Greetings Commissioners

Received on 9/29/15

Greetings commissioners,

I am writing about concerns regarding the early childhood education and elementary–multiple subjects licensure redesign. Specifically I am concerned with the addition of: "Include instruction on dyslexia that is consistent with the knowledge and practice standards of an international organization on dyslexia" to both the early childhood education and elementary-multiple subjects licenses. See highlighted text below from the OARS. It is not clear why a single learning disability, dyslexia, is included at the exclusion of all of the federal special education disability IDEA categories (e.g., autism, deaf-blindness, deafness, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment including blindness). Under federal IDEA law, dyslexia is listed as ONE of many specific learning disabilities including: perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia and developmental aphasia.

I recommend either deleting "Include instruction on dyslexia that is consistent with the knowledge and practice standards of an international organization on dyslexia" or revising it to more broadly address instruction on disability categories.

Sincerely,

Mindy

Mindy Legard Larson, PhD

Associate Professor of Education

Elementary & Secondary Education Coordinator

Linfield College

900 SE Baker Street A474

McMinnville, OR 97128

503 883 2203

584-310-0070 Elementary – Multiple Subjects

(1)Elementary-Multiple Subjects Endorsement: An Elementary-Multiple Subjects Endorsement signifiesthat an educator is qualified to teach prekindergarten through grade 12 assignments in Elementary-Multiple Subjects as provided by theTSPC Licensure Guide for Elementary-Multiple Subjects.

(2)Adding to anElementary-Multiple SubjectsEndorsement to Existing Licenses:To be eligible to add an Elementary-Multiple Subjects endorsement to an Initial II, Preliminary, Professional or Distinguished Teacher Leader, or Legacy Teaching license, an applicant must:

(a) Be admitted to and complete a Commission-approvedElementary-Multiple Subjectspreparation program as provided in subsection (3) of this rule; and

(b) Submit a complete and correct application to obtain the endorsement in the form and manner required by the Commission, including payment of all required fees as provided in OAR 584-036-0055.Adding the endorsement at the time of renewal will not require an additional cost to the licensure renewal process.

(c) At least fifty percent (50%) of the Elementary-Multiple Subjects coursework must have been completed within five years prior to the date of application for the endorsement.

(3)Requirements for Commission-Approved Program:To be eligible as a Commission-approved program,an Elementary-Multiple Subjectspreparation program must:

(a) Include content courses and pedagogy courses especially designed to develop competence in elementary instruction and ensure that the educator is able to provide high quality reading instruction that enables pupils to meet or exceed third-grade reading standards adopted by the State Board of Education to become proficient readers by the end of the third grade;

(b) Includeinstruction on dyslexia that is consistent with the knowledge and practice standards of an international organization on dyslexia;

(c) Require student passage of the Commission’s required test forElementary-Multiple Subjects;and

(d) Provide supervised field experience as anElementary-Multiple Subjectsteacher.

Stat. Auth.: ORS 342
Stats. Implemented: ORS 342.120 - 342.143, 342.153, 342.165 & 342.223 - 342.232
Hist.:

584-310-0065 Early Childhood Education

(1)Purpose: A Early Childhood Education endorsement indicates that an educator is qualified to teach prekindergarten through grade 12 assignments in Early Childhood Education as provided by theTSPC Licensure Guide for Early Childhood Education.

(2) An educator isnot authorizedto teach in the endorsed area unless and until the endorsement is officially added to the license, except as authorized in OAR 584-060-0250License for Conditional Assignment.

(3)Adding to Existing Preliminary Teaching License:An Early Childhood Education endorsement may be added to an existing Preliminary Teaching license by demonstrating content knowledge and completing Early Childhood Education pedagogy requirements as defined in this rule.To be eligible to add an Early Childhood Education endorsement to a Preliminary Teaching License, an applicant must:

(a)Meet one of the following Early Childhood Education content knowledge requirements:

(A) Provide documentation of a passing score on the Commission-approved subject mastery test for Early Childhood Education;or

(B) Complete a Commission-approved courseworkof at least 21 quarter hours designed to develop competency in early childhood education that includes:

(i) Human development with special emphasis on cognitive, physical, language, social, emotional, and aesthetic development from birth through age eight;

(ii) Foundations of early childhood education, to include familial, social, and cultural contexts and diversity;

(iii) Curriculum for young children, to include developmentally appropriate objectives, teaching materials, and learning experiences for integrating instruction in language, mathematics, science, social studies, health, safety, nutrition, art, music, drama, and movement;

(iv) Instruction on dyslexia and that the instruction be consistent with the knowledge and practice standards of an international organization on dyslexia;

(v) Classroom management to meet the individual needs of young children, to include children with disabilities and special abilities;

(vi) Observation and evaluation of children's behavior and achievement and use of these data in planning instruction, guiding children, and collaborating with parents and resource persons;

(vii) Instruction on communicating and conferencing with parents, regular and special educators, and other professional resources to achieve educational objectives with each child; and

(viii) Supervised practicum integrated with instruction in all of the above, to include experiences in prekindergarten and kindergarten programs.

(C) At least fifty percent (50%) of the Early Childhood Education coursework must have been completed within five years prior to the date of application for the endorsement.

(b)Meet one of the following Early Childhood Education pedagogy requirements:

(A) Admission to and Completion of a Commission-approved Early Childhood Education preparation program as verified by the approved program in accordance with OAR 584-065-0090;or

(B) Complete an Early Childhood Education pedagogy course of at least two semester hours or three quarter hours acceptable to the Commission;or

(C) Complete a supervised Early Childhood Education practicum in a public school setting.The practicum must include the following:

(i) A minimum of 60 clock hours of supervised teaching in an Early Childhood Education assignment in a public school setting as verified by a school district Professional Educational Experience Report (PEER) form; and

(ii) An affidavit of satisfactory demonstration of the pedagogical skills required for the Early Childhood Education endorsement from a supervising teacher holding either a Standard, Initial II, Professional Teaching License or a Distinguished Teacher Leader License holding a Early Childhood Education endorsement.

(iii) At the Executive Director’s discretion, other Early Childhood Education teaching experience such as teaching in at a post-secondary institution or in a private school setting may qualify to satisfy the practicum experience.Verification from the employer of satisfactory completion of the teaching experience with at least 60 clock hours of teaching is required to qualify as a suitable practicum to add the endorsement.

(c) Submit a complete and correct application to obtain the endorsement in the form and manner required by the Commission, including payment of all required fees as provided in OAR 584-036-0055.[Note:Adding the endorsement at the time of renewal will not require an additional cost to add the licensure renewal process.]

(5)Adding Early Childhood Education Endorsement to Other Licenses:To be eligible to add an Early Childhood Education endorsement to an Initial II, Professional, Distinguished Teacher Leader or Legacy teaching licenses, an applicant must:

(a)Meet one of the following content knowledge requirements:

(A) Provide documentation of a passing score on the Commission-approved subject mastery test for Early Childhood Education;or

(B) Complete a Commission-approved courseworkof at least 21 quarter hours designed to develop competency in early childhood education that includes:

(i) Human development with special emphasis on cognitive, physical, language, social, emotional, and aesthetic development from birth through age eight;

(ii) Foundations of early childhood education, to include familial, social, and cultural contexts and diversity;

(iii) Curriculum for young children, to include developmentally appropriate objectives, teaching materials, and learning experiences for integrating instruction in language, mathematics, science, social studies, health, safety, nutrition, art, music, drama, and movement;

(iv) Instruction on dyslexia that is consistent with the knowledge and practice standards of an international organization on dyslexia;

(v) Classroom management to meet the individual needs of young children, to include children with disabilities and special abilities;

(vi) Observation and evaluation of children's behavior and achievement and use of these data in planning instruction, guiding children, and collaborating with parents and resource persons;

(vii) Instruction on communicating and conferencing with parents, regular and special educators, and other professional resources to achieve educational objectives with each child; and

(viii) Supervised practicum integrated with instruction in all of the above, to include experiences in prekindergarten and kindergarten programs.

(C) At least fifty percent (50%) of the Early Childhood Education coursework must have been completed within five years prior to the date of application for the endorsement.

(b) Submit a complete and correct application to obtain the endorsement in the form and manner required by the Commission, including payment of all required fees as provided in OAR 584-036-0055.[Note:Adding the endorsement at the time of renewal will not require an additional cost to add the licensure renewal process.]

Stat. Auth.: ORS 342
Stats. Implemented: ORS 342.120 - 342.143, 342.153, 342.165 & 342.223 - 342.232
Hist.:

6.1o