Recruitment: Building Capacity in Special Education and Speech/Language Pathology

Transcription

1 Recruitment: Building Capacity in Special Education and Speech/Language Pathology Report Prepared by the Connecticut Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) Council Presented September 2002 Revised December 2003 Revised

2 Acknowledgements This report was submitted to the CT CSPD Council in December 2002 by the Council Workgroup on Recruitment and Retention in Birth to Three Programs and Educational Settings. Workgroup Members included: Maureen R. Anderson (SERC) Pam Brucker (SCSU) Roger Frant (CSDE) Carolyn Isakson (CSDE) Marianne Kennedy (SCSU) Tony Maida (CES) Kathy Reddington (Birth to Three) Deb Resnick (Birth to Three) Betty Schmitt (CSDE) Jamie Uribe (SARAH, Kidsteps) Joanne Walker (CCSU) Barbara Williams (NVCC) The CT CSPD is required under the IDEA for both Part B (3 21) and Part C (infants, toddlers, and their families). The purpose of a CSPD is to improve the quality of educational and early intervention services and programs through the effective preparation and on-going professional development of educators, service providers, and families as well as recruitment and retention of personnel. Additional information about Connecticut s CSPD and the CT CSPD Council is included as Appendix C. i

3 Recruiting, preparing and retaining good teachers is the central strategy for improving our schools. The National Commission on Teaching and America s Future (2000) Background: According to the final report of the Commission on the Teacher and School Administrator Shortage and Minority Recruitment as established by the Connecticut General Assembly in 2000, national projections indicate that just when a new cadre of teachers is needed because of rising student enrollment and the retirement of baby boom generation teachers over the next 10 years, they will be harder than ever to find. The U.S. Education Department estimates that U.S. schools will need to hire more than two million new teachers over the next decade (January 2001, page 2). Although Connecticut s teachers are paid well as compared to educators in other states, Connecticut is not immune from national trends. The Commission s report further states that there is mounting evidence of school districts difficulties filling jobs in certain areas. This problem is exacerbated by the need to increase the numbers of minority staff and to train and recruit a new generation of teachers. Over the next decade, Connecticut districts will need to hire approximately 19,000 new teachers and although the number of teachers certified each year (approximately 3,500) would appear to meet that need, the new teachers are often not certified in the subject areas of need or are not seeking employment in Connecticut or choose to bypass the urban and priority districts (Connecticut State Department of Education, 2001 Fall Hiring Report, page 3). The Connecticut legislature has begun to address the issue of recruitment and retention of teachers through initiatives that have included state scholarships, loan forgiveness, and teacher mortgage assistance programs. The legislature also requested the Commissioner of Education to identify subject shortage areas. The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) identified nine shortage areas in the 2001 Fall Hiring Report. The shortage areas listed alphabetically are: 1. Bilingual Education 2. Library Media Specialist 3. Mathematics 4. Music 5. Remedial Reading 6. Spanish 7. Special Education 8. Speech and Language Pathologist 9. Technology Education 1

4 Data from the fall hiring survey completed by the local districts and programs indicate that in and , Special Education was the largest shortage area. Speech and Language Pathology (SLP) was the third greatest shortage area in and the second greatest in For the first time, the 2001 Fall Hiring Report included on the collection of information from Early Intervention Specialists in Birth to Three programs. This served to verify the shortage of Speech and Language Pathologists and Special Educators at this level as well. In April 2002, Special Education was designated a teacher shortage area in Connecticut by the U.S. Department of Education. It also designated the following additional areas as teacher shortage areas during the school year in Connecticut: Music Bilingual Education Mathematics Technology Education The Chief of the Bureau of Special Education and Pupil Services (BSEPS) and the Director of the Connecticut Birth to Three System (Part C) reviewed the 2001 Fall Hiring Report and requested that Connecticut s Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) Council develop a workgroup to study and address recruitment and retention issues. The workgroup was represented by stakeholders from Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs), Regional Education Service Centers (RESCs), the CSDE, SERC, the Birth to Three System, the Legislature, and the State Advisory Council on Special Education (SAC). Participants met throughout the spring, summer, and early fall of 2002 to address their charge. Note: For the purpose of this report, the references to special education teachers and speech and language pathologists correspond to the following endorsements: 061 Speech and Language Pathologist 112 Integrated Early Childhood/Special Ed. Birth -kindergarten 113 Integrated Early Childhood/Special Ed., Nursery K: Elem Comprehensive Special Education, Speech 7-12 (no longer issued) 051 Mentally Handicapped, 1-12 (no longer issued) 052 Mentally Handicapped, 7-12 (no longer issued) 053 Physically Handicapped, 1-12 (no longer issued) 054 Physically Handicapped, 7-12 (no longer issued) 065 Comprehensive Special Education, Pre-K-12 (no longer issued) 059 Blind (Pre-K 12) 055 Partially Blind (Pre-K 12) In 057 preparing Hearing Impaired this report, the workgroup reviewed the following reports and materials: Meeting the Highly Teachers Challenge, The Secretary s Annual Report on Teacher Quality, 2002, U.S. Department of Education 2

5 In preparing this report, the workgroup reviewed numerous reports and materials. These references are cited in Appendix B. Charge to the Workgroup: The Steering Committee of the CT CSPD Council charged the Council Workgroup on Recruitment and Retention in Birth to Three Programs and Educational Settings as follows: Outline a comprehensive plan of both innovative and research-based programs and activities designed to address / influence shortages in the critical areas of early childhood and special education teachers and SLPs. Focus on Special Education Teachers and SLPs; however, the identified recommendations, once implemented, may also impact shortages of School Psychologists, Counselors, and Bilingual Special Educators. Include recommendations regarding priorities for implementation and budgetary implications in order to ensure systems change. This plan would be presented to the Commissioners of the Departments of Education and Mental Retardation for consideration in the upcoming legislative session and biannual budget preparation. Statement of the National Problem: Personnel shortages are impacted by both recruitment and retention issues. Ingersoll (2001) identified that nationally special educators were more likely to leave the teaching profession than any other teacher group. Boe, Babbitt, and Cook (1997) determined the transfer rate of special educators was almost double that of other teacher groups, and special education teachers were ten times more likely to transfer to general education than the reverse. Because the national shortage of special educators is almost twice as large in comparison to general education (Boe et al, 1998), it is important to identify the factors related to this high attrition rate. According to the SPeNSE Study, How beginning teachers cope with job-related demands may determine the kind of teacher they become as well as whether they will be among the many who leave in the early career years (2002). The purpose of the SPeNSE study was to describe the quality of the workforce and to recommend steps for improving workforce quality. Among the factors found to lead beginning or early career teachers to leave special education teaching were: Lack of preparation (no certificate); Excessive paperwork; Poor working conditions including school climate; Caseload; Non-teaching routine duties. 3

6 Statement of the Problem in Connecticut: Though clearly related to recruitment, the issues of retention and attrition need to be addressed separately. The CT CSPD Council Workgroup determined that there is limited information on attrition and other job retention issues in Connecticut. The workgroup decided, therefore, to focus solely on recruitment of quality personnel. School districts and Connecticut s Birth to Three programs are experiencing a shortage of special education teachers as well as speech language pathologists. The 2001 Fall Hiring Report prepared by the CSDE identifies these areas as the largest shortage areas. There were 70 vacancies for special educators and 37 for speech and language pathologists. A vacancy is defined as the number of full and part-time positions unfilled because no individual had met a district s criteria after a complete search. Some vacancies have been filled by individuals who apply for and receive a durational shortage area permit (DSAP) from the CSDE. A DSAP is a one year renewable permit issued to candidates in shortage areas who do not meet all of the CSDE certification requirements. The Bureau of Certification and Professional Development at the CSDE reports that since 1999, a total of 167 DSAPs have been granted for special education teachers and speech and language pathologists. Over the three-year period, 1999 to 2001, the DSAPs issued for special education teachers and SLPs has dramatically increased this year: 18 in 1999, 61 in 2000, and 88 in Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, by the end of the school year, DSAPs will no longer be allowed. The number of vacancies in Connecticut will increase significantly. While the number of vacancies in shortage areas increases, the demand for services continues to grow. With the numbers of students requiring these services, a decrease in need is not expected in the foreseeable future. For example, data from the Birth to Three System indicate the number of children served has increased by 1,657 from FY to FY Data from the CSDE indicate the number of students identified with speech language impairment as a primary disability and those needing speech language services as a related service has increased during the last three years. Speech and language services constituted nearly half of all the services in children s Individualized Educational Plans in the same three years. In addition to an overall shortage, an even greater shortage exists particular to gender and race/ethnicity. Table I illustrates the enormous gap between the race/ethnicity and gender of students and the staff who serve them. 4

7 Table I: Comparison of Race / Ethnicity of K 12 Students with Disabilities and Their Service Providers Demographic Category Connecticut Students with Disabilities, K - 12 Connecticut Special Education Teachers Connecticut Pupil Services Staff SLPs Nationally Female 31.5% 86.4% 80.1% 95.1% Male 68.5% 13.6% 19.9% 19.3% Black 15.3% 2.8% 5.1% 2.2% Hispanic 15.3% 1.8% 3.7% 2.3% White 67.7% 95.0% 90.7% 96.2% (Sources: Connecticut Department of Education Special Education Profiles School Year Data and the ASHA 2001 Omnibus Survey Results) The President s Commission on Excellence in Special Education has identified the capacity of training programs to admit additional numbers of students as a critical issue impacting the number of special education teachers and SLPs (A New Era: Revitalizing Special Education for Children and Their Families, President s Commission on Special Education Report, July 9, 2002). Given current resources (number of faculty, classroom space, budget for adjunct faculty, etc.), many university and college training programs are operating at maximum capacity. Speech-language pathology programs, which have highly prescribed curricula and clinical practice experience requirements, are particularly affected. A related issue identified by the President s Commission is the shortage of doctorally trained faculty in special education and communication disorders. It is becoming increasingly difficult to hire new Ph.D. level faculty. Nationally, the demographics of college and university faculty mirror that of the K-12 teachers in Connecticut. For example, within the next 10 years, more than 50% of the faculty in communication disorders programs will be of retirement age. Nationally, some communication disorders programs have already closed or downsized considerably due to the lack of appropriately trained faculty. The Connecticut Pipeline : The CT CSPD Council Workgroup on Anticipated Personnel Shortages collected data on the number of students graduating from undergraduate and graduate programs in the state in A portion of the survey focused on the number of students expected to complete programs leading to the current comprehensive special education certificate. It is estimated that between 2000 and 2003 a total of 334 students will complete an undergraduate program and 428 will complete graduate programs. This data does not include information on any of the early childhood certifications. Additionally, the number of students currently enrolled in Speech Language Pathology programs in the state is approximately 140. However, there is no guarantee that any of these students will choose to work in Connecticut. 5

8 CSPD Council Workgroup Findings: Following a review of various reports, current legislation, and professional literature coupled with extensive discussion, the workgroup outlined the following understandings: Partnerships: Connecticut s experience with less than effective partnerships across state agencies inhibits: Recruitment efforts in special education and speech / language pathology; Development of articulated educational training programs (from two year programs through graduate programs). Certification: A. Praxis II has not been updated to comport with IDEA 97 (e.g., Part C is still referred to Part H). Students are taught current information in coursework and have to be tutored on outdated information to pass the test. This impacts the candidate pool. B. The CSDE passing standard for Part 2 of Praxis II is higher than the mean and median for ten of the thirteen states using the test. Students who pass the test in their state but whose score is below the Connecticut passing score must retake the test. This reduces the pool of available candidates. C. The current alternate route to certification (ARC) does not include special education. D. Contrary to previous understanding, DSAPs are available from the CSDE to qualifying candidates in the field of speech and language pathology. Recruitment into Educational Programs: A. A misperception exists that admission standards are restricted to a 2.7 or greater GPA which discourages potentially successful candidates from entry into educational training programs. B. There is concern that training programs lack sufficient flexibility to meet the needs of interested/qualified candidates (traditional and nontraditional). C. There is a disproportional representation of white females in the fields of special education and speech and language pathology. Recruitment into Job Vacancies: There are existing avenues for advertising position vacancies but they are not adequately publicized or linked electronically, e.g., The Connecticut Regional Applicant and Placement Program (CTREAP), Connecticut Education Association, the Department of Mental Retardation Health Jobs initiative, Connecticut Speech and Hearing Association (CSHA), and American Speech and Hearing Association and American (ASHA). Legislation: Legislation to address recruitment was proposed during the 2001 and 2002 legislative sessions but was not enacted. 6

9 Grant Funded Programs: A. Potentially fundable LEA activities under Title II A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind) include: Teacher recruitment and retention initiatives Signing bonuses and other financial incentives and pay differentiation initiatives These are applicable to special education teachers but it is not yet clear whether these funds can be used for SLPs as well. B. Financial aid incentives (e.g. The Connecticut Special Education Teacher Incentive Grant Reach for the STARS) are only available to full-time students. There are many prospective students who are required by life circumstances to work full-time and, therefore, are only available for part-time coursework. Recommendations: In developing these recommendations, it became apparent that there are multiple initiatives proposed or underway that address the issues identified in this report. Multiple strategies need to be pursued with strong leadership at the state agencies together with the legislative and executive branches of state government to effectively address the identified shortage areas. The workgroup strongly recommends that the CT CSPD Council initiate efforts to investigate and link initiatives already in place. The workgroup determined that there is insufficient data to determine the impact of job retention issues in Connecticut. The CT CSPD Council should convene a workgroup to look specifically at retention of special education teachers and SLPs working with children birth through twenty-one and to make future recommendations. The following chart lists the workgroup s recommendations for recruitment that are based on a review of national, federal, and state literature and data. Included with the recommendations are budget estimates for new money that is required from the legislature. Other recommendations that have a zero legislative budget request may require funding for strategies that are identified to meet these recommendations. It is assumed that departments will use existing resources to address these recommendations. Many of the recommendations require collaboration among the Connecticut State Department of Education, the Connecticut Birth to Three System, Department of Higher Education, the Department of Labor, Regional Education Service Centers, Institutes of Higher Education including Community Colleges, School Districts, and Birth to Three Programs. 7

10 Recommendations These recommendations were reviewed and revised by the Steering Committee of the CT CSPD Council and then presented to the Full Council for approval in October Revision then occurred in December 2002 and further revision occurred early in 2003 to reflect impact of the FY 04 state budget. RECOMMENDATION 1. CSDE should support, develop, and expand public awareness materials about careers in early intervention, special education, and speech and language pathology to be distributed to middle school and high school guidance counselors, career counselors, and teacher preparation programs. It should include information about certification / credentialing requirements in Birth to Three and other educational settings (0-21) and availability of IHEs that offer cross endorsement programs. 2. CSDE and DMR should develop a partnership with IHEs and DHE to develop initiatives that actively encourage and recruit college students to focus on careers in identified shortage areas in their educational training programs. 3. The CT CSPD Council should investigate successful methodologies for recruiting more males and minorities to these professions and incorporate these methodologies into all materials, existing resources, and recruitment efforts and prepare a efficacy report with specific recommendations for implementation as a comprehensive state-level recruitment plan. 4. The CSDE, through the Bureau of Special Education and Pupil Services and through both support and advocacy of the Commissioner of Education, should inform school districts, RESCs, and private special education facilities of the availability of DSAPs for SLPs through the regular Bureau updates and circular letters to superintendents. (This is a short term solution for due to The No Child Left Behind Act). 5. The Bureau of Special Education and Pupil Services should work with the Birth to Three System should ensure that the proposed Early Intervention Credential includes a process for reciprocity with other states. 6. The CSDE should examine how current reciprocity policies impact the special education shortage. PRIORITY High impact High impact High impact High impact High impact? Impact LEGISLATIVE BUDGET REQUEST $25, FY

11 7. Wherever possible the CT CSPD Council should encourage linkages among all relevant job related websites. For example, CT REAP should include Birth to Three postings and a more descriptive section for posting jobs for SLPs in Birth to Three, school districts, and other educational settings. In addition, the CT REAP SLP jobs section should maintain a link to the CSHA website. The Birth to Three website should contain links to CT REAP. The CT CSPD Council should inform Birth to Three programs, school districts, and teacher preparation programs of this resource. 8. The CT CSPD Council should monitor legislation submitted related to personnel shortages and advocate for the inclusion of special education teachers (all certificates) and SLPs in various proposals when appropriate. 9. The CSDE through its appropriate Bureaus should inform school districts about the new provisions of Title II A of NCLB regarding recruitment incentives and clarify whether these funds can be used for SLPs. 10. The CSDE should propose the increase of funding available for recruitment and retention through: 1) expansion of the Minority Teacher Incentive Grant (scholarship and loan forgiveness initiatives) by 200 students (100 seniors and 100 juniors) and ensure that the initiatives are available to students seeking any special education and SLP certification; 2) creation of financial aid incentives in all shortage areas / certifications; and 3) amendment of requirements in any current or future financial aid incentive initiatives to include part-time undergraduate and graduate students, as well as full-time students, and ensure that the initiatives are available to students seeking any special education and SLP certification. 11. CSDE and DMR should work with DHE to assist Manchester Community College in filling the position of Coordinator for the 2-year Speech Assistant Program (a precursor to enrolling students). High impact High impact High impact High impact (dependent on funding) High impact $2,000, FY05 $2,500, FY06 0 9

12 12. The CT CSPD Council should meet with CSDE, DMR, and IHEs (including Community Colleges) to outline a plan to support and expand articulated educational paths between associate, undergraduate, and graduate programs, for students considering or entering careers in special education and speech / language pathology, including paraprofessionals. 13. The CT CSPD Council should request active collaboration with CSDE and Birth to Three and participate in the development of responsible models for alternative routes to certification for special education teachers (all certificates). 14. The CSDE should examine Praxis II and possibly consider suspending the administration of Praxis II for special educators until either the State Board of Education adopts a new test or Educational Testing Services publishes the updated test, which comports with IDEA 97 (e.g., Part C is still referred to as Part H in the test). 15. The CT CSPD Council should study the impact of the current required passing score of Praxis II Part 2 (155) on personnel shortages: Is the current passing score a barrier to some potentially qualified special education personnel entering the field? 16. The CSDE should consider alternatives for certifying candidates who have passed the Praxis out of state, have relevant teaching experience in another state, yet their score is below passing in Connecticut. 17. The CT CSPD Council should study the issue of sufficient capacity of IHE training programs to address the shortage needs and make recommendations to DHE regarding realignment or expansion. High impact Moderately attainable High impact Hard to attain? impact? impact? impact High impact? 0 (eventual cost for implementation) Tuition based, self sustaining

13 APPENDIX A: Past and Current CT Initiatives B: References C: CT CSPD Council Information 11

14 Appendix A Past and Current CT Initiatives There have been past initiatives and there are also current initiatives nationally and in the state of Connecticut that address issues of recruitment and retention. Some of these initiatives have demonstrated impact. Others need to be expanded to allow them to be available to a greater number of those in the fields of special education and speech and language pathology so that they may have the impact they were designed to achieve. PAST INITIATIVES Five Year Integrated Student Support Services Grant In September 1994, the Connecticut State Department of Education received a five year grant, that was coordinated through the Special Education Resource Center, to improve educational and early intervention services for infants, toddlers, and students with disabilities and their families. The grant application was developed in response to the CT CSPD Council s concern about shortages of OTs, PTs, and SLPs in early intervention, preschool, and school programs. Concurrent issues identified by the Council included: limitations in preservice preparation; difficulty in retaining currently practicing related services personnel in the public school environment; under-developed collaboration and teamwork skills by these professionals; marginal exposure to the discipline of pediatrics; and insufficient orientation to family-focused, interdisciplinary, community-based models of service delivery. The project had four major objectives: 1. increase the number of highly qualified OT / PT / SLP personnel who choose to practice in educational or early intervention settings by developing quality models of preparation; 2. foster the retention of OT / PT / SLP personnel in educational and early intervention programs for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities through increased and improved programs of professional development; 3. improve interdisciplinary collaboration within and across Connecticut institutions of higher education and across agencies / systems so as to provide infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities and their families with integrated related services in more inclusive educational, preschool, and early intervention settings; and 12

15 4. study and develop a plan to implement standards and guidelines for the use of Speech and Language Pathology Assistants (SLPAs), Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants (COTAs) and Physical Therapy Assistants (PTAs) in Connecticut schools, preschools and early intervention programs. The project had numerous outcomes including: a partnership between the University of Connecticut and the University of Hartford in developing an interdisciplinary semester of curricular and practicum experiences for students in OT, PT, SLP, Early Childhood Education, Family Services, and Nursing; a partnership between Southern Connecticut State University s Departments of Early Childhood / Special Education and Communication Disorders and Quinnipiac College s Department of Occupational Therapy in developing interdisciplinary and collaborative related services training opportunities in preschool settings; development of a collaborative workshop on practicum supervision of SLPs, OTs, and PTs in educational settings; curricular revisions at institutions of higher education, including conducting seminars for students about critical issues facing related services professionals in early intervention and educational settings; development of a statewide database of certified OTs, PTs, SLPs, and assistants that can be segmented by region, experience, and area of expertise; collaboration with the Connecticut Speech Language Hearing Association in conducting a job satisfaction survey of school SLPs; development of guidelines for training, using, and supervising SLPAs; changes to the SLP licensure statute regarding the use and supervision of support personnel; collaboration with Manchester Community College in developing an SLPA training program (leading to an Associate s degree), consistent with the requirements of the American Speech Language Hearing Association for such programs; collaboration between SCSU and UCONN to plan for the recruitment and training of bilingual and bicultural speech / language pathologists. 13

16 Legislative Proposals Over the last several years, a number of policy/governance proposals have been put forth, few resulting in action and change: The Governor appointed a Commission on the Teacher and School Administrator Shortage and Minority Recruitment The Commission reported to the General Assembly. The Education Committee reviewed the Commission s report and drafted legislation based on the Commission s recommendations judged most likely to deliver the greatest impact. The Bill was voted out of the Education Committee but was terminated in the Appropriations committee due to cost In August of 2001, the Bureau of Special Education and Pupil Services submitted a proposal to amend the minority teacher incentive program statute (C.G.S. Sec. 10a-168a) to include, within available appropriations, minority students entering undergraduate or graduate education programs in nursing, occupational, or physical therapy and graduate education programs in counseling, psychology and speech and language pathology that prepare graduates of such programs to provide their services in a Connecticut public school. Although the proposal was adopted by the State Board of Education at its November 2002 meeting, it was never acted on by the legislature because of the Department of Higher Education s concerns about the fiscal implications. The Bureau of Special Education and Pupil Services attempted to assure parties that there was no intended additional cost because pupil services specialists were intended to be included in the existing appropriations for the program. However, the proposal failed to go forward in the legislature The Education Committee drafted and voted out a bill incorporating all the no cost or minimal cost items from the previous year s bill. The Office of Fiscal Analysis found some parts of the bill to have significant costs, causing the bill to be referred to the Appropriations Committee, where it died. Efforts were made to revive the bill as an amendment to another bill. The Bill passed the Senate, but arrived on the House floor with a fiscal impact unacceptable to many House members. An amendment was drafted to mitigate the fiscal impact. The clock ran out before it could be amended and sent back to the Senate. 14

17 Licensure Exemption Program In 1985, the state legislature, through Public Act , created a committee to study the licensure and certification processes for public school SLPs related to shortages of these personnel. The committee submitted its report to the legislature on January 15, As a result of the study, Public Act was passed. This legislation allowed individuals with a bachelor s degree with a concentration in speech pathology, who were enrolled in a Master s degree program and had completed 15 graduate credits in that program with no work experience, or had completed 12 graduate credits and worked for three years as a licensed or certified speech pathologist in another state, to be license exempted by the Department of Health for two years. During this period individuals may work under the supervision of a licensed speech pathologist and complete their training programs. With this licensure exemption, the SDE granted SLP certification. This program began on August 15, 1986 and ended on August 15, Approximately five candidates qualified for the licensure exemption during the program s operation. CSDE Grants for Speech Aides During the school years, the CSDE provided discretionary grants to school districts for the employment of aides to assist in the delivery of speech and language services. Ten districts participated in and eight districts continued for the second year. At the end of the project, each district s summary report was compiled into a larger report that was sent to special education administrative personnel in each school district. CSDE Advertisements for SLPs On September 20, 1987, the CSDE placed an advertisement for SLPs in the New York Times, highlighting the salary increases offered through the state s Teacher Enhancement Act. At the November 1987 annual convention of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the CSDE funded a similar advertisement at the association s employment center. Following these efforts, thirteen SLPs from around the country contacted the CSDE s Consultant for School Speech and Language Services to express interest in relocating to Connecticut. However, as candidates explored housing costs in the state, each decided to remain in her current employment setting. NASDSE/ASHA Joint Committee on SLP Shortages In June of 1998, the CSDE received correspondence from the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE) reporting on the result of a NASDSE/ASHA Joint Standing Committee. The committee was set up to develop ongoing communication between the two organizations to address 15

18 SLP shortage issues and the quality and availability of services to students needing them. The correspondence from NASDSE outlined the committees proposed goals and process for state education agencies and institutions of higher education to collaborate in addressing personnel shortages and access to quality services. CURRENT PRACTICES AND INITIATIVES SLP Certification Regulations The teacher certification regulations that are due to go into effect on July 1, 2003 include changes for SLPs that are consistent with the CSDE s shift to competency-based requirements. One of the motivations for these changes was the facilitation of certification of SLPs with experience working with preschool and school age children in settings other than schools (e.g. hospital clinics, private practice, rehabilitation facilities). DSAPS for SLPs The Bureau of Certification and Professional Development has recently begun to grant durational shortage area permits (DSAPs) to eligible SLPs. Candidates with a license from the Department of Public Health (DPH), or a Supervised Professional Year program approved by the DPH, yet do not meet all the regular certification requirements, may be eligible for a DSAP. Other requirements for DSAPs remain in place e.g., the certification of a shortage of certified persons by a district s Board of Education and the written request for the issuance of the permit. The Praxis Examination for CSDE Certification In October 2001, the State Board of Education dropped Part 1 of Praxis II (Application of Core Principles Across Categories of Disabilities). Effective December 31, 2001, the Educational Testing Service eliminated the computerbased Praxis I test and replaced it with the Praxis I Pre-Professional Skills Test. The Praxis I PPST assesses the same basic skills in mathematics. The State Board of Education s passing score for Part 2 of Praxis II (Knowledgebased Core Principles) is 155, which is slightly higher than the mean used by other states. The range of passing scores for the thirteen states using this test is with the mean passing score of and a median score of 150. Students who pass the Praxis II in their state, but whose score is below the Connecticut passing score, must retake the test to meet the Connecticut standard. 16

19 It is reported that Part 2 of Praxis II has not been updated to comport with IDEA 97. University faculty report that this discrepancy requires them to teach legally incorrect information in order for their students to pass the test and simultaneously teach the current information. CT Health Jobs The Department of Mental Retardation (DMR) has developed an initiative with private providers to attract qualified personnel in a cooperative and coordinated manner. To meet this goal, DMR in collaboration with the Department of Labor has created an electronic database for the exclusive use of provider agencies. The system utilizes America s Job Bank (AJB), a nationally recognized employment development agency, free of charge. Application forms are distributed at job fairs and other career-oriented events which ask candidates to identify their area of interest. Early intervention with the Birth to Three System is a category, as are speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy, as well as others. Employers can search the list of candidates by occupation to identify candidates. The Connecticut Regional Applicant and Placement Program (CTREAP) CTREAP is an CSDE online application program for educators using Internet technology. Teachers and administrators seeking positions in the State of Connecticut are invited to post an application. It can be accessed on the CSDE website at Candidates are also able to find out about openings via the postings placed online by the school districts. A review of this program s postings on June 2001 revealed 70 openings for special education teachers and eight for SLPs. The SLP positions were listed under Classroom Teacher: Speech and Dramatics and Education Related Job Opportunities: Other Positions. CSHA Job Listings The Connecticut Speech-Language-Hearing Association (CSHA) maintains an ongoing list of job vacancies for SLPs and of SLPs looking for jobs. The Bureau of Special Education and Pupil Services sends out a notice twice yearly to public schools, RESCs, and approved private special education facilities with information about posting their SLP vacancies with CSHA. This is done prior to the conferences held by the association. The information is compiled along with postings sent directly to CSHA and circulated at the conference at the display of the School Affairs Committee. 17

20 Teachers Mortgage Assistance Program This new program was established in The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) has a low-interest rate mortgage program for certain Connecticut certified full-time and part-time public school teachers who are first time home buyers (or have not had an ownership interest in a principal residence during the past three years). Certain teachers includes those working in a priority or transitional district. They must purchase a home in that district. Teachers working in shortage areas identified by the Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) may purchase statewide. The SDE annually identifies shortage areas. Current areas of shortage for this program that are of interest include comprehensive special education, PreK 12 and speech and language pathology. There is also a down payment assistance program. Further information is available through CHFA at (860) or the agency s website at Data from CHFA indicate that, as of June 2002, of the 93 individuals who closed on a home, 18 (19.3%) were special educators. Of the 14 who were waiting to close, 6 (42%) were special educators. To date no SLPs have participated in this program. This may be due to limited awareness of program availability. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act as Reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, P.L Circular Letter : C 26 from Commissioner of Education Sergi includes information about the new provisions of Title II, Part A. This section of the act allows school districts greater flexibility in the use of funds under this part. Districts may choose from a number of options, including: teacher and principal recruitment and retention initiatives; signing bonuses and other financial incentives; teacher and principal mentoring; reforming tenure systems; merit pay; teacher testing; and pay differentiation initiatives. Manchester Community College Speech and Language Pathology Assistant (SLPA) Training Program In the spring of 2000, the Department of Higher Education granted approval to MCC to establish a two-year SLPA training program that would lead to an associate s degree. Budgetary and college staffing constraints have delayed the start up of this program that should have had its first graduates in the spring of Additionally, there is no clearly articulated career path for these students due to the training requirements evident at University of Connecticut and Southern Connecticut State University. 18

21 State Improvement Grant The Connecticut State Department of Education (SDE) applied for the State Improvement Grant (SIG), Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA, Part D) in December 1999 and received a grant award in August The Department s application grew out of the findings of the 2000 IDEA Self-Assessment process. The grant project has two strategic themes: meeting the diverse learning needs of all Connecticut s infants, toddlers, children, and youth (Birth to 21), including literacy needs; and documenting and addressing current and future personnel shortages via a broad based systems change effort in higher education. By spring 2002, the State Improvement Grant supported 21 partnership projects targeting statewide-identified needs for improvement. Information that is pertinent to the present report on recruitment has been taken from the Department s Grant Performance Report for Continuation Funding, Fiscal Year 2002 (performance reporting period 5/1/01 4/30/02). To address the state s special education teacher shortage, a SIG-funded student financial aid program has been initiated by forging a partnership between the CSDE and the Connecticut Department of Higher Education. The new Special Education Teacher Incentive Grant program, Reach for the STARS, began to award grants in the fall of 2002 to retain candidates in their last two years of special education teacher preparation programs Grant applicants must be fulltime juniors, seniors, 5 th year undergraduates, or graduate students enrolled in one of the six Connecticut special education teacher preparation programs. Connecticut residents (enrolled part-time in selected out-of-state graduate programs) preparing to teach deaf or hearing impaired or blind or visually impaired students are also eligible. Priority is given to minority and bilingual candidates. Connecticut residents, enrolled at selected out-of-state IHEs, who are pursuing graduate level cross-endorsement programs for certification of teachers of the blind / visually impaired and of deaf or hearing impaired students are also eligible to apply for grants. In its second year the SIG partnerships to recruit and prepare bilingual speech and language pathologists provided financial assistance to five graduate students at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) and one student at the University of Connecticut (UCONN). 19

22 The University of Massachusetts Boston, Graduate College of Education / UAP was awarded a Connecticut SIG grant to support a New England collaborative to develop a pre-service program for Teachers of Visually Impaired Students. SIG and / or CSPD funds from the State Departments of Education of Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont are currently contributing to the development of a distance learning web-based teacher preparation program in collaboration and with technical assistance from the National Center on Low Incidence Disabilities at the University of Northern Colorado, as supported by the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education. and In a Request for Proposals (RFP # 123) on September 9, 2000, the Connecticut State Department of Education announced competitive grants for special education program systems change initiatives to address the state s major systems improvement theme of addressing current and future personnel shortages via a broad based systems change effort in higher education. The six Connecticut IHEs (three public and three private) that offer personnel preparation programs in special education were eligible to apply in the RFP priority area, Unification of the Teacher Preparatory Programs to Meet the Diverse Learning Needs of Students. Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) received a grant in Year One and a continuum grant for Year Two. Saint Joseph College responded to a second RFP round and was awarded a grant in spring In the fall of 2001, in a joint initiative between the State Department of Education s Division of Research and Evaluation and the Connecticut Birth to Three System, for the first time the statewide Fall Hiring Survey requested personnel reports from all 41 Connecticut Birth to Three Programs, Additionally, in the fall of 2001, for the first time, hiring data was requested from all public schools, approved private schools, and all Birth to Three Providers for these noncertified related personnel positions: licensed physical therapists and assistants; and licensed occupational therapists and assistants. For the third year, hiring data for paraprofessionals (non-certified positions in Connecticut) were also collected. As a result, a coordinated data system is now in place that more accurately projects the future need for qualified candidates, and assists in the planning of personnel recruitment strategies and the capacity of IHEs to meet the personnel needs of Connecticut s children with disabilities. The CSDE will continue to review and refine annual data collection and data accessibility. 20

23 Alternative Routes to Certification Alternative routes to certification, as opposed to the traditional routes offered by colleges of education, streamline the process of certification to move quality candidates into the classroom on a fast-track basis. Interested individuals must pass the same certification or licensure exams as their traditionally certified peers, but many of the other requirements coursework in education philosophy or methods, pedagogy, practice teaching, etc. are often shortened or waived entirely. Many times, extra support is given to these new teachers once they are in the classroom. By reducing the barriers to entry, these programs enlarge the pool of potential teachers. Initial evidence suggests that retention rates for teachers certified through alternate routes are higher than for teachers who enter the classroom through traditional routes. Nationwide, about 85 percent of teachers certified through alternate routes remain in the classroom five years later (USDE, 2002). The alternative route to certification, while addressing the issue of recruitment, also has additional benefits of addressing minority representation, bringing diversity into the classroom as well as increasing long-term retention. In Texas, for example, while 91 percent of all teachers are white, 41 percent of teachers entering through alternate routes are from minority groups. Moreover, retention rates are higher for African American teachers who entered teaching through an alternate route as compared to their traditionally certified peers. Teachers certified through alternate routes in Texas are also more likely to pass the state s initial certification exam on the first try (USDE, 2002). The Connecticut Alternate Route to Certification (ARC) is a program developed by the Department of Higher Education to attract qualified individuals from fields outside of education into teaching. It consists of either an eight-week period of intensive instruction during the summer (ARC I) or a 24-week period of instruction on Friday evenings and all day Saturday during the school year (ARC II). Courses are designed to prepare candidates in teaching methods and essential skills defined under the Connecticut Common Core of Teaching, reinforcement of the subject area to be taught, and issues regarding the teaching profession. Individuals who complete these programs are supervised for their first two years teaching under the BEST program. The Connecticut ARC Programs prepare individuals to teach in middle school grades 4 8, secondary grades 7 12, music PreK-12, bilingual, art PreK 12, and world languages K 12. Secondary content areas include English, world language, history, social studies, mathematics, and science (biology, chemistry, earth science, general science, and physics). Currently in the state of Connecticut there us not an established alternative route to certification established for special education teachers. 21

24 Additionally other programs such as Troops to Teachers and Teach for America recruit and train offer viable alternative routes to certification. Nationally 11 percent of teachers recruited by Troops for Teachers became special education teachers. Ninety percent of the teachers in the troops for teachers program are male compared to 26% in the overall teaching force. About 30% of the teachers in the program are from a minority or ethnic group, compared to just 10% overall. Paraprofessional Guidelines Through collaborative action of the CT CSPD Council and the State Advisory Council on Special Education, a workgroup was formed in the fall of 2001 to draft guidelines for paraprofessionals for those working with students birth to 21. It is anticipated that the document will be released as a working draft in the fall of It contains an adaptation of the competencies developed from the National Resource Center on Paraprofessionals. The report indicates that proper training and supervision of paraprofessionals will not only serve as a recruitment incentive for paraprofessionals but may serve as a recruitment (and retention) incentive for the professional staff that work with them. CT Educator Shortages: Careers in Special Education Offer Opportunities During , the CT State Department of Education in partnership with the State Department of Higher Education will be initiating a general public information and awareness initiative. This initiative will promote teaching careers in special education and related school personnel such as speech and language pathologists, school psychologists, etc. Copies of five different Public Service Announcements (PSAs) will be made available to all five commercial and thirty cable TV stations in the state. In addition, all public middle and high school guidance/counseling offices and college/university guidance offices will receive brochures and posters promoting career opportunities in special education. Information will be provided about college financial aid for aspiring teacher, including Connecticut s Special Education Teacher Incentive grants, and other scholarship grant loan forgiveness programs such as the Teachers Mortgage Assistance Program. 22