Utah's Response to Critical Issues and Needs

Abstract

The Utah State Board of Education adopted new special education certification standards in 1987, resulting in the establishment of cross-categorical endorsements in the specialty areas of mildly/moderately handicapped students and severely/profoundly handicapped students. While students eligible for special education services are assessed and categorized consistent with federal definitions of handicapping conditions, the state of Utah is striving to provide services for each special needs student based on student need rather than a specific label. The University of Utah has addressed critical and controversial issues regarding the preparation of special educators by developing an experimental noncategorical, field-based teacher education program to prepare educators to teach students with mild to moderate handicaps. The major component of the experimental program is that half of the program involves field experiences prior to student teaching. Teacher candidates must demonstrate mastery of specific objectives during courses and field experiences to receive an endorsement. This article examines issues and trends that contributed to the development of the teacher preparation program, provides a description of the experimental program, and discusses future directions.