Preparing Leaders in Secondary Curriculum, Outcomes, and REsearch (SCORE) for Youth with Severe Disabilities

Opportunity for Doctoral Study at the University of Illinois

The purpose of Preparing Leaders in Secondary Curriculum, Outcomes, and REsearch (SCORE) is to prepare knowledgeable, dynamic leaders in the field of special education with expertise in developing secondary curriculum for students with severe disabilities.  Individuals will actively participate in research, teaching, and service activities with faculty and community collaborators who are already engaged in issues related to secondary curriculum and severe disabilities.

Doctoral Program Support

  • Paid tuition
  • A yearly stipend for full-time 10.5-month participation
  • Annual stipend for conference attendance
  • Annual stipend for research materials

Doctoral Program Competencies

Six competency areas focused on secondary curriculum and severe disabilities will be emphasized.  These include:

  • Access to the general curriculum in secondary schools and strategies to enhance student outcomes
  • Evidence-based research practices
  • Disability policy and advocacy
  • Cultural and linguistic diversity
  • Collaboration in inclusive school and community settings
  • Service learning

Program Requirements

The Doctoral Program in Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign requires 64 credit hours beyond the master’s degree.  Specialization in severe disabilities and secondary curriculum will be infused in the program through:

  • 2 courses that focus on secondary curriculum and transition
  • 3 Advanced Topics Courses that address the program’s competency areas
  • A bi-weekly SCORE Seminar that provides access to national leaders through videoconferencing and offers participation on a research team with other students and faculty
  • A traineeship experience each semester focused on research, personnel preparation, or service learning
  • An early research project and dissertation that focuses on severe disabilities and secondary curriculum

Traineeship Experiences

Participants in SCORE will complete a 20 hour paid traineeship each semester that focuses on research, personnel preparation, or service learning (depending on the semester) and allows collaboration with key faculty and leaders in the community.  Five types of traineeships will be offered:

  • Collaborative research experiences with the trainee’s advisors on secondary curriculum and severe disabilities
  • Research experiences with community members who address secondary curriculum, severe disabilities, transition, disability policy, and advocacy
  • Teaching experiences with university classes focused on secondary curriculum and/or severe disabilities
  • Supervisory experiences with student teachers in high school settings
  • Completion of a service learning project that involves research

In the research traineeships students learn the major research paradigm(s) that their advisor uses to test hypotheses and build theories focusing on severe disabilities, and to collect evidence for research-based practice. In the personnel preparation traineeships, students are mentored in personnel preparation (creating course syllabi and exams, developing/grading assignments, supervising fieldwork) in courses related to the project’s 6 competencies and in supervising student teachers in local schools. Each semester, students are mentored in original research and/or teaching.

A unique aspect of the program is its emphasis on service learning as a method for creating access to the general curriculum in secondary education.  Service learning is a form of pedagogy that enables students to apply concepts learned from the general curriculum to real, authentic situations in the community.  Doctoral students will learn about service learning through their coursework, implement a service learning project related to secondary curriculum through a traineeship, and teach others to use this form of pedagogy through supervision of practicum students or by co-teaching a course related to secondary curriculum.

Doctoral Program Eligibility

In order to be eligible for the SCORE program, a doctoral student must:

  • Hold a Master’s degree in special education or a related field
  • Be a U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident
  • Minimum grade point average of 3.0 out of 4.0
  • 2 or more years of experience with individuals with disabilities in school or community settings
  • Goals consistent with the program
  • A strong interest in research and teacher preparation in the areas of secondary curriculum and severe disabilities

Doctoral Program Application Process

Interested applicants should submit an application to the doctoral program in Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign by going to the Department of Special Education website at http://education.illinois.edu/sped/AdmissionsDoctoral.html

For More Information Please Contact:
Stacy K. Dymond, Associate Professor
Project Director, SCORE
1310 S. Sixth Street
288 Education Building, MC-708
Champaign, IL 61820
217-244-9763 (phone)
sdymond@illinois.edu

Women, minorities and individuals with disabilities are particularly encouraged to apply. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.