Professional Goals, Hopes and Dreams

Professional Goals, Hopes and Dreams

High-quality prekindergarten is the hot topic in Texas.  As the early childhood special education specialist at one of the twenty regional education service centers, I partner with the general education early childhood specialist to provide guidance, resources, and information of state policies and procedures.  The Texas Education Agency (TEA) intends to “partner with families, schools and communities, TEA provides support for effective and aligned early learning opportunities, policies and programs that support a highly-skilled early learning workforce, provide resources that engage and support development of young children, and provide access to high-quality 3- and 4-year-old prekindergarten” (TEA, n.d.).

In 2017, the Texas Legislature passed Rider 78 which requires state-funded prekindergarten programs to provide high-quality early childhood education that is consistent with the High-Quality Prekindergarten program requirements per the Texas Education Codes.  “These requirements include use of a curriculum aligned with the Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines, increased prekindergarten teacher training and/or qualifications, implementation of student progress monitoring, program evaluation and development of a family engagement plan” (TEA, n.d.).  Even though, districts and charter schools that offer prekindergarten programs are not currently required to comply with the High-Quality Prekindergarten requirements, many are choosing to.

To meet the teacher requirements of the High-Quality Prekindergarten program, teachers must be certified, and have a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, Montessori certification, 8 years teaching experience at an accredited child care program, completed at least 150 cumulative hours of documented professional development, or a graduate or undergraduate degree in early childhood education or early childhood special education.  Sadly, there are more teachers teaching in prekindergarten that do not meet these requirements.  For teachers who do not meet these requirements and not completed at least 150 cumulative hours, they will be required to complete the 150 cumulative professional development hours within a five-year-period.  These teachers must complete “the first 30 hours of 150 cumulative hours of documented professional development before the end of the school year. The professional development shall address topics relevant to high-quality prekindergarten including, but not limited to: 1. The revised 2015 Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines; 2. The use of student progress monitoring results to inform classroom instruction; 3. Improving the prekindergarten classroom environment to enhance student outcomes; and 4. Improving the effectiveness of teacher interaction with students as determined by an evaluation tool and the additional hours in the subsequent four years in order to continue providing instruction in a high-quality prekindergarten classroom; and at least half of the hours required shall include experiential learning, practical application, and direction interaction with specialists in early childhood education, mentors or instructional coaches” (TEA, n.d.).

At the education service center, my early childhood counterpart and I provide a wide range of professional development opportunities to teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals that meet the High-Quality Prekindergarten requirements.  We visit schools and their prekindergarten classrooms in our regional area to provide guidance, instructional and environmental coaching.  While she focuses her coaching and mentoring on curriculum aligned instruction, progress monitoring, and family engagement plans, I prefer to focus on the classroom environment becoming a safe, nurturing learning environment that provides a classroom arrangement, management system, visual supports, structures, and materials that are developmentally appropriate for all students.  We encourage teachers to attend workshops and training sessions at the educational service center or around the state of Texas.

As a special education specialist, I primarily focus on meeting the social-emotional, physical, linguistic, and cognitive needs of children with special needs receiving special education services in a self-contained special education classroom or in a general education prekindergarten classroom.  There are children in prekindergarten classrooms that may not have been identified as having a disability or needing special education services.  These children may need modifications and accommodations to meet their social-emotional, linguistic, and cognitive needs, too.  If a learning environment is set up to meet the developmental needs of three-, four-, and five-year-old children, then there is a greater chance that all children, no matter their abilities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and culture will attain a high-quality early childhood education experience.

As a specialist at the educational service center, I can provide recommendations, resources, and guidance.  I am non-regulatory, which means I cannot enforce policies, procedures, or regulations.  At times this is very frustrating.  At times, I leave schools and classrooms feeling deflated and powerless.  At this time, reentering the classroom as an early childhood educator is not an option, so after I complete my coursework and earn my master’s degree in Early Childhood, I am thinking about focusing my professional energy and knowledge and passion for high-quality early childhood towards preparing future educators at the college level.  I may not be able to change the habits, beliefs, perspectives, and practices of the teachers currently teaching three- and four-year-olds, but maybe I can share my knowledge, skills, and beliefs with future early childhood educators and guide their paths and assist them in becoming the highly-qualified, high-quality early childhood teachers all children need and deserve.

Reference:

Texas Education Agency (TEA). (n.d.) Early Childhood Education in Texas.  Retrieved December 15, 2018 from https://tea.texas.gov/earlychildhoodeducation.aspx.

Texas Education Agency (TEA). (n.d.) High-Quality Prekindergarten Program.  Retrieved December 15, 2018 from https://tea.texas.gov/earlychildhoodeducation.aspx.