(4) Demonstration of Need.
To be granted initial program accreditation by the Committee on Accreditation, the program proposal must include a demonstration of the need for the program in the region in which it will be operated. Such a demonstration must include, but need not be limited to, assurance by a sample of school administrators that one or more school districts will, during the foreseeable future, hire or assign additional personnel to serve in the credential category.
The program proposal at Fresno State has a demonstrated need for the program in the region as not all districts or county offices are offering a program. The largest district in our region, Fresno Unified School District did not write to the standards and needs a program for their teachers. Fresno Unified often hires up to 40 new Education Specialist teachers a year. Fresno County Office of Education has also indicated that they will have some teachers attend the university program to expand teachers with expertise and knowledge related to MA programs.
(5) Practitioners’ Participation in Program Design.
To be granted initial program accreditation by the Committee on Accreditation, the program proposal must include verification that practitioners in the credential category have participated actively in the design and development of the program's philosophical orientation, educational goals, and content emphases.
The Clear program design, philosophy, goals, and content emphasis has been developed in partnership with practitioners. Practitioners work as adjunct faculty and have participated in program development. In addition, advisory board input was gathered. Faculty also met with Fresno COE, Madera COE, Clovis USD and other regional districts as the standards were addressed and some modules developed. Programs are also shared at the President's Commission on Teacher Education, a committee lead by the university president with local district administrators that meets quarterly.
Common Standards Addendum – Education Specialist (M/M & M/S)
Standard 1
Who in the Unit will have leadership responsibilities for this program?
The Education Specialist programs (M/M and M/S Preliminary and Clear) are housed in
the Department of Literacy, Early, Bilingual and Special Education, within the Kremen
School of Education and Human Development (KSOEHD) at Fresno State. These basic credentials
are overseen by the Director of Teacher Education (Dean of KSOEHD). The Dean of the
Kremen School of Education and Human Development reports directly to the Provost and
the Vice President for Academic Affairs, who is the chief academic, fiscal, and administrative
officer for Academic Affairs in the University. The Department Chair of LEBSE provides
the next level of leadership, as the Special Education faculty is housed in that department.
The Education Specialists credentials have a Program Coordinator, but all of the faculty
share in many of the leadership responsibilities. The Education Specialist faculty
work closely with the faculty of the Curriculum and Instruction Department, the Office
of Field Placements, the Internship Program, the Education Services Center, and local
school districts to provide a cohesive credential program.
Standard 2
How will evaluation of this program fit into the Unit Assessment System?
The Kremen School of Education and Human Development (KSOEHD) on the Fresno State
campus provides leadership for all credential programs on the campus. The Associate
Dean of KSOEHD meets regularly with Program Directors within the Unit, providing updates,
support, and direction for the Unit. KSOEHD leaders collect data from all credential
programs and coordinate documentation in a system known as KLASSI (Kremen Learning
Assessment System to Sustain Improvement). Some of the assessments are used across
the Unit such as the Exit Survey; other assessments are shared by the basic credential
programs including the California State University system’s SEPTA Survey and the Exit
Survey; and finally some assessments are unique to the ES credentials. The Dean of
KSOEHD meets with faculty at least once a year to review the assessment data and provide
direction. The Education Specialist credential programs participate with and provide
evidence of equivalent measures of all assessments of credential candidates within
the Unit.
Standard 3
How will this program be supported with resources?
The Dean of the Kremen School of Education and Human Development, along with the Department
Chair of the Literacy, Early, Bilingual, and Special Education department oversee
financial resources. Support from the program comes from the university annual budget,
grants, and discretionary monies. Physical resources for the LEBSE department are
available in the five-floor Kremen building that includes student study areas, a graduate
research lab, computer labs and classrooms, and INTRESC, which serves as a materials
production and resource center for both education and counseling students and contains
a wide array of text materials, instructional materials, games, and standardized assessment
tools for elementary and secondary students. Programs offered in partnership sites
are supported with technology, space, and other resources from both the district and
the university. Each faculty member is provided funding for travel from the department
and may request additional from the Dean’s office. Resources are available to upgrade
existing materials and technology, such as purchasing new assessments and iPads.
The Special Education credential programs are also supported by all the physical resources
of the California State University, Fresno campus. The Library(HML) recently completed
a $105 million expansion and renovation and is now the largest academic library between
Sacramento and Los Angeles, housing more than one million volumes and serving over
500,000 visitors a year. The library also provides access to government publications,
access to databases (i.e. ERIC, PsychInfo, etc.), an Information Competence Center
(reference librarians), inter-library loans, and an electronic reserves center so
students can access reserved materials 24 hours a day. Technology enhancements include
an updated campus data network, a faculty laptop program, and SMART classrooms.
Faculty is supported with access to technology training and professional development.
Kremen School provides technology offerings multiple times a semester, which recently
have included INTERSC’s technology training, UDL, Common Core, and multiple offerings
by CVELI. Currently, Fresno State also provides support and resources for students
through Advising Services, Technology Innovations in Learning, and Teaching (TILT)
labs, the Learning Resource Center, and Services for Students with Disabilities.
Health services are available at the Student Health Center.
Standard 4
What will be the criteria for selection of faculty and instructional personnel for
this program?
Faculty, including both instructors and university supervisors, for this program will
have an advanced degree (M.A., Ph.D. or Ed.D.), have expertise in and/or advanced
knowledge of course subject matter, and preferably be credentialed and experienced
as a teacher in special education. Faculty teaching methods classes and supervising
student teachers will have a minimum of 3 years of experience teaching students in
special education (M/M or M/S). Faculty members are hired by the Provost, after the
recommendation of Dean of the Kremen School of Education and Human Development, with
the support of the department chair and program faculty.
Standard 5
Are there particular admission criteria for the proposed program?
Candidates applying for the Clear Education Specialist (M/M or M/S) must attend an
orientation or be oriented by a faculty member and complete the application requirements
(available here: http://kremen.fresnostate.edu/graduate/ma-spedreq.html) . They must complete all application forms; have a 3.0 GPA in Preliminary Credential
Coursework; provide a copy of their preliminary credential; submit a statement of
purpose, three letters of recommendation, and a medical clearance form; and complete
an interview with the Program Coordinator. All complete applications are evaluated
and reviewed by the Graduate Technician Specialist who then forwards the recommendation
to the program.
Standard 6
How will candidates be provided with timely and accurate information about the program?
How will candidates requiring additional assistance be guided and supported?
Candidates who are interested in the Education Specialist credentials can find information
about the program on the California State University, Fresno website, can request
information by phone or email, and can make an appointment with either the Education
Service Center Advisors or faculty in the program. Information regarding a variety
of opportunities, orientations, meetings, etc. are emailed to the teacher candidates.
Flyers are also posted in the building.
Students needing additional assistance will first be encouraged to meet with faculty
during office hours and with their assigned faculty advisor. If additional support
is needed, candidates will be referred to the Learning Resource Center for tutoring,
the Graduate Division for support in writing, and the Health Center for physical or
mental health support or to Services for Students with Disabilities. If a student
is required to repeat an experience, they petition the Admissions and Standards Committee
of the Kremen School through Special Considerations. The Committee reviews the request
and the students are often provided another opportunity.
Students who are enrolled in the program/program coursework, receive ongoing information about the program in a number of ways, including, but not limited to: informational flyers, advising sheets, email, in-class presentations and question/answer sessions, online (through course Blackboard sites and the program website), individual advising sessions with the Program Coordinator or their faculty advisor, and meetings with their support providers and/or university supervisor.
Standard 7
What will the field experiences and clinical practice include? How will sites be selected
and evaluated?
Education Specialist Clear Credential Candidates have field experiences in special
education, in settings aligned with their preliminary credentials.
The Clear Credential program at CSU, Fresno is designed to support participating teachers
in their early years of teaching through multiple opportunities including professional
development experiences and reflective practices that ensure they meet induction standards
and are prepared for success within their teaching context.
Through completion of FACT modules, participating teachers develop an Individualized Induction Plan (IIP), aligned with the individual teacher’s needs. The FACT modules are part of an inquiry-based formative assessment system that is built upon the California Standards for the Teaching Profession (CSTPs) and Induction Standards. Through the FACT modules, students engage in a plan→teach→reflect→apply process. As they complete the modules, participating teachers collect evidence and self-assess to reflect upon and improve their teaching.
Participants are required to have a minimum 4 observations during the Clear Credential coursework (2 University Supervisor; 2 District Support Provider), which provides the opportunity for participants to demonstrate skills and knowledge and to receive feedback and support, as well as engage in a process of inquiry and reflection to improve teaching practices. The observation sequence includes pre-observation communication, an on-site classroom observation, and a post-observation reflection and debriefing session with the observer.
Clear Credential participating teachers take part in collaborative experiences with colleagues and resource personnel, and the design of coursework is responsive to individual teacher needs as participants select professional development opportunities aligned with their IIP and personal interests. The courses and experiences prepare the Clear participating teachers to meet the academic learning needs of all students in each of the categories under IDEA (including birth – 22) through a variety of activities, including discussions and applications of research to practice, online Learning Communities for peer discussion and support, and in-class meetings with Learning Communities where individual issues are discussed and students engage in problem-solving. The university collaborates with the region’s districts to provide the clear credential program as well as professional development opportunities to retain these high quality teachers.
Most of the candidates in the Clear credential program are employed by districts in
our region. The positions are reviewed to ensure it matches the credential they are
seeking. For candidates without employment sites are selected in partnership with
our district partners. The primary match is made with the support provider’s credential
authorization and needed experience and strength as a role model and mentor. We also
look at the entire school environment related to inclusive activities and strong RtI
models. At the end of each semester the Clear Credential candidate, Support Provider,
and University Supervisor provide evaluative input for the program, and the evaluative
feedback is reviewed by the program faculty; programmatic changes are made accordingly.
Standard 8
What will be the criteria for selection of district-employed supervisors?
Currently district-employed supervisors are not used for fieldwork or student teaching
in the Clear credential. We work with district-employed personnel as support providers
for Clear Credential candidates, but they are not assigned as the supervisor.
Each participating teacher enrolled in a Clear Credential program is assigned a District
Support Provider. A participating teacher’s support provider must be a person other than the participating
teacher’s principal or immediate supervisor. The District Support Provider supports the participating teacher’s induction activities
throughout induction and Clear credential coursework. The District Support Provider
plays a significant role in the professional development of the new special education
teacher. Support providers are assigned through collaboration with district administrators
and based on agreement to fulfill the requisite responsibilities and meet qualifications.
Support providers are credentialed teachers, selected/assigned based on the participating
teacher’s assigned classroom teaching position/responsibilities and relevant credential.
They typically have a minimum of 5 years teaching experience and have been trained
to be support providers by district personnel.
Standard 9
What will be the program assessments used to determine candidate competence as they
move through the program?
The Clear Credential program at Fresno State employs the FACT modules at http://ca-btsainduction.org/formative-assessment-california-teachers which explicitly follow a plan→teach→reflect→apply process and are based upon CSTPs
and Induction Standards, and are aligned with academic content standards. California
Common Core instructional shifts including increased use of content area texts, making
arguments/stating a case, and problem-based curriculum and assessment are taught,
practiced and assessed through class activities and classroom observation. Throughout
the process, students build a professional portfolio to demonstrate knowledge, skills,
reflection, and improvement of teaching practice. In their portfolios, students provide
a variety of evidence, including self-assessment, observation, analysis of student
work, and planning and delivering instruction.
In addition to completion of the FACT modules and forms, participants are required
to have 4 observations during the Clear Credential coursework (2 University Supervisor;
2 District Support Provider). The observation sequence includes pre-observation communication, an on-site classroom observation, and a post-observation reflection and debriefing session with the observer. The on-site observation tool evaluates multiple levels of teaching
performance based on the CSTPs and IPSs (e.g., classroom environment, engagement,
instructional design and delivery, assessment, technology, support for diverse learners,
etc.).