Meeting the Challenge Preparing Effective Special Education Teachers to Work with Students with High

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Meeting the ChallengePreparing Effective Special
Education Teachers to Work with Students with
High-Incidence Disabilities in Urban Districts
Dorothy Hargrove, M.Ed. Project Mentor

• Shari Holmes Stokes Ed.D.
• Project Director

Tammy Soucie-Burke Project Assistant
Thomas Kochanek, Ph.D. Project Evaluator
Susan A. Hutchinson, M.Ed. Project Coordinator
Funded through the U.S. Department of Education
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative
Services
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Project Goals and Objectives

• Initial Licensure Teacher of Moderate
  Disabilities
• 30 Teachers and 20 Paraprofessionals by 2010
• English Language Learner Endorsement
• Special Education Teachers who serve ELL students
• Mentoring and Support Program
• Intensive mentoring and professional development
  for special education teachers in their first
  three years of teaching
• Mentor training

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Initial Licensure Teacher of Moderate
Disabilities 30 Teachers and 20
Paraprofessionals by 2010
Current Enrollment Status
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Initial Licensure Teacher of Moderate
Disabilities 30 Teachers and 20
Paraprofessionals by 2010
Progress Toward Goal
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English Language Learner EndorsementSpecial
Education Teachers who serve ELL students

• 2 options for endorsement
• 1. Course work covering the four ELL categories
• SPED7412 Sheltered Content Instruction for ELL
  (Scholarship elective) and
  Additional coursework/professional development
  pending MADOE
  approval
• MTEL Test - English Language Learner
• SPED 7031 Preparation Workshop

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English Language Learner EndorsementSpecial
Education Teachers who serve ELL students

Progress Toward Goal

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• Mentoring and Support Program
• Intensive mentoring and professional development
  for special education teachers in their first
  three years of teaching
• Mentor training

• Progress
  Toward Goals
• Mentoring Beginning Teachers
• Needs Assessment Survey
• Partnership Report
• Mentoring Course
• Support
• Seminar Series Current Plans
• Speaker Series 1. New Directions in
  Special Education An Evening with the
  Author Fall 2006
• Dr. Thomas Hehir- Harvard University 2.
  Distinguishing Learning Disabilities from Second
  Language
• Learning Difficulties Spring 2007
  
• Dr. Denise OConnell

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Meeting the Challenge

• October Events
• Recruitment - Information Session
• Scholar Meeting Evaluation and Needs
  Assessment
• Scholar Individual Advising Sessions
• October 18 Fitchburg State College
• October 26 Elm Park Community Center

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Meeting the Challenge

• Thomas Kochanek, Ph.D. Project Evaluator
• The What, How and Why of the
• Meeting the Challenge Evaluation

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Meeting the Challenge Managing the Data
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Meeting the ChallengeTeacher Preparation Project

• Primary Project Outcomes
• Teacher Performance
• Stability (Commitment to Remain in Education)

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Meeting the ChallengeTeacher Preparation Project

• Teacher Performance
• How do program graduates perform on key teaching
  tasks as measured by school principals
  evaluations?
• Child assessment
• Instructional planning and implementation
• Classroom management
• Behavior change strategies
• Parent engagement
• Professional ethics and practices
• Collaboration

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Meeting the ChallengeTeacher Preparation Project

• Stability
• (Commitment to Remain in Education)
• Do MTC graduates remain in the role of SPED
  teachers? If not, what alternative positions do
  they pursue and why?
• Do MTC graduates continue their employment in the
  same school district? If not, why not?

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Meeting the ChallengeTeacher Preparation Project

• Explanatory Information
• Teacher characteristics and experiences
• Performance in academic courses at FSC
• Performance in internship(s) at FSC
• Influence of Mentoring Program within the school
  district
• Professional development opportunities within the
  school district
• Annual Teacher Survey of MTC graduates

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Reflections from the Field
Mr. John Bozicas Meeting the Challenge Scholar
and Teacher, Montachusetts Regional Technical
School
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Meeting the Challenge

• Sharing Ideas
• Recruitment of Scholars
• Mentoring Program
• One Strength
• One Wish
• Mentoring Course Content

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Thank You