Abstract
The Georgia P-16 Initiative provided an opportunity for Georgia Southern University to revisit the College of Education's conceptual framework. This initiative, coupled with the statewide move from a quarter to semester course delivery format, allowed development and implementation of programmatic changes focused on (a) raising standards in the preparation of teachers, (b) modeling instruction in the area of effective teaching strategies for all grades and in all education settings, and (c) placing qualified and competent teachers in P-12 classrooms. In response to this opportunity, the Special Education Program redesigned its undergraduate curriculum to more closely reflect the core competencies identified by The Council for Exceptional Children, the Georgia Professional Standards Commission, and the National Collegiate Accreditation of Teacher Education. To measure the effectiveness of programmatic changes and follow the development of its students, the program developed and implemented portfolio assessment procedures. These procedures were designed to require periodic checking of the students' growth throughout the two years of upper division special education course work. Implementation of the portfolio process, though in its infancy, appears to have positive implications for the growth of students.
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