Transcript MS Ed. Special Education Written Comprehensive Exam

MS Ed.
Special
Education
Written
Comprehensive
Exam
Overview
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 104 or online
at the program webpage.
Applications will be accepted up to
6 weeks before the date of the
exam.
Application
Completed
applications should be
sent to Dr. Cheryl Baker.
Attention: Dr. Cheryl Baker
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
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 also 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DO NOT cite class notes as a reference.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
 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
 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
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, cont.
 Organization
points):
 a.
and Presentation (2
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, cont.
 General
 The
Content Section
established passing score for
the general content multiple
choice/ true false section is 80; a
score lower than 80 will result in retaking the exam.
Evaluation of Comps, cont.
 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, cont.
 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.
Evaluation of Comps, cont.
 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.
Suggestions
 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.
 Answer every component of each
question. See sample rubric on
website.
Suggestions
 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.
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 Dr. Cheryl Baker at
(757) 683-4383 or 1 (800) 968-2638, ext.
4383.
 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, cont.
Reminders:
 Have
you applied for graduation?
 Are you currently registered? If not, you
must register for CDSE 999.
 VDOE DA 035 (licensure verification)
forms will be completed and sent directly
to your home address once your
master’s degree has been posted.
Most Importantly...
Prepare well ahead
of the exam date and
do your best.