California Code of Regulations › Title 5 - Education › Division 8 - Commission on Teacher Credentialing › Chapter 5 - Approved Programs › Article 2 - Professional Preparation Programs › Section 80612 - Preliminary Education Specialist Credential Program Standards

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 28, July 12, 2024
(a) Standard 1:
				  Program Design and Curriculum. Each program of professional preparation is
				  implemented effectively in accordance with a cohesive design and sound
				  evidence-based practices relevant to the contemporary conditions of schools.
				  The design must reflect the full range of service delivery options, including
				  general education as well as the knowledge and skills to meet the needs of
				  students in the specific areas authorized by the credential. Programs ensure
				  that candidates are well versed in delivering services in a wide variety of
				  specialized academic instructional settings, including, but not limited to the
				  home, educational settings in hospitals/rehabilitation facilities and treatment
				  centers, and classrooms, as well as provide itinerant instructional delivery
				  and/or consultation in public/nonpublic school programs. The program's
				  organizational structure supports a logical and integrated progression for
				  candidates for the instructional components including coursework and field work
				  provided within the program. The program's design and plan allow candidates
				  multiple points of entry.
The preparation provided to candidates is designed to
					 address the range of candidate performance expectations. Coursework and
					 fieldwork/clinical experiences provide candidates with opportunities to learn
					 and practice competencies relating to the care and education of students with
					 disabilities. Candidate preparation is grounded in the theoretical framework of
					 developmentally, linguistically, and culturally appropriate and bias-free
					 practices for the care and education of students with disabilities as well as
					 for collaborating effectively with families to support their student's
					 development and learning. These theoretical foundations are reflected in the
					 organization, scope, and sequence of the curriculum provided to candidates. The
					 program prepares candidates to interface with other service providers (school,
					 medical, and agency based) which may include: hospital/clinic based personnel,
					 the school nurse, occupational therapist, speech and language specialist,
					 physical therapist, psychologist, orthopedist, paraprofessional/health care
					 assistance, California Children's Services, Regional Centers, Department of
					 Mental Health, Department of Rehabilitation, and other appropriate service
					 providers. The program provides opportunities for each candidate to demonstrate
					 knowledge of disability characteristics for which the candidate is seeking
					 authorization to teach, and the educational and psychosocial implications of
					 these characteristics for students identified with educational support needs
					 who have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The program prepares
					 candidates in case management practices and strategies for students with
					 disabilities and for those referred for special education services.
Key elements within the curriculum include: typical and
					 atypical child growth and development from birth through age 22;
					 developmentally, linguistically, and culturally appropriate pedagogy for
					 students in key content areas in alignment with state-adopted content standards
					 and frameworks; understanding the learning trajectories of young children to
					 young adults; designing and implementing developmentally, linguistically, and
					 culturally appropriate curriculum and assessments; instruction in strategies to
					 develop early literacy skills; understanding and analyzing student achievement
					 outcomes to improve learning; understanding of the range of factors affecting
					 student learning such as the effects of poverty, race, and socioeconomic
					 status; and knowledge of the range of positive behavioral practices and
					 supports for young children and young adults. The program's curriculum also
					 includes coursework and clinical practice opportunities for candidates to be
					 able to identify the unique characteristics of students with autism spectrum
					 disorders and the core challenges associated with language and communication,
					 social skills, behavior, and processing, and their implications for program
					 planning and service delivery. The program's design also includes a coherent
					 candidate assessment system to provide formative information to candidates
					 regarding their progress towards the intended level of certification. (See also
					 Standard 2).
(b) Standard 2:
				  Preparing Candidates to Master the Teaching Performance Expectations (TPEs).
				  The Teaching Performance Expectations for credential candidates describe the
				  set of professional knowledge, skills, and abilities expected of a beginning
				  level practitioner in order to effectively support the growth, development, and
				  learning of all students and to work collaboratively with families to support
				  all students in meeting the state-adopted academic content standards.
The coursework and fieldwork/clinical experiences provide
					 multiple opportunities for candidates to learn, apply, and reflect on each
					 teaching performance expectation. As candidates progress through their
					 preparation scope and sequence, pedagogical assignments are increasingly
					 complex and challenging. The scope of the pedagogical assignments (a) addresses
					 all of the TPEs as they apply to the subjects to be authorized by the
					 credential, and (b) prepares the candidate for course-related and other
					 assessments of their competence with respect to both the Universal TPEs and the
					 Education Specialist TPEs. As candidates progress through the curriculum,
					 faculty and other qualified supervisors assess candidates' performance in
					 relation to the TPEs and provide formative and timely performance feedback
					 regarding candidates' progress toward mastering the TPEs.
(c) Standard 3: Clinical Practice.
(1) Organization of Clinical Practice
				  Experiences. The program ensures that candidates have planned experiences
				  and/or interactions that reflect the full diversity of grades/ages, federal
				  disability categories, and the continuum of special education services outlined
				  in the specific credential authorization. The experiences are planned from the
				  beginning of the program to include experiences in general education,
				  experiences with parents and families, and experiences with a broad range of
				  service delivery options leading to an extended culminating placement in which
				  the candidate works toward assuming full responsibility for the provision of
				  services in the specific credential authorization. Experiences are of
				  sufficient duration for the candidate to demonstrate the teaching performance
				  expectations for Education Specialist teachers. The culminating placement may
				  be in any school, agency, or program as defined in Education Code Sections
				  56031,
				  56360, and
				  56361 for
				  the purpose of providing special education services. Fieldwork/Clinical
				  experiences are designed to provide candidates with a developmental set of
				  activities integrated with coursework that extend the candidate's learning
				  through application of theory to practice with students in California's
				  education settings.
Fieldwork provides opportunities for candidates to observe
					 a variety of classrooms and settings and to select focus students for deeper
					 observational study, including students who are dual language learners and who
					 may (a) exhibit typical behavior; (b) exhibit atypical behavior; and (c) have
					 other types of special learning needs. Fieldwork also provides opportunities
					 for candidates to observe teachers using productive routines and effective
					 transitions for students' academic and socio-emotional growth and development.
					 Candidates are provided with opportunities to review the curriculum and to
					 further develop pedagogical knowledge of high leverage practices in subject
					 matter areas, including early language and literacy for first and second
					 language learners, mathematics, science, technology, engineering, social
					 studies, and arts as appropriate. Candidates can observe the administration of
					 a range of assessments. Candidates are also able to observe how personnel
					 organize and supervise the work of other adults in inclusive and specialized
					 education settings.
Clinical practice is a developmental and sequential set of
					 activities integrated with theoretical and pedagogical coursework and must
					 consist of a minimum of 600 hours of clinical practice across the arc of the
					 program. At least 200 hours of supervised early field work that includes guided
					 observations and initial student teaching (e.g., co-planning and co-teaching,
					 or guided teaching) must be provided to candidates in general education and
					 special education settings prior to final student teaching. Final student
					 teaching shall consist of 400 hours in the desired credential area. For
					 interns, early field experience would take place in experienced mentor
					 classrooms in both general education and special education settings. Candidates
					 must have a range of experience that reflects the diversity of age and grade
					 levels, the range of federal disability categories, and the continuum of
					 special education services. Candidates should have experiences with a diverse
					 range of students and families reflective of the demographics of
					 California.
Dual credential programs leading to both a general and a
					 special education credential are required to have substantive experiences in
					 general education, inclusive, and special education settings within the 600
					 hours, and are encouraged to extend clinical practice for an additional 150
					 hours.
Candidates who are working in private schools and seeking a
					 credential are required to complete a substantive clinical experience of at
					 least 150 hours in a diverse school setting where the curriculum aligns with
					 California's adopted content standards and frameworks and the school reflects
					 the diversity of California's student population.
The program provides initial orientation for preparation
					 program supervisors and district-employed supervisors of clinical practice
					 experiences to ensure all supervisors understand their role and expectations.
					 The minimal amount of program supervision involving formal evaluation of each
					 candidate must be 4 times per quarter or 6 times per semester. The minimum
					 amount of district-employed supervisors' support and guidance must be 5 hours
					 per week.
Clinical supervision may include an in-person site visit,
					 video capture, or synchronous video observation, but it must be archived either
					 by annotated video or scripted observations and evaluated based on the TPEs,
					 that produce data that can be aggregated and disaggregated. (2) Preparation of
					 Faculty, Site Supervisors, and Program Directors. The program selects
					 individuals who are credentialed or who have equivalent experience in educator
					 preparation. Supervisors should be experts in the education specialist
					 instructional area of the candidate being supervised and should have recent
					 professional experience in school settings where the curriculum aligns with
					 California's adopted content standards and frameworks and the school reflects
					 the diversity of
California's student population. The program provides
					 supervisors with an orientation to the program's expectations and ensures that
					 supervisors are knowledgeable about the program curriculum and assessments,
					 including the TPEs and Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) model chosen by
					 the program. In addition, program supervisors maintain current knowledge of
					 effective supervision approaches such as cognitive coaching, adult learning
					 theory, and current content-specific pedagogy and instructional practices for
					 teachers in whose classrooms or settings candidate experiences will take place
					 to ensure that all supervisors of fieldwork/clinical practice experiences and
					 all cooperating education specialist teachers understand their roles and
					 expectations.
(3) Criteria
				  for School Placements. Sites selected for candidate experiences should
				  demonstrate commitment to developmentally and culturally appropriate practices
				  as well as to collaborative relationships with families. In addition, these
				  sites should also demonstrate placement of students with disabilities in the
				  Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), provide support for dual language learners
				  with disabilities, and offer the opportunity for candidates to interact with
				  different age groups in both general and special education settings reflecting
				  the continuum of placement options. They should also reflect to the extent
				  possible socioeconomic, linguistic, and cultural diversity and permit video
				  capture for candidate reflection. Sites selected should have a fully qualified
				  master/mentor teacher with an appropriate credential and a fully qualified site
				  administrator.
(4) Criteria for the
				  Selection of District Employed Supervisors (also, may be known as the
				  cooperating teacher, master teacher, or on-site mentor). The program should
				  select district supervisors who hold a Clear Education Specialist Credential
				  and have a minimum of three years of birth through age 22 teaching experience.
				  The district-employed supervisor must have demonstrated exemplary teaching
				  practices as determined by the employer and the preparation program. The
				  matching of candidate and district-employed supervisor must be a collaborative
				  process between the school district and the program.
The program provides district-employed supervisors a
					 minimum of 10 hours of initial orientation to the program curriculum, adult
					 learning theory, and current content-specific pedagogical and instructional
					 practices, as well as to effective supervision approaches such as cognitive
					 coaching. To facilitate district-employed supervisors meeting program
					 expectations, the program ensures that district-employed supervisors remain
					 current in the knowledge and skills necessary for effective candidate
					 supervision.