What Every Must Know Special Educator - Council for Exceptional ...

(1) Conceptual Framework. Programs have a
conceptual framework that establishes the
programs vision and its relationship to the
programs components and curricula.
(2) Candidate Content, Pedagogical, And
Professional Knowledge, Skills, And
Dispositions
i. Content Standards. Programs ensure that
prospective special educators have mastered
the CEC Special Education Content Standards
for their respective roles.
ii. Liberal Education. Programs ensure that
prospective special educators have a solid
grounding in the liberal curricula ensuring
proficiency in reading, written and oral
communications, calculating, problem solving,
and thinking.
iii. General Curriculum.
(a) Programs ensure that prospective special
educators possess a solid base of understanding
of the general content area curricula 1 i.e., math,
reading, English/language arts, science, social
studies, and the arts, sufficient to collaborate
with general educators in:
Teaching or collaborative teaching academic
subject matter content of the general curriculum
to students with exceptional learning needs
across a wide range of performance levels.
Designing appropriate learning and
performance accommodations and
modifications for students with exceptional
learning needs in academic subject matter
content of the general curriculum.
(b) Programs preparing special educators for
secondary level practice and licensure in which
the teachers may assume sole responsibility
for teaching academic subject matter classes,
ensure that the prospective special educators
have a subject matter content knowledge base
sufficient to assure that their students can
meet state curriculum standards.
(3) Assessment System and Program Evaluation.
Programs have an assessment system to
collect and analyze data on the applicant
qualifications, candidates and graduate
performance, and program operations
sufficient to evaluate and improve the
program.
(4) Field Experiences and Clinical Practice.
Programs with their school partners have
designed, implemented, and evaluated field
experiences and clinical practica sufficient
for prospective special educators to develop
and apply knowledge, skills, and dispositions
essential to the roles for which they are being
prepared.
(5) Diversity. Program with their school partners
have designed, implemented, and evaluated
curriculum and experiences sufficient for
prospective special educators to develop and
apply their knowledge, skills, and dispositions
necessary to help all students learn. The
curricula and experiences include working
with diverse faculty, candidates, and P-12
exceptional students.
(6) Faculty Qualification, Performance, and
Development. The program faculty is qualified
and model best professional practice in their
scholarship, service, and teaching.
(7) Program Governance and Resources.
The program has appropriate leadership,
authority, budget, facilities, and resources to
address professional, institutional, and state
standards.
Paragraph 5: Standards for Entry
Into Professional Practice
a. Requirements for professional practice should
be sufficiently flexible to provide for the newly
emerging and changing roles of special education
professionals and to encourage experimentation
and innovation in their preparation.
b. CEC and its divisions should be the lead
organizations in establishing minimum standards
for entry into the profession of special education.
CEC should develop and promote a model that
requires no less than a bachelor’s degree which
encompasses the knowledge and skills consistent
with entry level into special education teaching.
c. Each new professional in special education should
1 As used the phrase, “academic subject matter content of the general curriculum”, means the content of the general curriculum including
math, reading, English/language arts, science, social studies, and the arts. It does not per se include the additional specialized knowledge and
skill that special educators must possess in areas such as reading, writing, and math.
Appendix 9: CeC profeSSionAl poliCieS 281