Education Specialist Mild to Moderate Support Needs Credential Program

1. Program Summary

Program Design

The program design of the Education Specialist Credential is multi-faceted, providing for coordination of the components of the three program areas and candidate support in all areas and at all stages:  the Department Chair, a Fieldwork Coordinator, an Admissions Coordinator, and Program Area Coordinators for Mild to Moderate Support Needs, Extensive Support Needs, and Early Childhood. The Department Chair works closely with the Dean’s office and Credential Preparation Center on policies and all student support issues. The Department Chair is active on the College of Education Advisory Board where representatives from all of the local school districts attend and give input on credential program issues.

Program modifications in the past two years include the following: (1) preparing for the new standards for all three program areas, (2) beginning the TPA Pilot Study during the Fall of 2021 (3) addressing the College of Education’s new conceptual framework of Reach, Teach, Impact, and (4) new placement policies through the College of Education which requires placements in Title 1 schools, in schools with 50% or more historically excluded students, and confirming that mentor teachers have professional development in anti-racist teaching or model an anti-racist teaching philosophy.

1.1.1 Table Depicting Location, Delivery Models, and Pathways

Location	Delivery Model	Pathway
Main Campus	In-Person	Two-semester program
Main Campus	In-Person	Three-semester program
Main Campus	In-Person	Four-semester Combined

Course of Study (Curriculum and Field Experience)

The program consists of three phases:

1. A prerequisites phase in which candidates are introduced to positive behavior support (SPED 322: Introduction to Positive Behavior Support), language and culture for special populations (sped 425: Foundations of Teaching and Learning for Students who are CLDE), and an overview of exceptionalities (SPED 371: Exceptional Individuals).  Candidates complete 60 hours of fieldwork:  30 hours in SPED 371 Exceptional Individual and 30 hours in SPED 425.
2. A core-components phase that focuses on all aspects of the profession including:
   1. an introduction to autism (SPED 401: Introduction to Autism);
   2. characteristics of children with various disabilities (SPED 463: Mild to Moderate, SPED 464: Extensive Supports, SPED 400: Early Childhood);
   3. co-teaching in general education as well as methods and strategies for adapting the core curriculum and supporting students with disabilities in an inclusive K-12 environment (SPED 488: Directed Teaching for Mild to Moderate and Extensive Supports);
   4. knowledge and experience in collaboration and consultation (SPED 429: Introduction to Collaboration);
   5. an exploration of how the dynamics of disabilities affect families, and knowledge and experience with building positive relationships with families and care-givers (SPED 421: Working with Families of Individuals with Disabilities);
   6. mastery of effective research-based teaching techniques in math and science (SPED 432: Math and Science Instruction in the Public Schools – MMSN and ESN);
   7. research-based practices in building literacy in K-12 (SPED 433: Reading and Language Arts Instruction – MMSN and ESN) and early childhood (SPED 436: Literacy for Early Childhood Special Education).
3. An advanced specialization phase that addresses characteristics and teaching methods related to the specific disability areas:
   1. issues related to assessment for identification of exceptional individuals, including legal mandates and regulations related to assessment, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support, with an emphasis on progress monitoring and program evaluation in K-12 (SPED 520 Assessment – MMSN and ESN), infants (SPED 514: Infant Assessment and Intervention) and toddlers (SPED 515: Preschool Assessment and Intervention).
   2. advanced techniques for functional behavioral assessment and positive behavior support at the classroom and school-wide levels (SPED 522: Positive Behavior Support)
   3. practice determining the effectiveness of research-validated curriculum and instruction (SPED 482A: Curriculum and Methods for Mild to Moderate Support Needs or SPED 482B: Curriculum and Methods for Extensive Support Needs or SPED 482C: Curriculum, Methods, and Intervention for Early Childhood Special Education).
   4. student teaching in special education that includes field support and weekly activities in which candidates demonstrate proficiency in all areas (SPED 489A: Mild to Moderate, B: Extensive Supports, C: Infants/Toddlers, D: Preschool).

Assessment of Candidates

The Education Specialist Preliminary Credential Program is assessed through the College of Education Unit Assessment System designed for the continuous collection of multiple data sources to monitor candidate performance and to manage and improve program effectiveness. After admission to the program, candidates are guided and coached on their performance throughout the preliminary program, with several key assessment points where faculty note candidate progress and decide whether or not they will continue in the program or need additional support. Throughout these multiple points of assessment and transition, candidates must demonstrate competency in both coursework and Directed Teaching. In order to pass Directed Teaching competencies, candidates are evaluated in multiple settings and by multiple raters. The assessment results are discussed with the candidates by their supervisors, program area coordinators, and professors of their courses based on assignment feedback.

Data analyzed to determine if candidates have met the requirements necessary to matriculate through specified program levels are collected at four transition points (TP):

1. Admission to Program
2. Admission to Initial Student Teaching
3. Admission to Final Student Teaching
4. Exit from Program

The chart below displays the various assessments used to evaluate candidate progress, performance, and program effectiveness. A full description of each assessment follows the chart. This chart includes both pre- and post-admissions assessments.

1.1.2 Table Display Various Assessments

Assessment tool	Description	Data collected
Prerequisite Course Grades	Standard aligned assignments, projects, and assessments in areas of behavior, English Learners, and disabilities.	Percentage of candidates with a passing grade of C- or higher in all courses.
Prerequisite Fieldwork Evaluation	Measures the development of professional dispositions aligned with TPEs as indicators of success in student teaching.	Candidates must have successful experiences and reports must be adequate (80% of points given or better) to continue on to formal Directed Teaching.
Admissions Interview	Candidates are interviewed by two people, the Program Coordinator and the Admissions Coordinator, in a small group with 3-6 other applicants. After the interview, the scorers rate the candidate and discuss ratings until agreement is reached that a student should be admitted or not. If agreement cannot be reached, a second individual interview is conducted.	Scores from 1-3 on Admissions Decision sheet that cover dispositions for teaching. Candidates must earn a score of 80% (32/40) for admission.
Dispositions	Supervisors and Master teachers rate the candidates during Week 5 of each student teaching semester.	Any disposition evaluation below a 2.0 will result in dismissal from the placement, a No Credit in the course, and a Candidate Improvement Plan to remain in the program. A score of 1 on any Disposition item is unacceptable and a second Dispositions evaluation will be conducted one week later.
Semester 1 Course Grades and Signature Assignments	Measures candidate performance in understanding characteristics, collaborating with families, and working with a general educator by co-teaching, and adapting general education Standards for K-12.	Percentage of candidates with a passing grade of C or higher in all courses and passage of signature assignments with 80% or better.
Directed Teaching Evaluation 1	Measures candidate performance on competencies in either general education (MMSN/ESN) or infant/toddler or preschool placement (ECSE).	Percentage of candidates’ performance on a 4-point scale (1=unacceptable; 2=basic; 3=skilled; 4=distinguished). The average passing score for directed student teaching is 2.85 or better.
Semester 2 Course Grades and Signature Assignments	Measures candidate performance in understanding curriculum, assessment, and Positive Behavior Support.	Percentage of candidates with a passing grade of C or higher in all courses and passage of signature assignments with 80% or better.
Directed Teaching Evaluation 2 489A MMSN 489B ESN 489D Preschool or 489C Infants and Toddlers	Measures candidate performance on competencies in either special education (MMSN/ESN) or infant/toddler or preschool placement (ECSE).	Percentage of candidates’ performance on a 4-point scale (1=unacceptable; 2=basic; 3=skilled; 4=distinguished). The average passing score for directed student teaching is 2.85 or better.
CSU Exit, Alumni, Employer Surveys	Measures the University's teacher preparation program effectiveness in a variety of areas.	Mean scores on a variety of questions

TPA Information

Beginning in the fall of 2022, candidates seeking a Mild to Moderate or Extensive Support Needs preliminary credential will be required to take and pass the California Teaching Performance Assessment (EdSp CalTPA). To address the new requirements, during the first semester of the program, candidates enrolled in their first fieldwork practicum, SPED 488, will have the opportunity to learn about the EdSp CalTPA during one of their asynchronous seminars. Additionally, one of the weekly activities will ask candidates to develop and annotate a 5-to-7-minute video clip of themselves teaching. The purpose of the activity will be to orient them with one of the major EdSp CalTPA requirements.  

During the second semester of the program, candidates will enroll in their second fieldwork practicum, SPED 489B or SPED 489C along with a TPA support seminar, SPED 420, which will be offered as a special course until it is granted new course status.

SPED 420, will be a 15-week course divided into nine fully online asynchronous and synchronous modules designed to prepare candidates for both cycles of the EdSp CalTPA. After the first module, the remaining eight modules will be divided, four focusing on Cycle 1 and the other four on Cycle 2. For example, the first module will include one synchronous and asynchronous session. Candidates will be given a general overview of both cycles. One activity will be to register for Cycle 1 and other will be to submit a timeline plan to complete Cycle 1 and Cycle 2. The second module will consist of three sessions. The aim of the module will be to help candidates make connections between the TPAs and the Individual Education Plan (IEP). Candidates will be introduced to the guidelines and rubrics for identifying three focus students. All the modules have been designed to address the tasks associated with each cycle and include embedded opportunities for candidates to ask questions about the templates, rubrics, and share with their peers.  

In SPED 420, students will be asked to work in small groups, provide the instructor with progress reports in the form of exit tickets, engage in peer reviews with classmates who are teaching in a similar setting, and complete a self-assessment to help the candidate identify if they need to revisit a particular section.  

If a candidate does not pass, the proposed plan is for them to email the EdSp TPA Coordinator. Together, they will develop a plan of action, which will include the candidate reviewing all scores of a 1 or 2.