SPECIAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
Meeting Minutes
January 10, 2013
Department members in attendance: Dr. Christopher Bloh; Prof. Kathryn Buschan; Dr.
Nicole Johnson; Dr. Diane King; Dr. Debra K. Lynch, Chair; Dr. David Ross; Dr.
Kathleen Stanfa.
Dr. Darrell Garber, Chair (in-part)
The meeting was called to order at 9:00am by Dr. Lynch.
Competencies Across the Curriculum (writing intensive, visual literacy, etc.)
 The course competencies are 21 credits, and all students starting in Fall
2011 will have to meet them. An example is ITC 321CIVL, the course
must have the letters behind the course number in order to count. It the
student transfers the course in, we can do a substitution. For the
categories, the following may be used:
o CD – EEU 211 (PreK-4) or ELU 212 (4-8). Dr. Lynch will talk
with Dr. Burnett about potentially using these.
o CI – ITC 321
o CT – SPU 320 (Approved 1/10/13)
o VL – ITC 321
o WI – SPU 318, SPU 328, SPU 330
o WI – Vision Courses
New Degree in Special Education without Certification
 The department is working on a Non-License Educational Studies Track
(MPH). A 2.5 gpa would be required. This program would erase the
PAPA barrier, and will be for students that find they don’t want to work
with children. The Orientation & Mobility Vision (SPU 200) class may be
included. It should be written so the requirements and electives will have
some flexibility. The general education class (first 48 credits) will be the
same. The grid sheet will be similar to that of General Studies. It must be
able to fit into MyKU (like minors).
 Possible non-Special Education courses to be included in the program
would be:
o COM 130 – Interpersonal Communication
o EDU 100 – Introduction to Education
o EEU 130 – Early Childhood Development: Theories and Practice
o EEU 211 – Family Collaboration and Diversity
o PSY 110 – Child Psychology
o PSY 120 – Adolescent Psychology
o PSY 125 – LifeSpan Development
o PSY 220 – Industrial/Organizational Psychology
o PSY 250 – Abnormal Psychology
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o PSY 311 – Learning Motivation and Emotion
o SOC 120 – Marriage and the Family
o SWK 100 – Introduction to Social Work
o SWK 130 – Poverty and Social Welfare
o Also possible Business or Sports & Recreation classes
Special education (MPH) courses to be included would be as follows, and
may include special sections for the program, and may not be offered
every semester:
o SPU 101 – Early Intervention and Transition
o SPU 201 – Cognitive Development and Instruction
o SPU 314 – Effective Instructional Strategies
o SPU 327 – Secondary Special Education Transition Services
o SPU 3XX – Internship (3-6 credits) – in place of student teaching
The program is projected to be ready for fall 2014.
Students could start on this track while undeclared, and they would then
be on track if they make it into the major. This will also help with the
retention and completion rate.
Curriculum Back Mapping, Core Assignments, Course Content, Observation Hours
 SPU 201 will have a Disability Reflection.
 All PDE 430’s should be uploaded to TaskStream in starting in spring
2013.
 The Core Assignment lists should be sent to Dr. Lynch.
 The assessments must be linked to competencies. There should be a
shared website or place on D2L with all syllabi. The competencies must
be aligned with PDE. The courses that Dr. Stanfa used for the NCATE
assessment were SPU 201, SPU 316, SPU 318, SPU 320, SPU 322 and
SPU 330 using gpa.
 SPU 314 may be removed, with a new course added that is not for Special
Education students, as this course is not used for the NCATE data, and is
not meeting the competencies. Dr. Bloh, Dr. Johnson, and Prof. Buschan
will work on this. SPU 327 – Secondary Special Education Transition
Services may be reviewed as a possible replacement.
 The course requirements are as follows:
o SPU 101 – Early Intervention 5 hours (birth to 3rd grade)
o SPU 201 – Movie Review
o SPU 314 – Accommodation Menu
o SPU 316 – Case Study
o SPU 317 – Case Study, Junior Block
o SPU 318 – Lesson Plan
o SPU 320 – Junior Block
o SPU 322 – Research Project, Junior Block
o SPU 328 – BIP, Emotional Support/Autism 5 hours
o SPU 330 – Research Project, Life Skills, Physical Disabilities 5
hours
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Stage One will be PreCandidacy (SPU 101, SPU 318). Dr. Ross and Dr.
Stanfa will work on the competencies.
Stage Two will be Candidacy (SPU 328, SPU 330). Dr. Lynch and Dr.
Bloh will work on the competencies.
SPU 328 and SPU 330 may be changed to PreCandidacy.
Dr. Lynch mentioned that we should develop a book with all course
objectives, and it should include a glossary of terms. Possibly a binder
that the students could add documentation to throughout their time at
Kutztown University, starting with freshman year and through to Clinical
Experience.
All observation hours should be uploaded to TaskStream, effective
immediately. The classes with hours required are as follows:
o SPU 101 – 20 PreEntrance Hours, 5 Early Intervention Hours
o SPU 328 – 5 Emotional Support or Autism Hours, High Incidence
Hours
o SPU 330 – 5 Life Skills or Physical Disabilities/Low Incidence
Hours
The 5 hour forms used for the classes may be the same form, but should
go up on TaskStream, the Website and D2L.
Each professor for the above classes (SPU 101, SPU 328 and SPU 330)
should compose a list of approved settings for the observation hours for
their individual class. Those lists or lists will be posted along with the
form.
All hours must be evaluated and approved by the professor, and then
Cheryl will print and track them.
Lots of field experience hours will be completed in SPU 317, SPU 320
and SPU 322, but there will not be a form.
Every professor should be consistent with the requirements for the
observation hours. Some will fail students for not turning them in, and
some just give an incomplete. It needs to be the same for every class.
Some students will miss class to complete observation hours. Some
professors will give two unexcused absences in total, and the third absence
is a deduction. One day could be added to the syllabi where students may
miss class to do observation hours (after the mid-term).
If the students are given an excused absence to do their observation hours,
they must bring in a signed form with the date and time.
Faculty Searches
 Dr. Bloh has two strong candidates for Dr. Moores-Abdool’s replacement.
He will follow-up with them, and will schedule in-person interviews next
Wednesday, 1/16. He will also make sure that all applications are
complete.
Dr. Moores-Abdool’s Advisees
 Dr. Moores-Abdool’s advisees need to reassigned. They will be based on
the number of advisees everyone currently has.
Other
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New grids were submitted to UCC for approval for the fall 2013 semester,
with mainly cosmetic changes to them.
Beginning with Fall 2014, the courses should be taken in the following
order:
o Fall 1st semester (Freshman) – SPU 201 (separate section for
freshman)
o Spring 1st semester (Freshman) – SPU 101
o Fall 2nd semester (Sophomore) – SPU 328 (if non-candicacy)
o Spring 2nd semester (Sophomore) – SPU 318, SPU 330 (if noncandidacy)
o Fall 3rd semester (Junior) – SPU 316
o Spring 3rd semester (Junior) – ProSem, possibly SPU 327
o Fall 4th semester (Senior) – SPU 317, SPU 320 and SPU 322 (Jr.
Block) – El Ed ProSem and Junior Block may be reversed.
o Spring 4th semester (Senior) – Clinical Experience
Dr. Stanfa developed a handbook, and provided everyone with a document
with some ideas for what to include. It would be given to all students, and
contain links for the website, and all requirements they need to meet for
the program.
Having no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:30pm on a motion made by
Dr. Bloh and seconded by Dr. King.
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