GEORGIA PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS COMMISSION

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GEORGIA PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS COMMISSION UPDATE

SPECIAL EDUCATION
CERTIFICATION
Orientation Workshop Newly Appointed Title II-A
Coordinators September 9, 2005
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Its not so much that were afraid of change or
so in love with the old ways, but its that place
in between that we fear.Its like being between
trapezes, OR its like Linus when his blanket is
in the dryer. Theres nothing to hold on to.
-- Marilyn Ferguson (author)
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TOPICS

• SPED CERT RULE CHANGES
• IMPLEMENTATION / TIMELINES
• QUESTIONS / RESPONSES

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SPECIAL EDUCATION RULE CHANGES

• NATIONAL SPECIAL ED TRENDS
  INCREASED MULTI-CATEGORICAL FOCUS
• GEORGIA SPECIAL ED TASKFORCE
• RECOMMENDED MULTI-CATEGORICAL
  
• NCLB / IDEA
  INCREASED CONTENT
  KNOWLEDGE HIGHLY QUALIFIED
  TIME-LINE

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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
INTASC/CEC CONFERENCE (KS CITY) -SEP
02 GEORGIA SPED TASK FORCE -JAN-MAY
03 FINE-TUNE RULES, FIELD INPUT -JUN-DEC 03
WITHDRAW SPED FROM 04 REDESIGN -DEC 03
NCLB / IDEA GUIDANCE CERT REDESIGN
TRAINING -MAR-JUN 04
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• TRAINING WORKSHOP
• 3,200 GEORGIA MILES
• MAR 26 MAY 25
  16 RESAs, 176 SYSTEMS,
  692 PEOPLE
• JUN 22
  2nd MRESA, 52 PEOPLE
  

FACE-TO-FACE TRAINING / FEEDBACK
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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND (CONT)
SPED REDESIGN, FIELD INPUT -MAR-SEP
04 PASSED NEW PREP SPED RULES -SEP
04 CONTINUED PRESENTATIONS /INPUT
-OCT-MAR 05 INITIATED NEW SPED RULES
-APR 05 GEORGIA US DOE AUDIT
-APR 20-22, 05
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HISTORICAL BACKGROUND (CONT)
SPED RULES WITHDRAWN -APR 22,
05 SPED RULES REVISED, INITIATED -MAY
05 SPED RULES APPROVED -JUL 05 SPED
RULES EFFECTIVE -AUG 15, 05
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RULE CHANGE PROCESS
INITIATED ------------------------ -MAY
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POSTED ON WEB --------------- -MAY 18
30-DAY
PUBLIC REVIEW/COMMENT PUBLIC HEARING
-------------- -JUL 11 FEEDBACK TO
COMMISSION
ADOPTED ------------------------
-JULY 12 EFFECTIVE DATE -------------
-AUG 15
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OLD SPECIAL ED CERTIFICATES
Interrelated Special Education
Interrelated Special Education/Early Childhood
Behavior Disorders
Learning Disabilities
Mental Retardation

Hearing Impaired
Visually Impaired
Orthopedically
Impaired
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NEW SPECIAL ED CERTIFICATES
Special Ed General Curriculum (P-12)
Special Ed Adapted Curriculum (P-12)
Special Ed Deaf Education (P-12)
Special Ed Visual Impairment (P-12)
Special Ed Physical Health Disabilities (P-12)
Special Ed General Curriculum / ECE (P-5) Special
Ed Pre-School (Ages 3-5)
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NEW SPECIAL ED ENDORSEMENTS
Special Ed Preschool (Ages 3-5)
Special Ed Deaf Education
Special Ed Visual Impairment Special
Ed Physical Health Disabilities Special Ed
Transition Specialist
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SPECIAL EDUCATION JOB ASSIGNMENT
CONSULTATIVE Special Ed teacher works
collaboratively with a content area teacher of
record in all content subjects.
TEACHER OF RECORD in any of the five academic
content concentrations, the Special Ed teacher
MUST have the appropriate Special Ed Academic
Content Concentration and Cognitive Level on the
certificate.
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SPECIAL EDUCATION
CONTENT CONCENTRATIONS
Special Education Mathematics
Special Education Science
Special Education Language Arts
Special Education Social Science
Special Education Reading
COGNITIVE LEVELS FOR EACH CONCENTRATION, AS
APPROPRIATE TO STUDENT IEP
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COGNITIVE LEVEL OPERATIONAL DEFINITION

• COGNITIVE LEVEL refers to the grade level of
  instruction provided to Special Education
  students and is based on a description of how
  well the student is performing on the curriculum
  being provided, as described in the students
  Individualized Education Program (IEP).

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SPECIAL EDUCATION
CONTENT COGNITIVE LEVELS
P-5 4-8 6-12
COGNITIVE LEVELS AS APPROPRIATE TO IEP
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SPECIAL EDUCATION
CONTENT COGNITIVE LEVELS
TEST MATRIX HAS BEEN DEVELOPED TO ADDRESS
CONTENT AREAS AND COGNITIVE LEVELS.
SOME TESTS WILL RESULT IN SpEd CONTENT AREAS
(COGNITIVE LEVEL AND BELOW) AS WELL AS
STAND-ALONE CERTIFICATES.
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SPECIAL EDUCATION
CONTENT -- COGNITIVE LEVELS
With a Special Education
Certificate Pass the Praxis II MG Math Test
(Test 0069)
SpEd Math Cognitive Level 4-8
PLUS
SpEd Math
Cognitive Level P-5
PLUS
Middle
Grades Math Certificate 4-8
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SPECIAL EDUCATION
CONTENT -- COGNITIVE LEVELS
With a Special Education Certificate
Pass the Praxis II SpEd Fundamentals Test
(Test 0511)
SpEd Math Cognitive Level 4-8
SpEd Science Cognitive Level 4-8
SpEd Language Arts Cognitive Level 4-8
SpEd Social Science Cognitive Level 4-8

P-5 P-5 P-5 P-5
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SPECIAL EDUCATION
VETERAN TEACHERS -- HOUSSE

• At the time of application for a content
  concentration, Special Ed Teachers with 3 out of
  5 years of successful experience teaching SpEd
  AND Academic Content Concentrations
• Employing system applies HOUSSE criteria

• If Highly Qualified, system applies to PSC for
  Clear Renewable Content Concentration at
  appropriate Cognitive Level (based on experience,
  grade level)

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SPECIAL EDUCATION ACADEMIC CONTENT CONCENTRATIONS
FORM
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TIMELINES
As required in NCLB, by end of SY
2005-06 As of July 1, 2006, to be considered
in-field in Special Education, personnel may
serve in Consultative mode with appropriate base
SpEd certificate. To
serve as Teacher of Record in an Academic Content
Area, the Special Educator must have the
appropriate Content Area and Cognitive Level on
the certificate.

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REQUIREMENTS FOR CONTENT CONCENTRATIONS
Until June 30, 2006
Recommendation of
Approved Provider, OR Content
Assessment(s), OR
Course Work 15 semester hours
25 Georgia PLUs
(content), OR



HOUSSE (for
qualifying veteran teachers)
After July 1, 2006

Recommendation of Approved Provider, OR
Content Assessment(s), OR




HOUSSE (for qualifying veteran
teachers)

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IMPLEMENTATION
AUGUST 15, 2005
PSC
CERTIFICATION DATABASE UPDATE
CONVERT OLD SpEd TO NEW SpEd
ADD KNOWN CONTENT
CONCENTRATIONS INITIATE APPEAL
PROCESS FOR CONTENT PHASED MAIL-OUT OF
NEW CERTS W/LETTERS
OUT-OF-STATE APPLICANTS, NEW TITLES
ELECTRONIC SpEd INFO TO EMPLOYERS ELECTRONIC SpEd
INFO TO EDUCATORS
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IMPLEMENTATION (Cont.) CONVERT
OLD SpEd TO NEW SpEd
OLD
NEW
INTERRELATED SpEd GENERAL
CURRICULUM MR SpEd ADAPTED
CURRICULUM AND SpEd GENERAL CURRICULUM
LD SpEd LEARNING DISABILITIES
BD SpEd
BEHAVIOR DISORDERS HEARING IMPAIRED SpEd
DEAF EDUCATION VISUALLY IMPAIRED
SpEd VISUAL IMPAIRMENT ORTHOPED
IMPAIRED SpEd PHYSICAL HEALTH DIS
INTERREL SpEd /ECE SpEd GENERAL CURR/ECE
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IMPLEMENTATION (Cont.)
ADD KNOWN ACADEMIC CONTENT CONCENTRATIONS

• PSC TRANSCRIPT REVIEW
  May04Jan05 CPI in SpEd Positions
  15 SH College CONTENT OR
  25 SDU/PLU CONTENT

• PSC ASSESSMENT REVIEW
  Test Matrix

ADDED Special Education Academic Content
Concentrations
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IMPLEMENTATION (Cont.) CONTENT APPEAL
PROCESS

• E-MAIL spedappeal_at_gapsc.com
• Identify Academic Content Concentration(s)
  Transcript Provider(s)
  Course Numbers/Titles
• FROM EDUCATOR OR EMPLOYER

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IMPLEMENTATION (Cont.) MAIL-OUT CERTS/LETTERS

• FOLLOWING EFFECTIVE DATE OF RULE
• NEW CERTIFICATES ARE BEING MAILED TO
  EDUCATORS, WITH ACCOMPANYING LETTERS OF
  EXPLANATION

• EMPLOYERS HAVE ELECTRONIC NOTICE OF
  CORRESPONDENCE

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IMPLEMENTATION (Cont.) OUT-OF-STATE APPLICANTS
INCOMING OUT-OF-STATE APPLICANTS WILL
BE ISSUED NEW CERT TITLES
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SCOPE OF CONVERSION PROJECT
24,200 SPECIAL EDUCATORS WITH VALID GEORGIA
CERTIFICATES

STATE-WIDE

SpEd CERT/EMP 18,614 W/SpEd CONTENT
13,512 W/CONTENT 73
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Rick Eiserman
Director of
Certification Policy Phone
404-232-2585
Mail rick.eiserman_at_gapsc.com OR Phil
Blackwell
Director of Certification Operations
Phone [phone]
Mail phil.blackwell_at_gapsc.com


Professional
Standards Commission 2
Peachtree Street, Suite 6000
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
PSC Web www.gapsc.com
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NCLB/IDEA/Highly Qualified Issues

• Title II A State Consultant for system may be
  located in Title IIA Implementation Guidelines
  found on PSC website at http//www.gapsc.com/nclb/
  Contact/contact.html.

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WHAT ARE YOUR QUESTIONS ?