University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Department of Special Education
Practicum in ECSE: 3 - 8
SPECFLD 789 F
Our conceptual framework, The Teacher is a Reflective Facilitator, is the underlying structure in our teacher preparation program at UWWhitewater that gives conceptual meanings through an articulated rationale to our operation. It also provides direction for our licensure
programs, courses, teaching, candidate performance, faculty scholarship and service, and unit accountability. In short, our teacher
education program is committed to reflection upon practice; to facilitation of creative learning experiences for pupils; to constructivism in
that all learners must take an active role in their own learning; to information and technology literacy; to diversity; and to inquiry
(research/scholarship) and assessment. Therefore, all syllabi pertaining to courses required for licensure reflect commitment to these
underlying principles.
SPECFLD 789 F: Practicum in Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE): 3-8 yrs. (1-6
cr.)
Graduate level, professional experience with young children with disabilities (three through eight)
under the guidance of a carefully selected and qualified special educator. Site must be approved
by ECSE faculty.
Prereq: Pass Praxis II, Have no incomplete grades or grades lower than C in SPECED or
SPECFLD courses; 2.75GPA
Text: The University supervisor reserves the right to have students access all previous textbooks
related to the knowledge and skills in early childhood special education.
Additional Resources
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction:
http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsea/een/eligild.html
Reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, H.R. 1350:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:H.R.1350:<<update-043003.doc
Contact Information of University Supervisor:
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University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Department of Special Education
Practicum in ECSE: 3 - 8
SPECFLD 789 F
Listed below are the minimum requirements for Practicum in Early Childhood Special
Education (ECSE): Three through Eight. The student teacher must demonstrate
competencies in knowledge, skills, and dispositions according to the following
professional standards:
Wisconsin Teaching Standards - WTS
(http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsis/tel/stand10.html),
Council for Exceptional Children: Special Education Teachers of Early Childhood
Students Standards– CEC, EC
(http://www.cec.sped.org/Content/NavigationMenu/ProfessionalDevelopment/Profession
alStandards/default.htm) and
National Association for the Education of Young Children - NAEYC Standards at the
Initial Licensure Level
(http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/2001%281%29.pdf).
The cooperating teacher, University supervisor, and the student teacher use the FieldBased Experiences Evaluation to assess the level of proficiency the candidate
demonstrates in each area at the mid-point and again at the end of the student teaching
assignment. The Student Teacher maintains evidence-based instructional activities and
products as outlined below to complete satisfactorily this clinical placement. The
practicum student and cooperating teacher must discuss any adaptations with the
University supervisor at the beginning of the semester and familiarize themselves with
University guidelines posted online. Please, also familiarize yourself with the syllabus.
Thank you for your commitment to excellence in teacher preparation.
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is dedicated to a safe, supportive, and nondiscriminatory learning environment. It is the responsibility of all students to familiarize
themselves with University policies regarding Special Accommodations, Academic
Misconduct, Religious Beliefs Accommodation, Discrimination and Absence for
University Sponsored Events . For details please refer to the Schedule of Classes; the
Academic Requirements and Policies and the Facilities and Services sections of the
Graduate Catalog; and the “Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures (UWS Chapter
14); and the “Student Nonacademic Disciplinary Procedures" (UWS Chapter 17).
Responsibilities of the Student Teacher
A. Professionalism
1.
2.
3.
4.
Be an active and responsive team member by supporting program
personnel, contributing to the goals of the program, and participating in
program activities.
Demonstrate consideration and professionalism with learners, peers, other
professionals and families.
Develop and collect materials to use in instructional activities.
Seek and incorporate feedback from the cooperating teacher and
University supervisor.
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University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Department of Special Education
Practicum in ECSE: 3 - 8
SPECFLD 789 F
B. Specific Instructional Activities and Products Completed in Early Childhood
Special Education Programs (3 – 8)
Required Activities
Maintain a sequenced composite of all lesson
plans, activities, themes, and consultation
meetings
Provide leadership in an IEP meeting.
Notes
Participate in at least one family conference
and when available in family meetings and
home visits.
Conduct an educational assessment for at least
one learner.
Conduct a Functional Behavioral Assessment
Develop a complete, comprehensive IEP for at
least one learner, following the model
available in the placement or an appropriate
substitute (may be a follow up IEP)
Using at least one IEP, develop a complete
program plan for at least one child. Embed
children’s individual objectives into the class
routine through a curriculum/activities matrix.
Be prepared to describe your responsibilities
as classroom teacher including your role in:
-developing and writing all lesson plans for
classroom activities (in collaboration with
the team)
-selecting or developing appropriate
materials and curriculum
-assigning duties to other team members
-providing team leadership as needed
-evaluating the effectiveness of your
performance and demonstrating the ability
to make changes as needed
-maintaining effective management of
behavior
Maintain a narrative and self-assessment
journal following the guidelines provided by
your University Supervisor.
C. Guidelines for Completing Individual Activities
1. Maintain a sequenced composite of routines, weekly schedules, lesson plans,
and consultations throughout the directed teaching assignment.
An overall schedule may show daily routines (i.e. small group, large group, outdoor play,
snack, free play, etc) and consultation meetings with regular educators and caregivers.
Daily routines must then be broken down into weekly schedules in which you identify
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University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Department of Special Education
Practicum in ECSE: 3 - 8
SPECFLD 789 F
projects/lessons/activities/content that are planned for the following week (i.e. “science learning about changing conditions of water”, “introducing the letter W”, etc.). Detailed
lesson/activity/project plans are then written based on the weekly schedule and/or
consultation plans with educators and caregivers.
These lesson/activity plans are helpful in demonstrating
 How you teach content through either a thematic or project-based approach,
 How you plan indoor and outdoor activities,
 How you collaborate with families and community members to incorporate
their resources into your teaching,
 What instructional strategies and approaches you use that provide children
with ample opportunities to practice developmentally appropriate skills
embedded in their daily routines.
A lesson plan template is provided and further guidelines are outlined below.
However, we want you to structure each plan in a way that best helps you prepare
for the specific planning needs in your classroom. You should work with your
University Supervisor regarding how many detailed lesson plans you should
submit. Once your University Supervisor has a clear idea of your thinking
process as you plan instruction, you may use your typical strategy for planning.
The components that are important in planning are outlined here:
 Title of activity/lesson/project and brief description
 Expected overall outcomes for children (linked to Wisconsin Early Learning
Standards - health and physical development, social and emotional
development, language development and communication, approaches to
learning, and cognition and general knowledge). Review WELS at:
http://www.collaboratingpartners.com/wmels-about.php
 Individual children's learning objectives (based on students' IEPs) that the
lesson/activity is targeting, including behavioral criteria (to measure child
progress)
 Environmental preparations
 Needed materials
 How you introduce the activity (incl. family and community resources used)
 The activity process/script (what do you do, say; what do children do, how do
you respond?)
 How activity/lesson will conclude and how you help children transition to the
next routine
 Any curriculum modifications (CM), embedded learning opportunities (ELO),
and child-focused instructional strategies (CFIS) that are incorporated to help
children participate more fully in this activity/lesson. Using the Building
Blocks Model formats for designing CM, ELO, and CFIS may be helpful.
 Evaluations of how well the activity/lesson met the expected group and
individual students’ outcomes.
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University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Department of Special Education
Practicum in ECSE: 3 - 8
SPECFLD 789 F
Lesson Preparation and Analysis Form (children over three years old)
University Student’s Name:
Date:
Child(ren) or Group:
Setting:
Pre-instruction
Behavioral objectives of the activity (expected child outcomes - explain link to IEP goals, as well
as activity goals which might not be on the IEP):
Rationale (Why did I choose this particular activity):
Measurement (of child outcomes - how will I check for individual success in achieving child
outcomes):
Adaptations to individual student needs:
Materials:
Instruction
Description of activity (instructional strategies - script of what I plan to do):
 Transition into the activity
 Introduction
 Activity
 Closing and transition to next activity
Results of Instruction
Problems that might be encountered:
Problems that actually arose:
Behavior management techniques used during activity:
What I learned from this activity:
2. Attend (and participate as appropriate) at least one IEP Team meeting and family
conference:
 Submit a report and reflection about pre-meeting, meeting, and post-meeting
activities you participated in.
 Reflect on what professionals did to assure that positive collaboration and
communication between all involved persons on the team was maintained throughout
the process.
3. Conduct an educational assessment for at least one learner. This includes writing a
report.
4. Conduct a Functional Behavioral Assessment. During Inservice Practicum, conduct
a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) for a child whose behavior(s) meets all the
indicators that warrant an FBA. Based on the FBA, design a positive behavior support
plan, also called a functional behavioral plan. Show the effectiveness of the plan through
data collection as the plan is implemented.
5. Develop and complete a comprehensive IEP for at least one learner in your
program, following the model available in your placement or an appropriate substitute.
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University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Department of Special Education
Practicum in ECSE: 3 - 8
SPECFLD 789 F
6. Using a child’s IEP, develop a complete program plan for at least one child. This
is an expansion of the IFSP/IEP in which you describe how to embed a child’s individual
learning objectives into the daily home or class routine. Consultations with educators and
caregivers must be documented as part of this activity.
 This can be accomplished through designing curriculum/activity matrixes based on a
child’s learning objectives and routines, in which the child will be given opportunities
to practice the targeted skills.
 Document the child’s progress throughout the semester to be able to determine how
well your lessons, activities, or instructional strategies facilitated his/her learning of
targeted skills.
 Complete activity matrixes and provide progress documentation for all children.
7. Maintain a weekly narrative/progress report that focuses on critically analyzing the
events of the previous week. Send a reflective journal entry to your university supervisor
each week electronically, or mail depending on her preference. The journal entry should
address the following questions or others as determined by the university supervisor:
 What was the best part about my instruction this week? Highlight important
accomplishments and growth opportunities.
 What would you change if you were to do the week over?
 How did you feel about your interaction with the child(ren)? Why?
 How did you feel about your interactions with other professionals, family
members and/or care givers? Why?
 How did you work as a partner with your cooperating teacher? Why?
 What areas or practices do you target for improvement?
 What resources can you identify that will help you improve the targeted areas?
What resources can your cooperating teacher or university supervisor assist you
with?
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