Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 39, March 25, 2024
Subpart 1.
Scope of practice.
A teacher of special education: early childhood is authorized
to provide evaluation and specially designed instruction to eligible children,
birth through age six, who exhibit a broad range of developmental delays or
disabilities, including those with a diagnosed physical or mental condition or
disorder that has a high probability of resulting in developmental delay.
Teachers collaborate and consult with families, other classroom and special
education teachers, and specialized service providers in designing and
implementing individualized education program plans for children and
families.
Subp. 2.
License requirements.
A candidate for licensure as a teacher of special education:
early childhood to teach children from birth to age six who exhibit a broad
range of developmental delays or disabilities shall:
A. hold a baccalaureate degree from a college
or university that is regionally accredited by the association for the
accreditation of colleges and secondary schools;
B. demonstrate the standards for effective
practice for licensing of beginning teachers enumerated in part
8710.2000;
C. demonstrate core skill requirements in
part
8710.5000; and
D. show verification of completing a Board of
Teaching approved preparation program under part
8700.7600 leading to the licensure
of teachers of special education: early childhood in subpart
3.
Subp. 3.
Subject matter
standard.
A candidate for licensure as a teacher of special education:
early childhood must complete a preparation program under subpart
2, item D, that must include
the candidate's demonstration of the knowledge and skills in items A to
E.
A. Foundational knowledge. A
teacher of special education: early childhood understands the foundations of
special education services for children with a broad range of developmental
delays or disabilities on which to base practice. The teacher must demonstrate
knowledge of the:
(1) historical and
philosophical foundations, legal bases, and contemporary issues pertaining to
the education of young children with a broad range of developmental delays or
disabilities and their families;
(2) etiology and characteristics of specific
disabilities, disorders, and developmental delays, and the developmental and
educational implications on infants, toddlers, and young children;
(3) educational definitions, issues related
to identification, and eligibility criteria pertaining to young children with a
broad range of developmental delays or disabilities;
(4) definitions and distinctions between and
among screening, evaluation, assessment, and progress monitoring related to the
legal standards and practice;
(5)
rationale and application of due process and procedural safeguards for young
children with a broad range of developmental delays or disabilities and their
families;
(6) ethical, policy, and
practice issues related to educational, social, economic, cultural, linguistic,
and medical factors unique to young children with a broad range of
developmental delays or disabilities and their families;
(7) early childhood developmental theory and
the impact of coexisting developmental delays or multiple disabilities across
domains, including cognitive, physical, vision, hearing, adaptive, behavioral,
social or emotional, and communication; and
(8) responsibilities of the Interagency Early
Intervention Committee (IEIC).
B. Referral, evaluation, planning, and
programming. A teacher of special education: early childhood understands and
applies principles of screening, prevention, and intervening early and
procedures for referral, assessment, evaluation, individualized planning,
programming, and placement specific to teaching children with a broad range of
developmental delays or disabilities. The teacher must be able to:
(1) apply screening, prevention, referral,
assessment, and evaluation for eligibility determination including
consideration of criteria for vision loss, hearing loss, deaf-blind, speech and
language delays, developmental cognitive delays, physical or health
disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, other health disorders, and traumatic
brain injury;
(2) select,
administer, and interpret formal and informal evaluation and assessment
measures for young children with developmental delays or disabilities,
accounting for limitations, ethical concerns, and the need for assistive
technologies and communicate the results to the children, families, teachers,
and other professionals;
(3) adapt
and modify existing evaluation and assessment measures and methods to
accommodate the abilities and specific needs of young children with
developmental delays or disabilities including those with a diagnosed physical
or mental condition or disorder that has a high probability of resulting in
developmental delay;
(4) integrate
and interpret multiple sources of information from families, educators, and
others for the purpose of evaluating, planning, implementing, and monitoring
the individualized family service plan, individualized education program plan,
or individualized interagency intervention plan;
(5) design individual plans that integrate
evaluation and assessment results and family concerns and priorities to
determine goals, including the use of assistive technologies;
(6) collaborate in determining services and
placement within a range of delivery models, natural environments, and
educational settings based on the needs and required levels of support for the
child and the family; and
(7)
address factors such as gender, socioeconomic status, familial background, and
cultural and linguistic diversity that may influence the identification of
young children with developmental delays or disabilities.
C. Instructional design, teaching, and
ongoing evaluation. A teacher of special education: early childhood understands
how to use individual family services plans and individual education program
plans to design and implement developmentally appropriate instruction for young
children with developmental delays or disabilities or medical conditions. The
teacher must understand how to:
(1) apply
multiple evidence-based instructional practices, including those supported by
scientifically based research when available, and materials that meet the needs
of children and families in the areas of language and literacy, cognitive,
adaptive, physical, social or emotional, and behavioral development;
(2) select, implement, monitor, and adjust
curricula and intervention strategies across developmental domains;
(3) provide, as well as teach families and
other early childhood providers, developmentally and functionally appropriate
individual and group activities within natural routines and across settings for
infants, toddlers, and young children;
(4) implement positive behavior supports
appropriate for young children with developmental delays or disabilities and
their families with a focus on teaching the child necessary and appropriate
replacement skills;
(5) align
current developmental and learning experiences and teaching strategies with the
expectations of subsequent educational settings and facilitate the transition
process for young children with developmental delays or disabilities and
families; and
(6) design,
implement, monitor, and adjust instruction and supports, including the use of
assistive technologies, to accelerate the rate of learning in reaching
age-appropriate benchmarks, attain child and family outcomes, and facilitate
transition processes.
D.
Collaboration and communication. A teacher of special education: early
childhood cultivates and maintains positive, collaborative relationships with
children, families, educators, other professionals, and the community to
support student development and educational progress. The teacher must be able
to:
(1) apply cultural competencies, including
self-awareness of one's personal perspectives, when using verbal, nonverbal,
and written communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate with families
and consult with those providing services;
(2) facilitate and manage student-specific
teams, including those for child study, individualized program planning, and
planning for transitions;
(3)
identify and access sources of services, agencies, and organizations for young
children with developmental delays or disabilities and their
families;
(4) understand the
educational roles and responsibilities of instructional and related service
providers and paraprofessionals, and coordinate the provision of services to
young children with developmental delays or disabilities and their
families;
(5) assist the family in
understanding the impact of the developmental delays or disabilities and
planning for the transitions of young children;
(6) communicate and collaborate with service
coordinators and providers in planning for the transition process across
hospital, home, and infant and toddler, early childhood, and elementary
programs;
(7) provide and receive
consultation and collaborate in a variety of settings regarding development and
implementation of the comprehensive evaluation process, individualized
education program planning, delivery of instruction and accommodations, and
transition with individuals and agencies;
(8) access and evaluate information,
research, and emerging practices relevant to the field of early childhood
special education through consumer and professional organizations,
peer-reviewed journals, and other publications; and
(9) engage in continuing professional
development and reflection to increase knowledge and skill as a special
educator and inform instructional practices, decisions, and interactions with
children and their families.
E. Clinical experiences. A teacher of special
education: early childhood applies the standards of effective practice through
a variety of early and ongoing clinical experiences in teaching children who
exhibit a broad range of developmental delays or disabilities in infant or
toddler, preschool, and primary (kindergarten and grade 1) settings across a
range of service delivery models.