Word

                        Adobe Reader and Scanner

                        Powerpoint

                        Excel

                        Windows Media Player

                        Quicktime

                        Internet Explorer

            Hardware:

                        A windows compatible computer

                        Microphone

                        Headset

                        DSL or faster internet connection

                        Scanner

                        Speakers

                        Video camera that records on CD (020 and 026 students only)

                        Silent stopwatch

I understand and will comply with the standards and requirements of the Educational Diagnostician Program.

________________________

Student's Name

I understand and will comply with the standards and requirements of the Educational Diagnostician Program.

________________________                        ___________________________

Student's Signature                                         Date