Concentration in Students At Risk
The following is a course listing for the 18-credit hour concentration in the area of students at risk. This concentration may be taken as part of an already existing graduate program, an Individualized M.Ed., a Certificate of Advanced Study, or as a stand-alone concentration.
SAR 540 – Introduction to Students At Risk. (Previous designator EDH 540 – Students At Risk and Their Families). Provides students with an in-depth understanding of the factors, conditions, and circumstances which are commonly viewed as contributing to students being placed "at risk." Results of past and contemporary research findings, demographics, and various reports involving the current and projected status of children at risk will be explored. This course will also explore how school and school systems in contemporary society affect and endeavor to meet the multiple and complex instructional, personal, social, and cultural needs of students at risk. Three credits.
SAR 541 – Alternative Models and Methods for At Risk Students. An introduction to working with at risk adolescents. Course will examine the dynamics of at risk conditions, educational challenges, teen culture and social complexities that act as barriers to learning, and strategies to help teens overcome these difficulties. Three credits.
SAR 542 – Working with At Risk Adolescents in the Public School. This course provides a strengths-based approach to working with at risk adolescents within the conventional as well as alternative classroom settings. Course will examine the dynamics of social and educational barriers, teen culture, and other contexts that can act as barriers to learning and will develop approaches for support personnel to help adolescents overcome challenges for successful learning experiences. Three credits.
SAR 543 – Assessment, Methods, and Curriculum Design in Alternative Education. Course focuses on instructional design, theories of learning and best practices for teaching at risk adolescents. Students will create interest inventories and individual learning plans (ILPs) that optimize learning opportunities for at risk youth, align relevant and meaningful curriculum to Maine Learning Results, and incorporate multiple assessments to identify student progress as prescribed by state and national standards and to address academic diversity within the classroom. Three credits.
SAR 544 – Systemic, Collaborative Supports for Students At Risk. This graduate level course is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the multiple systems present in the lives of many students at risk. Emphasis is given to the school, family, and community systems, and methods of support within and across each system. Collaborative programming and working with students and their families in a reflective and supportive manner is stressed. Three credits.
SAR 545 – Seminar: At Risk Children and Adolescents. An advanced course for students who have had considerable coursework within the area of students at risk and alternative education as well as practical experience within the field. It should be taken by individuals at or near the culmination of their master's degree program, or by those individuals who already possess an advanced degree and who meet the above criteria. This course requires extensive reading and analysis of relevant issues in the professional literature related to disengaged and disenfranchised youth. SAR 545 meets for two four sessions per week for five weeks. Three credits.
l For more information, contact Jim Artesani at james_artesani@umit.maine.edu or
Roxanne Lee at Roxanne.lee@umit.maine.edu l
