Evolution of Professional Standards: Reflecting on the Past to Inform the Future

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33043/4xar7q4x

Keywords:

early intervention/early childhood special education professional standards, early intervention/early childhood special education personnel standards, early intervention/early childhood special education personnel preparation, preservice preparation, professional development

Abstract

Clearly defined professional standards result in better prepared professionals who positively impact outcomes for children and families by ensuring an effective workforce. This article describes the evolution of early intervention early/childhood special education preparation standards from the on-the-job competencies of the 1960s to the historic 2020 Initial Practice-Based Professional Standards for Early Interventionists/Early Childhood Special Educators (EI/ECSE Standards), in concert with the evolution of the profession itself. Influencing factors include (a) changes in federal legislation and policy, (b) ages and characteristics of children served, (c) growing knowledge of effective practices, (d) collaboration with other disciplines, and (e) ongoing advocacy for EI/ECSE as a profession. The article concludes with a vision for using these EI/ECSE Standards to guide the future local, state, and national agenda of the profession around preservice preparation and accreditation, professional development, state and federal policy, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and standards-informed research.

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Author Biographies

Vicki D. Stayton, Ph.D., Western Kentucky University

Dr. Vicki Stayton is Distinguished University Professor Emerita in the School of Teacher Education at Western Kentucky University where she coordinated the undergraduate and graduate Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education programs. She is currently a consultant for the OSEP-funded Early Childhood Personnel Center (ECPC) and is Consultant for Professional Standards for the Division for Early Childhood (DEC). Her research interests focus on blended early childhood education and early childhood special education personnel preparation and the use of standards for licensure. She served as liaison from ECPC to the Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education Professional Standards Development Task Force. She is a past president of the Division of Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children and recently chaired DEC’s Personnel Preparation Committee.

Jennifer L. Kilgo, Ph.D., Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Dr. Jennifer L. Kilgo is a University Professor and Coordinator of the Graduate Program in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Jennifer’s focus at UAB is on interdisciplinary preparation of professionals representing multiple disciplines through federally funded projects. Her scholarship has focused on interprofessional preparation, teaming, and family partnerships. Jennifer has served in national leadership positions through the Division of Early Childhood (DEC). She has worked with young children with delays and disabilities, families, and other community stakeholders throughout her career as an early interventionist, special educator, and professor at the University of Hawaii, Virginia Commonwealth University, and UAB.

Jeanette A. McCollum, Ph.D., Department of Special Education, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana

Dr. Jeanette McCollum is a Professor Emerita at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, where she developed and then for many years coordinated the Master's and Doctoral programs in Early Childhood Special Education. She has worked extensively on national and state policy and practice committees and in leadership positions related to ensuring that young children and their families receive services from highly qualified personnel. Dr. McCollum has published extensively in the professional literature and has received a number of state and national awards for her service to the field and for her work in personnel preparation.

Dr. Karin Lifter, Department of Applied Psychology, Northeastern University

Dr. Karin Lifter is a Professor in the Department of Applied Psychology at Northeastern University in Boston. She directs the Interdisciplinary Certificate Program in Early Intervention, which prepares personnel to serve infants and toddlers with disabilities, or at risk for developmental delay, and their families. She also is a member of the master’s/CAGS/PhD team in School Psychology. Dr. Lifter teaches courses in development, disabilities, assessment, and intervention. She chaired the work team (2003 – 2008) to revise and validate standards for Early Childhood/Early Intervention (ECSE/EI) personnel at both the initial and advanced levels. She received the 2016 Merle Karnes Award for Service to the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). Dr. Lifter conducts both descriptive and intervention studies on the play, language, and social development of young children with and without disabilities, bridging cognitive and behavioral theories.

Ann Mickelson, Ph.D., Department of Special Education and Child Development, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Dr. Ann M. Mickelson is an assistant professor of special education and child development at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her research centers on collaborative approaches to educator preparation and authentic partnerships with families and professionals to promote meaningful and equitable inclusion. She currently serves on the Division for Early Childhood’s (DEC’s) executive board as a member-at-large and is a member of its Personnel Preparation committee. She was also a member of the EI/ECSE Standards Development Task Force.

Megan L. Purcell, Ph.D., Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Purdue University

Dr. Megan Purcell is Clinical Associate Professor in Human Development and Family Science at Purdue University. In addition to responsibilities in teaching and field supervision, Dr. Purcell serves as the coordinator for the Early Childhood Education and Exceptional Needs undergraduate program. She has been preparing early childhood educators and early interventionists/early childhood special educators for over 20 years. Additionally, Dr. Purcell serves in the presidential lines for the Executive Boad of the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children and for the Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children. She was also a member of the EI/ECSE Standards Development Taskforce.

Christine M. Spence, Ph.D., School of Education, Virginia Commonwealth University

Dr. Christine Spence is an assistant professor of special education at Virginia Commonwealth University, program faculty for Virginia Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND), and the program coordinator for the Early Childhood Special Education programs (BSEd and MEd). Her research focuses on 1) analyzing and delivering personnel preparation and professional development focused on culturally responsive teaching and learning; 2) hearing the voices of families engaged in and impacted by the early childhood and disability-focused services and systems; and 3) investigating the systems themselves, particularly focused on collaboration between systems (i.e., developmental and medical, educational and child welfare).

Cynthia O. Vail, Ph.D., Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education, University of Georgia

Dr. Cynthia Vail is a Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Special Education at the University of Georgia. She has spent her academic career at UGA where she developed the Early Childhood Special Education undergraduate and graduate programs. Dr. Vail directed numerous federally funded DOE, Office of Special Education Program grants. Her research interests include teacher collaboration through peer coaching, partnering with families, and fostering play in young children with challenging behaviors.  Her recent national service activities include serving on ECSE/EI SDTF and serving as the President for the Higher Education Consortium for Special Education (HECSE). She also provides leadership in Georgia as the personnel preparation representative for the State Interagency Coordinating Council for Early Intervention Programs.

Hasan Zaghlawan, Ph.D., School of Special Education, University of Northern Colorado

Dr. Hasan Y. Zaghlawan is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Special Education at the University of Northern Colorado. He coordinates the master’s program in Early Childhood Special Education. His research interests focus on the early social and communication development of young children with autism and challenging behavior and applying single-subject research design to support effective practices for exceptional learners. Dr. Zahglawan also served on the EI/ECSE Standards Development Task Force.

Erin E. Barton, Ph.D., Barton Consulting, LLC

Dr. Erin E. Barton, PhD, BCBA-D, is an international consultant and founder of Barton Consulting, LLC. She is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst and directs research projects related to evidence-based practices for young children, policies and practices that support high quality inclusion, and effective professional development systems. Dr. Barton has over 120 publications related to evidence-based practices, serves on several editorial boards, and is the Editor-in-Chief of Topics in Early Childhood Special Education and an Associate Editor for the Journal of Early Intervention and Remedial and Special Education. She received the 2021 Peabody Faculty Excellence Award: Service to Students and 2020 Chancellor’s Faculty Fellow at Vanderbilt University. She was also the recipient of the 2019 Merle B. Karnes Award for Service to the Division for Early Childhood and the 2017 Distinguished Early Career Research Award from the Division for Research of the Council for Exceptional Children. 

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Published

05/01/2024

How to Cite

Stayton, V., Kilgo, J., McCollum, J., Lifter, K., Mickelson, A., Purcell, M., … Barton, E. (2024). Evolution of Professional Standards: Reflecting on the Past to Inform the Future . Journal of Special Education Preparation, 4(1), 10–22. https://doi.org/10.33043/4xar7q4x

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2024)

Section

Special Issue on Early Childhood

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Vicki D. Stayton, Ph.D., Jennifer L. Kilgo, Ph.D., Jeanette A. McCollum, Ph.D., Dr. Karin Lifter, Ann Mickelson, Ph.D., Megan L. Purcell, Ph.D., Christine M. Spence, Ph.D., Cynthia O. Vail, Ph.D., Hasan Zaghlawan, Ph.D., Erin E. Barton, Ph.D.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.