N.H. Admin. Code § Ed 507.41

Current through Register No. 50, December 12, 2024

Section Ed 507.41 - Early Childhood Special Education Teacher

(a) To be licensed as an early childhood special education teacher, the candidate shall have at least a bachelor's degree;

(b) A candidate for licensure as early childhood special education teacher for children from birth through grade 3 shall have skills, competencies, and knowledge in the following areas:

(1) In the area of foundations, the candidate shall have the ability to:

a. Describe the philosophies, historical perspectives, theories, models, federal law, state law, and case law related to knowledge and practice in early childhood education and special education;

b. Understand how philosophical and historical perspectives influence professional practice;

c. Understand the role of families in supporting the development of a young child's ability to learn, interact socially, and live as a contributing member of the community;

d. Understand the functions of early childhood settings, schools, school systems, community systems, and other agencies and their relationships to early childhood education and special education; and

e. Understand the components of a legally defensible education program;

(2) In the area of development and characteristics of learners, the candidate shall have the ability to:

a. Describe the similarities and differences in human growth and development of young children with and without disabilities, within and across cognitive, academic, developmental, social, emotional and behavioral, temperament, language, sensory, diversity, and physical areas;

b. Define the characteristics and their respective educational implications of all types of disabilities as described in federal statutes, federal regulations, and Ed 1100;

c. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding diversity, families, communities, gender, and society that influence learning; and

d. Demonstrate understanding of the influence of environment, co-existing conditions, and disabilities on young children;

(3) In the area of learning differences, the candidate shall have the ability to:

a. Understand and utilize the results of a young child's evaluations, assessments, and other information from a variety of sources, including parents and young children, to identify academic, developmental, social, emotional, behavioral, and functional skills;

b. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the learning differences, preferences, and needs of young children with disabilities including multiple influences of human growth and development in collaboration with team members in the development of individualized family service programs (IFSP) and individualized education programs (IEP);

c. Understand how the learning differences, preferences, and needs of young children with disabilities affect progress in preschool activities, the general curriculum, extracurricular activities, and other nonacademic areas;

d. Identify levels of special education services, supplementary aids and services, and support for school personnel to create inclusive instructional opportunities that accommodate diverse learning needs;

e. Understand and utilize the diverse range of a young child's approaches to learning and the range of modifications and accommodations that can be used to support learning;

f. Understand the concept of least restrictive environment and the continuum of educational environments; and

g. Recognize the relationships among a young child's academic, social, emotional, behavioral and functional abilities, attitudes and interests on the activities of young children and instruction;

(4) In the area of learning and social environments, the candidate shall have the ability to:

a. Incorporate research based instructional frameworks to promote access, equity, and respect for all children in the early childhood and general education environments;

b. Use effective routines, clear expectations and procedures to create safe, caring, respectful, and productive learning environments;

c. Use of range of preventive and responsive practices documented as effective to support individuals' social, emotional, and educational well-being;

d. Collaboratively select, administer, analyze, and interpret multiple measures of a young child's learning, behavior, and the classroom environment to evaluate and adapt classroom settings utilizing interventions and adapting instruction;

e. Structure learning environments and activities to develop and foster a young child's self-awareness, self-management, self-regulation, self-reliance, and self-esteem; and

f. Provide positive and constructive feedback to guide a young child's learning and behavior;

(5) In the area of assessment, the candidate shall have the ability to:

a. Understand the federal law, state law, and administrative rules pertaining to young children with disabilities, for required assessments and qualified examiners by disability type for the evaluation of young children with disabilities as part of assessment related to the special education process;

b. Understand early childhood services and supports, birth up to age 3, and the transition process from the IFSP to the IEP by age 3;

c. Understand procedures and timelines for the referral, evaluation, and determination of eligibility for special education and related services;

d. Understand and utilize the range of informal assessments, instruments, and results and their purpose in the special education process for making educational decisions;

e. Collaboratively select, administer in native language, or communication mode, or both, and interpret multiple formal and informal, culturally and linguistically appropriate measures and procedures that are valid and reliable, understand their limitations, and demonstrate the ability to write a formal report;

f. Systematically use data from a variety of sources to identify the function served by problem behavior to plan, implement, and evaluate behavioral interventions; and

g. Assess, analyze, interpret, and communicate a young child's progress towards measurable outcomes, using technology as appropriate, to inform both short and long-term planning and make ongoing adjustments to instruction.

(6) In the area of instructional planning and strategies, the candidate shall have the ability to:

a. Collaboratively plan and participate in best practices in co-teaching to strengthen learning and achievement in preschool activities, home setting, and the general education curriculum for young children with disabilities;

b. Incorporate supports, services, and supplementary aids, including equipment, materials, and assistive technology, across all environments;

c. Design and implement effective strategies that promote active engagement, increase motivation, and enhance self-regulation of a young child's learning;

d. Utilize evidence-based interventions and strategies from multiple approaches validated for specific characteristics of learners based on formative and summative assessment, to create and implement lesson plans for academic, social, and behavioral content that are responsive to diverse backgrounds;

e. Support the implementation of annual measurable goals, with specially designed instruction, accommodations, and modifications;

f. Provide specially designed instruction in order to increase accuracy and proficiency in basic social-emotional, early language/communication, early literacy, early writing, and early numeracy skill development for young children with disabilities;

g. Identify and explicitly teach foundations of learning, executive functioning, and social skills;

h. Use individualized strategies to enhance language development and communication skills; and

i. Use progress monitoring from ongoing assessment data to evaluate instruction and a young child's performance, and make responsive adjustments to instruction, individual family support program, or individual education program;

(7) In the area of curricular content and knowledge, the candidate shall have the ability to:

a. Use theories and research that form the basis of play-based learning, preschool activities, curriculum development, and instructional practices;

b. Use state and local content standards or guidelines for planning, teaching, accommodating, and assessing to individualize learning across all settings;

c. Use technology related to curriculum content for planning and managing teaching and learning environments; and

d. Integrate effective social and life skills within the early childhood setting;

(8) In the area of professional practice, the candidate shall have the ability to:

a. Identify organizations and publications relevant to young children with disabilities;

b. Identify sources of unique services, networks, and organizations for young children with disabilities;

c. Describe the rights and responsibilities of schools, young children, families, teachers, and other professionals related to the identification, placement, and services of young children with disabilities in accordance with procedural safeguards of Ed 1120 and 34 CFR 300.504, May 2017, as referenced in Appendix II; and

d. Understand how issues of human diversity can impact families, cultures, and schools in the delivery of special education services; and

(9) In the area of collaboration, the candidate shall have the ability to:

a. Utilize communication, group facilitation, and problem-solving strategies in a culturally responsive manner to lead effective meetings and share expertise and knowledge to build team capacity and jointly address a young child's instructional and behavioral needs;

b. Collaborate, communicate, and coordinate with families, paraprofessionals, and other professionals across all educational settings to assess, plan and implement effective programs and services that promote progress toward measurable outcomes for young children with and without disabilities and their families;

c. Collaborate, communicate, and coordinate with professionals and state and local agencies within the community to identify and access services, resources, and supports to meet the identified needs of young children with disabilities and their families;

d. Advocate for and secure appropriate services for young children with disabilities; and

e. Foster respectful and beneficial relationships between families and professionals through the use of meaningful parent engagement;

(c) Each candidate for licensure as an early childhood special education teacher for young children from birth through grade 3 shall have the following skills, competencies, and knowledge through a combination of academic and supervised field-based experiences:

(1) Skill in engaging with young children with and without disabilities from birth through grade 3; and

(2) Ability to engage in the full range of teaching activities, roles, and responsibilities encountered in the school and community settings of a young child with disabilities;

(d) Early childhood special education licensure shall qualify a teacher to provide special education services to young children with disabilities:

(1) For young children from birth through age 3, who receive early supports and services;

(2) For young children from age 3 up to kindergarten, whose placement is in an early childhood program or an early childhood special education program; and

(3) For young children in kindergarten through grade 3, who are eligible to receive special education services and who are able to benefit from general and special education but do not require the specialized knowledge and skills of an educator certified under one or more of the programs defined in Ed 507.42 through Ed 507.47; and

(e) "General education," as used in (d)(3) above means instruction in a setting that has the inclusion of children with disabilities in proportion to their presence in the general population utilizing the curriculum of the elementary school and taught by a certified elementary or early childhood teacher, with supports from special education personnel, as necessary.

N.H. Admin. Code § Ed 507.41

#8229, eff 12-17-04; ss by #9157, eff 7-1-08

Amended by Volume XXXVI Number 36, Filed September 8, 2016, Proposed by #11153, Effective 8/16/2016, Expires 8/16/2026.

Amended by Volume XXXIX Number 46, November 14, 2019, Proposed by #12898, Effective 10/11/2019, Expires 4/8/2020.

Amended by Volume XL Number 19, Filed May 7, 2020, Proposed by #13023, Effective 4/9/2020, Expires 10/6/2020.

Amended by Volume XL Number 41, Filed October 8, 2020, Proposed by # 13099, Effective 9/11/2020, Expires 9/11/2030.