Special Education
Assessment Report
October, 1999

Program and Course Evaluation
Special Education has been in the process during the past year of examining every course and every program offered in the department it. Data collected from the Exit Survey and the Three Year Follow-up of Special Education graduates assisted the faculty in determining what changes were necessary in the program. The faculty has revamped all of the special education licensure programs and are in the process of submitting the new programs to the MN Board of Teaching.

                    Current Licenses for which approval is being sought:
                                Specific Learning Disabilities - grades K-12
                                Emotional/Behavioral Disorders .- grades K - 12
                                Developmental Disabilities - grades K - 12
                                Physical/Health Disabilities - grades K - 12
                                Early Childhood Special Education - Birth - Six

As a part of this process the faculty has discussed and determined where every objective of the INTASC standards and every objective of the Board of Teaching Licensure requirements is conveyed and assessed.

Evidence of this work is contained in the files of materials being submitted to the Board of Teaching. Also, the department has developed and is distributing new Special Education Licensure sheets and a new Special Education Handbook for students.

Portfolio Assessment
As a follow-up to the Portfolio Assessment Project initiated by the Special Education Department in 1998, there is a current project related to Portfolio Development being instituted as part of a special education required course. When students take the Special Education 463 Assessment Course, one of the assignments is to develop an electronic portfolio. Students will continue this process and add items to their portfolio from other courses and practicum/student teaching experiences.

Faculty Needs
One of the future initiatives identified by the faculty was to hire a tenure track faculty member in the position of coordinating the Physical/Health Disabilities program. This goal has been reached with the hiring of Dr. Susan Sze in a tenure track position starting in August, 1999.

There is a current search underway for a tenure-track position in the area of Specific Learning Disabilities. The department has had to hire adjunct faculty from the community to staff the courses at the present time. By Fall, 2000, it is hoped that a full-time faculty member will be hired in this position.

Public Relations
Collaboration and contact with public schools and state educational agencies is ongoing. Faculty members have attended the Special Education Directors Conference, the Minnesota Teacher Education Congress, the Early Childhood Special Education
Coordinators Leadership Conference as well as serve on numerous local and state consortiums and committees.

In October, the Department is hosting an Advisory Meeting with the Physical and Other Health Impairments network, teachers, coordinators and consultants. The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the P/HD program, courses and sequences, will to discuss the development of practicum and student teaching sites.

The Special Education Newsletter is being revitalized and the plan is for an issue to be mailed out to community people prior to Spring Semester, 2000. The newsletter will reflect some of the changes being made in programs and course offerings.

Graduate Programming
The Special Education Department is in the process of reviewing and revamping the Master's Degree in Special Education. In attempting to meet the needs of the community, a cohesive, long range plan for the program and offerings is currently in the planning stages.

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