Table of Contents:
  • Digest of Standards for the Accreditation of Personnel Preparation Programs of Nationally Recognized Special Education and Related Services Organizations. Accreditation (Institutions) Certification College Faculty Curriculum Deafness Disabilities Elementary Secondary Education Eligibility Evaluation Criteria Governance Higher Education Occupational Therapy Physical Therapy Professional Associations Professional Education Program Evaluation Psychology Resources School Psychologists Social Work Special Education Special Education Teachers Speech Therapy Standards Student Characteristics Teacher Certification Teacher Characteristics Teacher Education Therapists This digest summarizes the professional standards for accreditation of personnel preparation programs developed by seven organizations concerned with special education and related services. The seven organizations include the: American Occupational Therapy Association, American Physical Therapy Association, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council for Exceptional Children, Council on Education of the Deaf, Council on Social Work Education, and National Association of School Psychologists. For each organization, seven categories of information are outlined: (1) eligibility of programs for accreditation; (2) curriculum (overall institutional, core curriculum, and other special requirements); (3) relationship to the world of practice (clinical and field-based experience, follow-up of graduates, and relationship with the field); (4) students (admission, monitoring, advisory services, exit criteria, multicultural groups, and persons with disabilities); (5) faculty (qualifications, faculty load, faculty development, and faculty evaluation); (6) governance (relationship of program to institution, authority/autonomy, structure and administration, and planning); and (7) resources (personnel, fiscal, facilities, library, equipment, and supplies). (JDD)