Early Childhood Standards Development Task Force - Applications Due June 26th
Would you like to be a part of making history? DEC is launching an ambitious project to develop its first ever stand-alone educator preparation standards and is seeking applications for members of the Early Childhood Standards Development Task Force.
For approximately 25 years, DEC has had Initial and Advanced Knowledge and Skill Specialty Sets that higher education preparation programs have used to develop curriculum and that have been used to help inform CEC’s national program review process completed through collaboration with the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). However, programs that have been evaluated against the CEC Initial and Advanced Standards may not be specific enough to early childhood educators.
The CEC Board of Directors recently approved DEC’s request to explore the value and necessity of developing Professional Practice Based Early Childhood Specialty Education Standards. If approved by CEC and CAEP, these Standards will be used by higher education faculty and professional development providers to develop curriculum, by programs submitting early childhood reports for CEC/CAEP program review, by states and licensing agencies to develop early childhood licensure frameworks, and by professional associations to inform the development of cross-disciplinary standards.
DEC is currently seeking volunteers to serve on the Standards Development Task Force. This group will be charged with developing the new DEC Standards and preparing additional resources and guidance for the field required for approval by CEC and CAEP. The Task Force will work in concert with CEC's Standards Development Work Group and the CEC Professional Standards and Practice Committee to ensure that the DEC Standards align with the mission of the organization and with best practices in the field of special education.
The Task Force will require a substantial commitment of time over the next two years. It is expected that there will be several face-to-face meetings in Washington, DC, several on-line meetings and significant writing assignments to be completed between meetings. DEC will cover all travel expenses. Members will have input into scheduling the meetings and are expected to be in attendance. The first meeting will occur in Washington, DC on the afternoon/evening of July 25th and the morning of July 26th, 2018 immediately following the OSEP Project Directors meeting.
If you are interested in being considered for the Task Force, please complete the online application no later than June 26, 2018. Notification of acceptance for membership will be in mid-June. The first meeting is tentatively scheduled for July 25-26 in Washington DC.
If you have questions feel free to contact Dr. Peggy Kemp, Executive Director, DEC (peggy@dec-sped.org).
Note: This initiative is being funded in part through the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) funded, Early Childhood Personnel Center I, Cooperative Agreement #H325B120004
