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December 02
2010
Saint Rose
launches new special-ed teaching program
Schenectady set to collaborate on project
The College of
Saint Rose announced at a press conference Wednesday that the
school is launching a new special-education teaching program
that will send trainees into the Schenectady City School
District.
The $1.5
million federal grant will support Project ASPIRE (Adolescence
Special Education Preparation for Inclusive and Reflective
Educators), a five-year dual degree program that will train
college students to teach a core academic subject in high-needs
urban classrooms where students have high-incidence
disabilities. Students who complete the dual degree will
be eligible for New York State certification in both content
areas and as special education generalists for grades 7-12.
Officials from the college said that under the new program,
students will be able to begin field training much earlier.
The Albany City School District is also a partner in the
project.
"The data and
evaluation process embedded in this project will be disseminated
nationally and used to change the teaching methods in
traditional middle and high school classrooms, many of which now
include students with different learning needs," explained Dr.
David Szczerbacki, acting president and provost of the College
of Saint Rose.
Gregory Fields,
associate superintendent of Schenectady High School and Kathy
Lupi, director of special education, will collaborate with the
College of Saint Rose on Project ASPIRE.
Many staff
members within the School of Education at the college praised
the innovative work happening within the Schenectady City School
District and said that they look forward to seeing this project
in action.
"The
administration at the high school level appreciates this teacher
education strategy for developing special education teachers who
are content specialists," said Fields. "The increased
availability of content specialists who are trained to address
the needs of identified students supports the high school
administration's efforts to increase the implementation of
programming that offers students with special needs rigorous
instruction in less restrictive environments."
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