Additional Examples of Indicators

a. Comprehensive

'97 e.g., Field experiences: (a) Field experiences are provided in educational settings, with classroom teachers and college/university supervisors who have academic preparation, experience, and skill in teaching Deaf/Hard of Hearing students, (b) Field experiences occur in multiple settings that provide for interactions and work with children from a variety of ages and developmental levels, and who reflect social and cultural diversity, (c) Field experiences conclude with typical full day teaching responsibilities, which include preparation of lesson plans, instruction and organization, classroom management, meeting school deadlines, keeping accurate records of student work, and making parent/teacher contacts, (d) Candidates receive structured observation and regular written feedback, describing strengths, weaknesses, and suggestions for improvement, from both college/university supervisors and supervising teachers, (e) Support and assessment of each candidate is coordinated regularly and effectively between the supervising teacher and college/university supervisor.

b. Bilingual-Bicultural

'97 e.g., (1) Development and refinement of curriculum courses include: (a) Strategies for organizing the curriculum into meaningful and relevant units, (b) Knowledge of state and local curriculum requirements and guidelines, (c) Developing a curriculum that fosters critical thinking skills, (d) Procedures for identifying biases and deficiencies in existing curricula and strategies to modify the curriculum to better address student linguistic, cultural, and developmental needs, and (e) Strategies to develop, acquire, adapt, and evaluate materials appropriate to the bilingual/bicultural classroom.
(2) Concepts related to assessment include: (a) Developing an in-class management system to assess student achievement in relation to objectives of instruction, (b) Promoting and encouraging student self-assessment of their skills and abilities, (c) Developing an ability to do self-assessment and self-reflection of teaching strategies and value systems and beliefs as they relate to students.
(3) Recognize the similarities and differences between many culture groups within the Deaf and Hearing communities, and the potential conflicts and opportunities they may create for Deaf children.
(4) The majority of teachers wishing to teach as a bilingual/bicultural educator of the deaf will demonstrate proficiency in English by completing a course of study in a teacher educator program which is predominantly taught in English. English proficiency can be demonstrated by passing English competency exams offered by state teacher certification offices or upon completion of college course work to meet state certification requirements.
(5) Pedagogical competence in teaching in ASL and English can be demonstrated through course work and field experiences that include the following: (a) Does the program provide courses in second language acquisition theory and second language pedagogy that focus on second language teaching and on the integration of language and content? (b) Does the program provide curriculum development and experiences in teaching that link language learning and content development? (c) Does the program provide classroom experiences in teaching ASL as a Second Language? (d) Does the program provide experiences in teaching English as a Second Language? (e) Does the program provide experiences in teaching bilingual (ASL and English) strategies that support and enhance literacy skills in Deaf children? (f) Does the program provide courses in how to teach subject matter courses in ASL? (g) Does the program provide college/university level core courses taught in ASL to college/university students? (h) Does the program provide course work in theories of first and second language (signed/spoken) learning and differences between child and adult language learning and their implications in the classroom and in the home?
(6) Because of the great disparity between theory presented in the context of a college/university environment and practical teaching realities in a bilingual/bicultural education of the deaf environment, it is essential that a portion of every teacher's preparation program include on-site supervised teaching experience in bilingual/bicultural classrooms. Supervised practice teaching provides a cultural link between theory and practice and offers candidates crucial opportunities to apply concepts learned in course work with real students. Further, such experiences offer opportunities for constructive feedback, support, and mentoring necessary for professional growth and development: (a) Does the program provide field experience including structured observation by both school site and college/university staff? (b) Does the program provide field experience in multiple settings that provide for an opportunity for interaction and work with children from a variety of ages and developmental levels, and who reflect social, cultural, and linguistic diversity? (c) Does the program provide classroom teachers and college/university supervisors who supervise candidates' field experiences and are themselves bilingual/bicultural teachers and have had academic preparation and successful experiences in teaching children from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds? (d) Does the program provide supervisors from both the college/university and school district who have skills in observation and coaching techniques and can successfully foster learning techniques in adults? (e) Does the program provide a college/university which recognizes and rewards district level supervisors for their services through incentives such as tuition credits, conference attendance allowances, or instructional materials and stipends? (f) Does the program provide that the support and assessment of each candidate is coordinated regularly and effectively between the candidate's supervising teachers and college/university supervisors? (g) Does the program provide that the candidates in field experiences are given regular feedback in writing regarding their performance including their strengths and weaknesses, and constructive specific suggestions for improvement? (h) Does the program provide that each candidate effectively fulfills the typical responsibilities of teaching which include preparation of lesson plans, instruction and organization, classroom management, meeting school deadlines, keeping accurate records of student work, and parent/family contact?