REACHING OUT REACHING IN: TRANSFORMING AND CREATING CURRICULUM WITH UNIVERSITY CONSORTIUM & COLLABORATION

OSEP Project Director’s ConferenceJuly, 2010

Presenters: Collaboration model: Kathleen Bradley, Therese Hogan, Debra Loomis and Srimani Chakravarthi (Associated Colleges of Illinois)Consortium model: William Sharpton (University of New Orleans) and Diane Ryndak (University of FloridaContact: schakravarthi@stfrancis.edu, wsharpto@uno.edu, dryndak@ufl.edu

QUESTIONS ADDRESSED:

What are different ways to transform teacher preparation curriculum using a collaborative approach?

How do different layers of collaboration impact teacher preparation?

How do you overcome some of the hurdles faced during collaboration?

CAN SMALL COLLEGES CREATE BIG CHANGES?

The Associated Colleges of Illinois (ACI) facilitated the 325T grant among 5 of its member colleges in Illinois which established a collaborative partnership:

University of St. Francis, Joliet, IL. Lewis University, Romeoville, IL. Dominican University, River Forest, IL. Aurora University, Aurora, IL. Eureka College, Eureka, IL.

THE FIVE LAYERS OF COLLABORATION

Collaboration between ACI member colleges (16 colleges and universities)

Collaboration between TSPED partner colleges (5 colleges and universities which share the

325T grant)

Collaboration within Arts, Sciences and other departments within

each Member College or university

Collaboration within each College of

Education; between general and special education faculty.

Collaboration between the

College of Education and

the partner school districts.

THE FIVE LAYERS OF COLLABORATION1. Collaboration between ACI member colleges (16

colleges and universities)2. Collaboration between TSPED partner colleges (5

colleges and universities which share the 325T grant)

3. Collaboration within Arts, Sciences and other departments within each Member College or university.

4. Collaboration within each College of Education; between general and special education faculty.

5. Collaboration between the College of Education and the partner school districts.

COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND THE PARTNER SCHOOL DISTRICTS. Providing high-need school internship

and experiences In-service training and workshops

offered by college and school district Adjunct faculty from district Support for research and development

COLLABORATION BETWEEN GENERAL AND SPECIAL EDUCATION FACULTY

Co-mingling of methods courses Faculty co-teaching language arts

classes Development of a common UDL lesson

plan Faculty from Elementary Ed and Special

Ed trained in Strategic Instruction Model (University of Kansas)

Implementation of the co-teaching model of student teaching

COLLABORATION WITHIN ARTS, SCIENCES AND OTHER DEPARTMENTS WITHIN EACH MEMBER COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY

Co-teaching with Math, Science & Humanities faculty

Workshops for candidates by Science faculty and programs in partner schools

Wellness programs in schools with College of Nursing and Athletic Departments

Consultation with Psychology faculty in assisting partner district in the use of validated screening instruments

COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE 5 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES WHICH SHARE THE 325T GRANT

Regular meetings to share and collaborate

Online Wiki to share grant efforts and resources

Professional Development sessions offered by each partner

Collaborative development of teacher candidate evaluation tool

COLLABORATION BETWEEN ACI MEMBER COLLEGES (16 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES)

Guest speakers and workshops Conference presentations and

dissemination Current knowledge and practice in field Quality academic sharing and

engagement Opportunity for meaningful

conversations

UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS

Overview of Consortium ModelWilliam Sharpton

OSEP funding – “K” competition focused on special education – significant disabilities

Targets – initial certification via alternate model or add-on certification and/or master’s degree

Louisiana DOE funded development of low incidence consortium to expand services to statewide model using distance education

PROGRAM SUPPORT

Academic year – Courses offered in traditional schedule using synchronous web-based video conferencing

Summer – on-site short term courses at university

Cohort groups – biweekly meetings held with peer mentors to support field work

DISTANCE MODEL

Content Synchronous in class presentations Asynchronous materials via Blackboard

Field Work Performance based model aligned with national and state

competencies Format uses adult learning format to support continued

improvement focus Candidate Assessment

Aligned with NCATE expectations Includes both course and program assessments Each candidate develops a portfolio that is reviewed from

multiple perspectives (university, school, peer, family)

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

Marketing/recruitment Field has shifted from linear model of teacher preparation to concurrent

model (recruitment – preparation – placement – retention) Technology support

Requires high level of expertise and funding Must be covered from other sources (university, state)

Staffing Small numbers of faculty in low incidence disabilities makes it hard to

staff all courses if a single university model is used University regulations

Negotiated tuition rates Faculty load calculation Shared student credit hours (SCH)

Content Research in field of low incidence disabilities is losing ground in terms

of funding Difficult for individual faculty to develop programs aligned with

research based practices Few national resources available to develop/disseminate research

based practices for students with low incidence disabilities

CHALLENGES

Expand consortium to include other states (e.g., Miss, Ark)

Work with faculty at national level to develop course content

Seek faculty/program partners to expand coursework offerings and allow us to “teach to our strengths”

Shift repository concept to a national level Identify/adopt structures that support

consortium model

OUR DIRECTION