Today the need for special education teachers who have competencies in the areas of cross-categorical special education (CC), learning disabilities (LD), and severe emotional/behavioral disabilities (EBD) is critical. The Eighteenth Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of IDEA (1996) indicates that approximately 70% of the 24,698 special education teaching positions that were vacant or covered by non-certified teachers in 1994-95, were in the areas of CC, LD, or EBD. In Arizona, the need for qualified special education teachers is even more critical with 322 positions reported at the state level (18th Annual Report to Congress, 1996), a projected growth rate in the school age population of 25% in the next five years, the introduction of a new cross-categorical certification beginning in 1998, and a limited college/university system to support preparation of teachers. The Arizona State Department of Education will introduce new teacher certification beginning in 1998. The new certification will include the addition of cross-categorical certification while continuing certification in the disabilities areas
The Arizona Cross-Categorical Teacher Project, Project ACT, is designed to meet teacher shortage in LD and EBD and to prepare teachers for this new cross-categorical certification. Project ACT will prepare special education teachers who are highly qualified to teach in resource and inclusive settings as well as to educate students with severe LD or EBD in more restrictive settings. To assure the quality of the teachers prepared and to address the changing demands of special education teachers in public schools, the graduates will develop specialized competencies in three areas identified at the national, state, and local levels as important for teacher success:
Project ACT builds from the current specialties in LD and EBD to address this new CC certification, expands the number and use of professional development partnership sites, develops the U of A Sierra Vista rural site to address the needs and competencies of teachers in rural settings, and strengthens competencies and skills in the areas of collaboration, diversity, and technology with goals to:
Prepare special education teachers with CC certification and competencies to effectively work in consultative and resource service delivery models and with intensive preparation and certification in either LD or EBD while also developing specialized competencies in collaboration, diversity, and educational media and technology.
Utilize a collaborative partnership model of personnel preparation through the University-School Partnership with Tucson Unified School District including three professional development sites:
Develop and implement a rural component at the University of Arizona Sierra Vista campus.
Manage, evaluate, and disseminate the activities and preservice model used in Project ACT.
Secretary: Patricia Foreman, Phone: 621-3216 Email: pforeman@u.arizona.eduThe University of Arizona Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, & School Psychology P.O. Box 210069 Tucson, Arizona 85721-0069 Dept Phone: (520)621-7822 Dept FAX: (520)621-3821
The home page for Special Education Programs is: SEP,
This page created by Patricia Foreman was last updated March 2001