NCATE PROGRAM STANDARDS
Program for Initial and Advanced Preparation of
Teachers of Special Education
Prepared by
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
CEC's original program standards were first approved by NCATE in October 1984. This revision was approved in October 1996. Institutions with on-site NCATE reviews scheduled after Fall 2000 must respond to this revision.
Institutions seeking NCATE accreditation are required to respond to the curriculum sections of CEC's program standards as adapted for this document. The full set of program standards for the preparation of special education teachers, What Every Special Educator Must Know: The International Standards for the Preparation and Certification of Special Educators, ($16.00) can be obtained by writing to The Council for Exceptional Children, Publications/Sales, 1920 Association Drive, Reston, VA 22091. (888) CEC-SPED.
CEC Program StandardsCEC Program Standards
CEC Program StandardsCEC Program Standards
INTRODUCTION
In August 1995, The Council for Exceptional Children adopted the Knowledge and Skills for Beginning Special Education Teachers. That body of knowledge and skills required to begin teaching in special education has been incorporated into these program standards for program approval within the NCATE accreditation system and CEC's international certification standards. This merger of certification and accreditation standards is designed to allow graduating teachers to be able to teach throughout the United States. This set of knowledge and skills culminates 6 years of work by thousands of CEC members and many other individuals affiliated with other organizations.
CEC's program standards are consistent with the NCATE concept that the accreditation process should be one of continuous self-study. Institutions should look at what they are doing to prepare special educators, examine those practices against the CEC/NCATE program standards, and make any necessary changes to update and upgrade their programs. The process has been helpful to programs preparing special educators in updating their procedures, syllabi, and candidate handbooks.
Who should respond to these program standards?
If the institution offers undergraduate and/or graduate programs in special education, it must respond to these program standards. Initial programs are those programs at the baccalaureate and post-baccalaureate level that prepare candidates for their first special education license. Advanced programs are those programs at the post-baccalaureate level for the advanced education of teachers who have previously completed initial preparation or the initial and/or advanced preparation of other professional school personnel (e.g. special education administrators). If a post-baccalaureate program, non-graduate degree, is designed for the initial preparation of special education professionals, an institution may respond to either the initial or advanced program standards, depending on the nature of the program. An institution is not required to complete a chapter for endorsement-only programs in special education (i.e., those programs that simply add an endorsement area to a previously earned special education license). Special education programs located outside of the school of education must be submitted. In those schools where programs for the preparation of early childhood education and early childhood special education teachers have been merged into a single preservice preparation program, institutions may submit a combined program review document to NCATE. This program review document must include responses to the CEC Common Core and the CEC Early Childhood matrix. This program review document will be reviewed by members representing the Council for Exceptional Children and the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
CEC accepts accreditation of the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association in speech pathology and audiology; consequently, the institution needs only to submit a copy of its ASHA Educational Standards Board's letter of approval. This should be submitted even though the program may be in another college within the institution. CEC also accepts accreditation of the Council on the Education of the DEAF (CED), if the institution has been reviewed by CED under the CED standards accepted in 1998.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING THE PROGRAM REVIEW DOCUMENT
The NCATE program review document for special education should consist of the following three (3) sections:
Section I must contain:
A. A completed Cover Sheet as the first page of the program review document.
B. A completed "Section I: Overview and Scope Checklist" as the second page of the materials submitted. (The information/responses provided in Section I should be based on the special education program as a whole.)
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C. One (1) copy of succinct responses to the items requested in the "Section I: Overview and Scope Checklist."
Section II for Initial Programs must contain:
A. A "Section II: Overview and Scope Checklist" as the first page of each chapter. (Make multiple copies of the checklist so that there is one for each program area.)
B. A separate chapter for each program area in the initial program in special education as identified on the Cover Sheet for Section I above.
Section III for Advanced Programs must contain:
A. A completed "Section III: Overview and Scope Checklist" as the first page of each chapter in Section III. (Make multiple copies of the checklist so that there is one for each program area.)
B. A separate chapter for each program area and for each degree level in the advanced program in special education as identified on the Cover Sheet for Section I above.
A chapter consists of all responses to items in the program standards/matrix for a program of specialization in initial or advanced programs with supporting documentation as appropriate.
Preparing and Organizing the Program Review Document
1. The CEC review of your program is a "paper" review. Therefore, reviewers can only utilize information found within the documentation provided.
2. It is highly recommended that compilers follow the sequence presented in these program standards, as this is the order in which reviewers will judge compliance with the program standards.
3. Some items require more than filling in a course number on the matrix. Please respond to each standard, explaining how the institution complies with the standard and citing the appropriate supporting evidence. (This can be done by citing syllabi, catalogs, or candidate handbooks. When the matrix information is not clear in the primary documents, it may be necessary to include other documents such as institutional or departmental memoranda, advisory sheets, or minutes from staff meetings. This can also be done by copying the pertinent part of the catalog or other documentation and including it with the appendix.)
4. Even though a separate chapter is submitted for each program area, one panel will review all of the special education programs in the institution. Therefore, as much information as possible that is pertinent to all program areas should be included in Section I.
5. Wherever possible, use should be made of documents already in place -- catalogs, policies, courses of study, syllabi, etc. Reference such materials appropriately (use appendix and page numbers). Elements common to all programs should be presented in Section I and not repeated in Sections II or III.
6. When filling out matrices, it is only necessary to list those course syllabi where the item is substantially taught (usually only 1-3 courses). In the matrix citation, be very specific. If citing a course syllabus, list the course number, the item on the syllabus that meets the standard (course objective, specific assignment, lecture topic, etc.), and the page number.
7. Please number all pages in the program review document.
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8. Submit 4 copies of the program review document.
9. Institutions should feel free to contact any of the specialty organizations for help in preparing program review documents and rejoinders or with specific questions about individual sets of program standards. However, DO NOT mail any program review documents or rejoinders directly to the specialty groups. These must be sent to the NCATE office. Mailing materials directly to the specialty groups means NCATE has no record of a submission. It could, therefore, complicate the program review process and result in no record of compliance in NCATE=s biennial guide to accredited colleges and universities and/or cause delays in receiving critiques of program review documents and rejoinders. Please ensure that program review document compilers are also aware that program review documents and rejoinders must be mailed to the NCATE office.
10. A program review document must be limited to the following three sections, numbered consecutively and no more than a total of 140 pages (not counting appendixes):
(1) All items listed in the overview section of the cover sheet that precedes each set of program standards. This overview section must be limited to no more than 12 pages.
(2) Matrix for the appropriate program standards from the NCATE Program Standards.
(3) Appendix with supporting documentation. This documentation is limited to sample syllabi, course descriptions, and/or uniquely specific information listed on the matrix. Course descriptions can be copied from the college catalog. Do not submit a syllabus for each section of a course. Submit only a "generic" syllabus for the course. NCATE does not have, nor require, a generic syllabus format. However, many professional education units have found it helpful to develop one for the program review and accreditation process. Each item in the appendix must be correlated and/or cross-referenced to the matrix. The appendix must be limited to no more than 100 pages, if possible.
3. Once CEC receives the program review document, a panel of trained field reviewers evaluates the documentation. For each standard, panelists verify whether the evidence provided is sufficient to demonstrate that the program meets the requirement. Based upon this assessment, CEC prepares a report outlining the reviewers= decision, including the basis for that determination. CEC sends a copy of the report to the institution and to NCATE. If the program is not approved, the institution may then submit a rejoinder to NCATE, providing clarification or additional evidence. The rejoinder is reviewed and a second determination is made and communicated to the institution and to NCATE. The institution may continue to repeat the process until it is resolved. However, the preparation of the rejoinder is optional; it is not required by NCATE.
Additional Resources
The full set of program standards for the preparation of special education teachers, What Every Special Educator Must Know: The International Standards for the Preparation and Certification of Special Educators, ($16.00) can be obtained by writing to The Council for Exceptional Children, Publications/Sales, 1920 Association Drive, Reston, VA 22091. (888) CEC-SPED. The matrix is available on disk from the NCATE office.
CEC offers additional information to assist in preparation of program review documents. CEC updates its Instructional Manual for Preparing Folios to Meet CEC/NCATE Special Education Guidelines periodically. CEC also conducts an introductory session at its annual convention and offers workshops each year for program review document writers. The CEC program review coordinator is available to answer inquiries (703) 264-9484 (office), (703) 264-1637 (fax), (e-mail).
If you have any questions about the program review process, or if you need delays in submitting your program review documents, please contact the Coordinator of Program Reviews/Assistant to the Senior Vice President, at the NCATE office. Program review documents and rejoinders should be sent to this person=s attention.
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A list of institutional programs that are in compliance with these program standards is published by NCATE as part of its TEACHER EDUCATION: A Guide to NCATE-Accredited Colleges and Universities.
The Use of the Term "Program Area" in the Program Standards
The term "program area" is used in these program standards to mean a program that prepares candidates for a specific license or career focus. An institution may have a number of program areas such as mental retardation, mild disabilities, early childhood special education, or administration. This same institution may have some or all of these program areas at different levels: undergraduate, masters, specialist, and doctoral. Thus, an institution may have numerous programs, each requiring a chapter in the program review document. There should be a separate chapter for each program area at each degree level.
For each program area, the institution must respond to the Common Core Matrix and the appropriate Program Area Matrix. For example, a Learning Disabilities program would respond to the Common Core and the Learning Disabilities Matrices.
If a program is preparing teachers to serve students with varying exceptionalities, the institution has two options, both of which must include the Common Core.
1. The institution can define the kinds of students it is preparing teachers to serve and complete the appropriate matrices. For example, if an institution is preparing Ateachers of students with mild disabilities@ and expects them to work with students with learning disabilities and behavior disorders, then the program would complete the Common Core and both the Learning Disabilities and Emotional and Behavioral Disorders matrices.
2. The institution can respond to either or both of the Curriculum-Referenced program matrices. (For a complete description of the development, rationale, and content of these matrices see the 3rd edition of AWhat Every Special Educator Must Know: The International Standards for the Preparation and Certification of Special Educators.@ ) The Individualized General Education Curriculum program matrix is for those programs preparing teachers to work with students who are expected to access the general education curriculum. The Individualized Independence Curriculum is for those programs preparing teachers to work with students who require an individualized independence curriculum.
Note: The Early Childhood Special Education program area was developed from a concept paper adopted by CEC's Division for Early Childhood (DEC), the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE). The standard is consistent with NAEYC's Guidelines for Preparation of Early Childhood Professionals. The reader should note that the footnote in the Early Childhood Special Education Guidelines explains that while this performance standard does not contain knowledge statements, it is expected that colleges and universities will teach the knowledge necessary to acquire the skills required. The reader is also referred to the concept paper cited above only for the purpose of further understanding of the standard.
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