Collaborative Programs in General and Special Teacher Education: An Action Guide for Higher Education and State Policymakers
This Action Guide, which is based on a typology of dominant models of collaborative teacher preparation, is designed to provide higher education and state policymakers with an analysis of critical considerations in moving this work ahead to prepare all teachers to work with students who have disabilities. This revised version includes specific examples from colleges and universities and from states that are moving in this direction.

2007 CTQ Invitational Forum Digital Notebook

In October 2002, the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), through its Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC), was awarded funding from the Office of Special Education Programs at the US Department of Education to develop a national center to work with states on developing models for improving the preparation, licensing, and professional development of both GENERAL and SPECIAL education teachers of students with disabilities. The award totals approximately $5 million over 5 years.

CCSSO is collaborating with the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE), the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the federal Regional Resource Centers (RRCs), and the federal comprehensive centers in creating and implementing the new center.

The center is building on INTASC's work of developing model policies that can help states drive systemic reform of their teacher licensing systems, particularly INTASC's Model Standards for Licensing General and Special Education Teachers of Students with Disabilities: A Resource for State Dialogue. A description of INTASC's model state teacher policy efforts is included on our homepage.

The center's strategies for helping states reform, improve, and align their teacher licensing systems for teachers of students with disabilities includes

• hosting an annual forum each year for all states to come together to draft and refine state-specific action plans and to share ideas (the center will cover costs for states to send three team members)
• conducting case-based studies in 6-8 states to document the change process
• providing brokered, customized technical assistance to states
• providing limited grant monies to support states' reform processes
• creating within-state and across-state learning communities (via in-person, phone, and electronic communications) whereby states can share their expertise, best practices, and successful strategies

In return for these services, the center requests that states agree to do the following:

• organize a three-member team that is fully committed to attending the forums and working with the Center over the next five years to effect reform in both general and special education in their state
• provide the center with periodic reports of their change process and successes so that we can build a repository of best practices and lessons learned to share with other states
• participate in the forums and other Center activities including presenting on their state's progress
• share knowledge and expertise and be willing to peer assist other states