Preparing Special Education Teachers for High Quality Instruction

1
Preparing Special Education Teachers for High
Quality Instruction

• Youngstown State University
• Department of Counseling and Special Education
• Leah Gongola, Margaret Briley,
• Ben McGee

2
Current Program Description

• 4 year undergraduate program
• Initial licensure
• K-12
• Mild to Moderate OR
• Moderate to Intensive
• Will graduate highly qualified in Language Arts
• Upon passing Praxis II Reading

3
Focus Groups

• School superintendents (7 total)
• Secondary school administrators (6)
• Secondary school teachers (8)
• Elementary school administrators (6)

4
Focus Group Responses

• Majority in favor of cross-categorical
• Question 1 responses
• Graduates should be well prepared to teach all
  students with disabilities
• Cross-categorical units in schools, so it makes
  sense to align the licensure as so
• Cross-categorical would make scheduling less
  complicated

5
Focus Group Responses

• Majority in favor of HQT in 2 areas
• Question 2 responses
• Reservations about extending undergraduate
  program to become HQT in 2 areas
• Should not compromise graduating effective
  teachers in the effort for candidates to become
  HQT in 2 areas

6
Survey Questions and Results

• What should an undergraduate SPED program be
  designed as?
• 25 Mild to moderate only
• 50 Cross categorical
• In order of importance, list the greatest needs
  for HQT content areas
• 62.5 Language Arts
• 75 Math
• 87.5 Science

7
Proposed Grade Bands

• K-12
• Mild to Intensive
• Cross-categorical
• In response to survey results completed by Region
  V stakeholders (e.g., local superintendents,
  special education directors)

8
Planned Re-designed Program

• 4 year undergraduate program
• Probable addition of summer coursework
• Minimally lengthens SPED program
• HQT coursework in Language Arts and 1 additional
  content area
• Choice of Math, Social Studies, or Science
• Working with content area specialists to
  determine and sequence of content area courses
• Shaping coursework to enable candidates to pass
  Praxis at the middle school level

9
Math Content Area

• Met with four professors from mathematics
  department
• Jointly agreed that SPED students seeking HQT
  status in mathematics would be required to take a
  minimum of four courses
• Two courses in middle school math one
  combination course in algebra and geometry one
  course in math problem solving

10
Social Studies Content Area

• US History (GER)
• World Civilizations (GER)
• American Government (add 3 s.h.)
• World Geography (add 3 s.h.)
• Ohio History (add 3 s.h.)

11
Content Areas in Development

• Science
• Language Arts at 7-12th grades

12
Changes to Current SPED Program

• Scope and sequence overhaul
• Merging some courses
• Creating other courses (e.g., Social
  Communication)
• Creating a visual curriculum map.
• Identifying when to take courses, prerequisites,
  when to take Praxis tests, of credit hours, and
  of fieldwork hours

13
Impact on General Education Programs

• Integrated discussions
• Importance of modeling co-teaching to our
  education candidates (challenge)
• Current discussions with literacy faculty
  regarding necessary reading content
• Rationale SPED candidates need tools to educate
  students with diverse needs
• Target curriculums and systems specific to the
  population of students with special needs (e.g.,
  Edmark, RtI)

14
Additional Resources Needed

• Time to write individual courses
• Development of course syllabi
• Catalog description, NCATE/CEC standards
• Time to develop course sequence
• Spanning from freshman to senior year
• Time for planning with internal SPED department
  and external departments
• Math, Science, Social Studies

15
Challenges

• Collaboration with other departments (general
  education, math, science, social studies)
• Develop cohesive coursework to meet HQT criteria
  and Praxis preparation
• Condensing all required coursework for
  cross-categorical and 2 HQT content areas into a
  4 year program
• Being conscientious about program rigor
• Heightened emphasis on self-reflection and
  personal growth

16
Advantages of Program Re-design

• Will allow students to graduate better prepared
  to service students with an array of diverse
  needs and across varying ages
• K-12
• Mild to Intensive
• More marketable
• Again, in response to stakeholder needs

17
Field Experiences within Proposed Program

• Field Experiences Assigned to Practica
• Mild/Moderate 30 clock hours
• Moderate Intense 30 clock hours
• Severe Behavior 30 clock hours
• Special Teacher Education Program (STEP)
• 9 weeks
• 218 clock hours