Special Education Learning Experiences for Competency in Teaching (SELECT)
Project Description:
With the shortage of special education teachers around the state, it is becoming increasingly important to fully train and certify teachers in that field.
SELECT is a federally funded program sponsored by the Arizona Department of Education. The program is addressing the statewide shortages in special education teachers.
SELECT primarily emphasizes coursework to personnel working on emergency special education certification. The classes also meet re-certification requirements for regular and special education teachers and SELECT courses provide special education training to people who want to expand their skills in working with children with disabilities.
SELECT courses are graduate level and are equivalent to courses taught at state colleges and universities. The one valuable difference is that the SELECT program offers these classes outside of a degree program. This means that SELECT allows people who don't have the time or the resources to complete a degree program access to the same classes and the same information statewide.
Until recently, SELECT courses have been taught in a regular lecture format but now several SELECT classes are online or are taught through Northern Arizona University interactive television as well. The online courses make it possible for someone in a rural area, who has access to a computer, to take these classes without having to leave home-- or miss a day of teaching to travel to a class. The interactive television classes are much the same as a lecture class but instructor and students may be in different parts of the state - they see and hear each other via a large-screen television. With these new technological teaching methods SELECT is able to make classes available to a wider population of Arizona teachers and others working with children with disabilities.
Keyword(s):
Comprehensive System of Personnel Development
Core Function(s):
Training Trainees
Area of Emphasis
Quality Assurance, Education & Early Intervention, Other
Target Audience:
Students/Trainees (long or intermediate trainees), Professionals and Para-Professionals
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
State
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
