Ill. Admin. Code tit. 23, § 28.240 - Standards for the Early Childhood Special Education Teacher
By October 1, 2025, all candidates for an endorsement in Early Childhood Special Education will be required to complete a program aligned to the standards set forth in Standards for Endorsements in Early Childhood Education (see 23 Ill. Adm. Code 26) and the Initial Practice-Based Standards for Early Childhood Special Education/Early Intervention (2020), published by the Council for Exceptional Children, 2900 Crystal Drive, Suite 1000, Arlington VA 22202-3557, and available at https://exceptionalchildren.org/standards/initial-practice-based-standards-early-interventionists-early-childhood-special-educators. (No later amendments to or editions of these guidelines are incorporated.) The standards effective until September 30, 2025 are as follows:
a) Content Knowledge - The competent early
childhood special education (ECSE) teacher understands the central concepts,
tools of inquiry, and structures of developmental, functional, and learning
curriculum areas appropriate to young children and creates and provides
integrated experiences that develop each child's competence across curriculum
areas.
1) Knowledge - The competent ECSE
teacher understands:
A) major concepts,
assumptions, debates, principles, theories, and processes of inquiry that are
central to early childhood special education and its related fields and to its
own history, legislation, and research;
B) how current development, knowledge,
beliefs, and dispositional frameworks influence attitudes and frameworks for
further learning and development;
C) the central concepts and tools of inquiry
in academic content areas, including language and literacy, mathematics,
science, social studies, art, music, drama, and movement;
D) developmental curriculum areas, including
social, emotional, cognitive, language, and physical development;
E) functional/adaptive curriculum areas,
including health, safety, nutrition, and life skills; and
F) the structure of curriculum areas within
the multiple teaching settings included in early childhood special education
from birth through grade three, and the relationship of this structure to other
areas of knowledge and to life-long development and learning.
2) Performance - The competent
ECSE teacher:
A) develops and implements an
integrated curriculum that focuses on children's needs and interests and takes
into account culturally valued content and children's home
experiences;
B) evaluates teaching
resources and curriculum materials in academic, developmental, and
functional/adaptive curriculum areas for their comprehensiveness, accuracy, and
usefulness in fostering developmental and learning processes and
outcomes;
C) matches different ways
of knowing and methods of instruction to different academic, developmental, and
functional/adaptive goals and outcomes;
D) promotes children's skills in using
technologies to support learning across content and developmental areas,
including technologies that provide access to the general education curriculum
and to participation in natural environments for children with disabilities;
and
E) organizes content and
experiences to support children's understanding and learning, and engages
children in generating and examining their own emerging knowledge.
b) Human Development
and Learning - The competent ECSE teacher understands how individuals grow,
develop, and learn, as well as the implications of disabilities and other
special needs and circumstances for development, and provides developmental and
learning opportunities that ameliorate or remediate the effects of these
conditions on the intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of
young children with disabilities from birth through grade three.
1) Knowledge - The competent ECSE teacher
understands:
A) different theories of human
development and learning, including emerging knowledge of early neural
development, ranges of individual variation within domains, and transactional
influences between and among arenas of biological function and environmental
conditions during pre-, peri-, and post-natal development;
B) the characteristics and sequences of
normal development in cognitive, emotional, social, language, and motor
domains, as well as interactions and influences among domains;
C) the characteristics of, and influences of
life situations on, children's construction of cognitive, emotional, social and
aesthetic understandings, language, mental health, and adaptive and motor
skills, including developmental consequences of stress and trauma as well as
protective factors and resilience;
D) the educational implications of different
disabilities, as well as their potential effects on development and life
experiences in early childhood and over time;
E) how children's physical, social,
emotional, cognitive and ethical development influence learning approaches and
outcomes;
F) how developmental and
learning factors, including factors related to individual differences stemming
from various disabling conditions, influence instructional decisions;
and
G) the effects of various
medications on the educational, cognitive, physical, social, and emotional
behavior of children with disabilities.
2) Performance - The competent ECSE teacher:
A) applies theories of typical and atypical
child development to instructional situations in school, community, and home
environments;
B) applies knowledge
of typical and atypical child development and the interrelationships among
developmental domains and learning to interpreting behavior and making
instructional decisions in academic, developmental, and functional/adaptive
domains;
C) applies knowledge of
development and learning to designing instructional experiences that ameliorate
the effects of disabilities on the acquisition of new information and
skills;
D) outlines structures for
instruction that link new ideas and experiences to current understandings and
abilities and to already familiar ideas and experiences;
E) incorporates goals and expectations of
varying levels of complexity into instruction so that instructional activities
are engaging and meaningful to children at different levels of development and
with diverse learning needs;
F)
supports and facilitates family/child interactions and environments as primary
contexts for learning and development; and
G) accesses information on various cognitive,
communication, physical, cultural, social, and emotional conditions of
individuals with exceptional learning needs.
c) Diversity - The competent ECSE teacher
understands how children and families differ in their perspectives and
approaches to development, learning, and disability and provides curriculum and
instructional environments within the context of family, classroom, and
community that honor the families' and communities' beliefs, values, and
practices.
1) Knowledge - The competent ECSE
teacher understands:
A) the characteristics
and etiologies of common disabilities and conditions in young children,
including typical developmental patterns related to conditions such as
prematurity and low birth weight, and describes specific implications for
development and learning;
B) the
significance of familial, cultural and societal contexts, as well as of
individual abilities, experiences, talents, dispositions, prior learning, and
individual needs, for children's development and learning;
C) the significance of familial, cultural,
and social contexts for interpretation of disability and the role of the young
child with disabilities within the family and community;
D) the process of second language acquisition
and strategies to support the learning of children whose first language is not
English; and
E) normal individual
variation in approaches to learning and performance, including different
learning styles, multiple intelligences, and performance modes, and how these
differences interact with individual differences related to disabilities and
other individual differences such as culture and language.
2) Performance - The competent ECSE teacher:
A) develops and selects learning experiences
and strategies that affirm and respect family, cultural, and societal
diversity, including language differences, as well as differences related to
disability;
B) makes appropriate
modifications in circumstances of work, expected outcomes, and teaching
approaches, including technologies, to address and respect individual
differences in learning needs, developmental levels, and preferences;
and
C) seeks information about and
incorporates knowledge of children's experiences, cultures, and community
resources into teaching, using a well-grounded framework to guide understanding
and practice.
d) Planning for Instruction - The competent
ECSE teacher understands and employs a range of curriculum and instructional
approaches for fostering individual abilities and meeting the individual
learning needs within the contexts of group and individualized instruction in a
variety of classrooms, communities, and home environments and develops
individual long-term and short-term educational and service plans based on
knowledge of children, families, communities, content areas, and early
childhood curriculum goals, as well as knowledge of individual children's
abilities and needs and families' goals, priorities, and concerns for their
children.
1) Knowledge - The competent ECSE
teacher understands:
A) the Illinois Learning
Standards, as well as the standards set forth at 23 Ill. Adm. Code 235.Appendix
A and Appendix B, and their relation to the content and structure of academic,
developmental, and functional/adaptive curriculum in early childhood education,
birth through grade three;
B) the
rationale for and rules and regulations governing the development of
Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and Individualized Family Service Plans
(IFSPs);
C) short-term and
long-term teaching plans consistent with curriculum goals, learning theory, and
individual differences, including personal and experiential differences related
to disability;
D) the array of
school, community, and home settings available to young children with
disabilities and criteria for determining the extent to which the settings
provide support and access to an appropriate early childhood
curriculum;
E) a variety of
instructional strategies for fostering an array of learning and developmental
outcomes within the context of individual abilities, dispositions, and needs,
including those related to disabilities;
F) the rationale for and practices underlying
developmentally appropriate methods that include play, small group projects,
open-ended questioning, problem-solving, cooperative learning, and inquiry
experiences to help young children develop intellectual curiosity, solve
problems, and make decisions;
G)
the appropriate use of technology with young children, including assistive
technology for use with children with disabilities;
H) when and how to adjust plans based on
children's responses to instruction; and
I) how to use various technological tools to
access and manage information.
2) Performance - The competent ECSE teacher:
A) develops and implements short-term and
long-term curriculum and instructional practices in academic, developmental,
and functional/adaptive curriculum areas, based on knowledge of individual
children, the family, and the community;
B) sets goals for children's learning and
outlines the scope and sequence of content and education to achieve those goals
at the group and individual levels, consistent with the scope and sequence of
academic, developmental, and functional/adaptive early childhood curriculum,
birth through grade three;
C)
develops an IFSP or IEP in partnership with family members and other
professionals, incorporating both child and family needs, priorities, and
preferences;
D) evaluates and
selects intervention curricula, methods, and materials, including instructional
technologies, that incorporate knowledge of curriculum content and respect
individual variation in children's learning styles and performance modes, as
well as variation in characteristics and ability in children with motor,
sensory, health, social-emotional and/or cognitive disabilities;
E) develops a range of approaches for
presenting concepts in order to promote children's understanding of diverse
perspectives;
F) embeds multiple
opportunities for addressing IEP and IFSP goals and outcomes into the daily
routines and planned instructional activities of school, community, and home
environments;
G) makes specific
adaptations in goals and teaching methods, including technological adaptations,
for the special needs of children who have unique talents, learning and
developmental needs, or specific disabilities;
H) incorporates information and strategies
from multiple disciplines and content areas into the design of intervention
strategies;
I) outlines strategies
and techniques for facilitating the functional integration of children with
exceptional needs within various settings;
J) integrates benchmarks and other outcomes
into daily activities and routines across multiple developmental and learning
environments, and uses strategies to facilitate maintenance and generalization
of skills across learning and developmental environments;
K) designs plans that integrate technology,
including adaptive and assistive technology, into educational
settings;
L) plans for and links
current developmental and learning experiences and teaching strategies with
those of the next educational setting, current life experiences, and future
life and work experiences;
M)
selects instructional practices that are pedagogically sound and legally
defensible, choosing alternative strategies and materials to achieve different
educational purposes and meet different children's needs;
N) enables the full engagement of children
with disabilities in learning opportunities planned for all children by using
strategies that match children's abilities with outcomes based on the scope and
sequence of early childhood academic, developmental, and functional/adaptive
curriculum areas;
O) develops
learning opportunities, birth through grade three, that foster understanding of
curriculum content and processes that are the foundation of the general
education curriculum (e.g., literacy, numeracy, science); and
P) integrates literacy and numeracy
experiences throughout intervention plans, and develops learning opportunities
designed to foster particular literacy and numeracy outcomes, to promote
children's abilities as they apply, interpret, and construct new understandings
and skills.
e) Learning Environment - The competent ECSE
teacher uses an understanding of young children's social and emotional
development to create group and individual environments and learning
opportunities based on and supportive of positive social interaction, active
engagement in learning, intrinsic motivation, and self-esteem.
1) Knowledge - The competent ECSE teacher
understands:
A) how to help children work
cooperatively and productively in groups, using knowledge of how individuals
influence groups and how groups function in society;
B) factors that influence motivation and
engagement, including teacher attitudes and behaviors as well as child factors,
such as temperament, mental health, and disability, and knows a variety of
approaches for helping children become self-motivated;
C) aspects of the physical setting, schedule,
routines, and transitions that promote children's development and
learning;
D) approaches to adapting
environments to meet specific learning and developmental needs related to
individual differences in development, learning, dispositions, and
talents;
E) a variety of preventive
and remedial approaches for promoting self-regulation and discipline in groups
and individuals; and
F) ethical and
legal considerations inherent in behavior management.
2) Performance - The competent ECSE teacher:
A) selects, develops, adapts, and evaluates
developmentally and functionally appropriate materials, equipment, and spatial
arrangements that facilitate developmental and learning goals in young
children, including those with disabilities;
B) uses individual and group guidance and
problem-solving techniques to develop positive and supportive relationships
with children, to encourage positive social interaction among children, to
promote positive strategies of conflict resolution, and to develop personal
self-control, self-motivation, and self-esteem;
C) selects and implements methods of behavior
support and management appropriate for young children, including a range of
strategies from less directive, less structured methods to more directive, more
structured methods;
D) establishes
and maintains stimulus-rich indoor and outdoor environments that are physically
and psychologically safe, healthy, and productive, including environmental and
technological adaptations for children with disabilities;
E) teaches social skills needed for
participating in educational and functional living environments of the school,
community, and home;
F) organizes
and oversees the activities of paraprofessionals, volunteers, and other
professionals who are a part of the educational environment, including
individuals providing various therapies to young children with disabilities;
and
G) monitors individual and
group learning activities for factors related to engagement and achievement
motivation.
f) Instructional Delivery - The competent
ECSE teacher employs a variety of group and instructional opportunities and
strategies, both planned and spontaneous, which encourage children's
development and learning across developmental domains and content areas, are
appropriate to those areas and to each child's individual abilities and
learning needs with respect to those areas, are matched to individually
appropriate outcomes and goals, and are deliverable in a variety of individual
and group learning environments, including inclusive classrooms, community, and
homes.
1) Knowledge - The competent ECSE
teacher understands:
A) the cognitive
processes associated with various kinds of learning and how these processes can
be stimulated; and
B) principles
and techniques associated with various teaching strategies, including their
advantages and limitations for achieving different purposes.
2) Performance - The competent
ECSE teacher:
A) implements developmentally
and functionally appropriate individual and group activities using a variety of
formats, including play, environmental routines, family-mediated activities,
small group projects, cooperative learning, inquiry experiences, and systematic
instruction;
B) manages space,
time, materials, peers, and adults to maximize children's progress in a variety
of group, community, and home settings, and monitors and adjusts strategies in
response to children's engagement and learning;
C) incorporates knowledge and strategies
contributed by professionals from the disciplines (e.g., occupational therapy)
into instructional delivery;
D)
demonstrates appropriate use of a variety of technologies, including adaptive
and assistive technologies, to enhance children's development and
learning;
E) assumes instructional
roles of instructor, facilitator, coach, or audience in relation to the
context, content, purposes of the instructional setting, needs and interests of
children, and priorities and concerns of families with respect to their
children's development;
F) monitors
achievement of IEP and IFSP goals and outcomes within daily routines and
planned instructional activities within school, community, and home
environments and modifies instructional plans as needed;
G) implements basic health, nutrition, and
safety management practices for young children and practices regarding
childhood illness and communicable diseases, including specific procedures for
infants and toddlers;
H) implements
nutrition and feeding strategies for children with disabilities and special
health care needs; and
I)
implements aspects of medical care appropriate to the instructional setting,
including methods for maintaining technology-dependent young
children.
g)
Communication - The competent ECSE teacher uses knowledge of effective written,
verbal, nonverbal, and visual communication techniques to foster active
inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in a variety of individual
and group learning environments, including inclusive classrooms, community, and
home.
1) Knowledge - The competent ECSE
teacher understands:
A) the interrelationships
among culture, language, thought and expression, and the function of the home
language in the development of young children;
B) communication theory, language
development, and the role of language in learning;
C) the social, intellectual, and political
implications of language use and how they influence meaning; and
D) ethical practices for confidential
information and communication, including ethical practices implied by
collaborating with families in early development and learning.
2) Performance - The competent
ECSE teacher:
A) models accurate, effective
communication when conveying ideas and information and when asking questions
and responding to children and other adults;
B) employs communication skills that
encourage sharing of information and ideas, including reflective listening,
reframing, and constructive feedback;
C) selects and employs written, verbal,
nonverbal and visual language modes and styles that are responsive to audience
and purpose and respectful of individual differences due to culture, language,
or disability;
D) creates
opportunities for all children to use effective written, verbal, nonverbal, and
visual communication;
E)
establishes and maintains positive, collaborative relationships with families
and other professionals, recognizing and using the dynamics of team roles,
interaction, communication, team building, problem-solving, and conflict
resolution; and
F) establishes
effective lines of communication with other professionals in the school and in
community agencies concerned with children and families.
h) Assessment - The competent ECSE
teacher uses an array of formal and informal assessment sources and approaches
to gather information needed for making decisions about individual and group
developmental and learning curriculum goals and instructional approaches that
are appropriate and responsive to young children and their families.
1) Knowledge - The competent ECSE teacher
understands:
A) typical procedures used at
different points in the special education process in relation to the decisions
being made, including decisions related to screening, pre-referral, referral,
classification, and instructional planning and progress evaluation;
B) informal instruments and approaches for
making placement and instructional decisions with respect to young children
with disabilities, including those from culturally or linguistically diverse
backgrounds; and
C) measurement
theory and assessment-related issues, such as validity, reliability, bias, and
scoring, including their applicability in evaluating assessments as applied to
young children.
2)
Performance - The competent ECSE teacher:
A)
gathers background information regarding medical, developmental, educational,
and family history;
B) assesses
children's cognitive, social-emotional, communication, motor, adaptive, and
aesthetic development, as well as curriculum-related learning, as
appropriate;
C) uses a variety of
informal and formal assessment instruments and procedures to make decisions
about children's learning and development and to develop and monitor
instructional approaches;
D) bases
instructional decisions on a variety of culturally unbiased assessment
instruments and procedures;
E)
selects, adapts, constructs, and administers assessment instruments and
procedures based on the purpose of the assessment being conducted and in
compliance with established criteria and standards;
F) evaluates the supports needed by children
with a variety of disabilities and characteristics for inclusion within various
program placements;
G) develops and
uses authentic, performance-based assessments of children's learning to assist
in planning, to communicate with children and families, and to engage children
in self-assessment;
H) adapts
assessment for children with specific sensory and motor disabilities;
I) develops and uses formative and summative
program evaluation to reflect on and modify individual and group
instruction;
J) involves family
members as active participants in the assessment process;
K) participates and collaborates with other
professionals as a team member in conducting assessments that respond to and
respect families' priorities, concerns, and characteristics;
L) communicates assessment results and
integrates assessment results from others in the development and implementation
of an IEP or IFSP; and
M) monitors,
summarizes, and evaluates the attainment of child and family outcomes as
outlined on the IEP or IFSP, using appropriate technologies to monitor and
maintain records that convey meaningful information to families and to other
professionals.
i) Collaborative Relationships - The
competent ECSE teacher develops and maintains productive, collaborative
relationships with families, communities, and professionals across the range of
services and service systems needed to meet the developmental, learning, and
service goals and priorities of young children with disabilities and their
families.
1) Knowledge - The competent ECSE
teacher understands:
A) early childhood
settings and other agencies related to young children and families as
organizations within the larger community context;
B) situated learning and the need for
collaboration with families, business organizations, and other interested
citizen groups;
C) the structures
and skills necessary to establish collaborative relationships with families,
other professionals, and other community agencies;
D) the array of community resources,
including when and how to access appropriate early childhood settings and
community resources to assist children and families;
E) various models of consultation and their
application in school, community, and home settings;
F) family systems theory and the dynamics,
roles, and relationships within families;
G) differences in family structures and in
family beliefs and practices related to social and cultural
backgrounds;
H) the typical
concerns of families of children with exceptional needs and appropriate
strategies for collaborating with families in addressing these
concerns;
I) the roles of children,
families, teachers, and personnel of community agencies in other early
childhood settings in planning an individualized program; and
J) structures supporting interagency
collaboration, including interagency agreements, referrals, and
consultation.
2)
Performance - The competent ECSE teacher:
A)
establishes and maintains positive, collaborative relationships with families
and with other professionals in school and community settings to support
children's development, learning, and well-being;
B) conducts collaborative conferences with
families to identify their priorities, concerns, and resources with respect to
their children's development and learning;
C) links families with a range of
family-oriented services based on identified priorities, resources, and
concerns;
D) respects families'
choices and goals for their children and communicates effectively with families
about curriculum and children's progress;
E) involves families in assessing and
planning for individual children, including children with
disabilities;
F) implements a range
of family-oriented services based on family-identified resources, priorities,
and concerns;
G) supports families
in making decisions related to their children's development and
learning;
H) communicates options
for programs and services and assists families in planning for
transition;
I) collaborates with
school and community personnel and with families to include children with
disabilities in various instructional environments in the school and
community;
J) provides supervision,
consultation, and training to adults in diverse settings in areas specific to
services for children and families and organization/development of programs,
using principles of adult learning and collaborative consultation;
K) fulfills functions of teams as determined
by mandates and service delivery needs of children and families;
L) engages in a variety of roles and
interaction strategies to achieve effective functioning among members of the
instructional team, including teaching assistants, therapists, family members,
community child care teachers, and volunteers;
M) identifies, evaluates, and designs
processes and strategies that support transition between hospital,
infant/toddler, preprimary, and primary programs; and
N) collaborates with families and other
professionals to evaluate services to young children with disabilities and
their families.
j) Reflection and Professional Growth - The
competent ECSE teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates
how choices and actions affect children, parents, and other professionals in
the learning community and actively seeks opportunities to grow professionally.
1) Knowledge - The competent ECSE teacher
understands:
A) that reflection is an integral
part of professional growth and improvement;
B) methods of inquiry that provide for a
variety of self-assessment and problem-solving strategies for reflecting on
practice; and
C) major areas of
research on the learning process and resources that are available for
professional development.
2) Performance - The competent ECSE teacher:
A) articulates a philosophy and rationale for
decisions and continually self-assesses and evaluates the effects of choices
and actions on others (e.g., children, families, other professionals) as a
basis for program planning and modification and continuing professional
development;
B) uses
self-observation, information about children, pedagogical knowledge, and
resources as sources for active reflection, evaluation, and revision of
practice;
C) collaborates with
other professionals and families as resources for problem-solving, generating
new ideas, sharing experiences, and seeking and giving feedback;
D) participates actively in professional
organizations and engages in professional dialogue to support personal
professional development; and
E)
reads and critically applies research and recommended practices.
k) Professional Conduct
- The competent ECSE teacher understands education as a profession, both in
general and as it is manifested within the educational community and the social
service and family settings in which young children develop and learn,
maintains standards of professional conduct, and provides appropriate
leadership within these settings to improve children's learning and well-being.
1) Knowledge - The competent ECSE teacher
understands:
A) trends, issues, and debates in
ECSE, early childhood education, special education, and related fields,
including legislation, policy, and program practices related to young children
and the early childhood profession;
B) the field of early childhood special
education, its multiple historical, philosophical, and social foundations, and
how these foundations influence current thought and practice;
C) the basic principles of administration,
organization, and operation of a variety of early childhood programs and
agencies, including their role in the community;
D) federal, State, and local social policies
and procedures applicable to and influential in school programs;
E) assurances and due process rights and
procedures related to assessment, eligibility, and placement, including rights
and responsibilities of families, students, teachers and other professionals,
and early childhood settings as they relate to individual learning needs;
and
F) cultural biases and
differences that affect teaching.
2) Performance - The competent ECSE teacher:
A) uses appropriate health appraisal
procedures and recommends referral to appropriate community health and social
service organizations;
B)
recognizes signs of emotional distress, child abuse, and neglect in young
children and follows procedures for reporting known or suspected abuse or
neglect to appropriate authorities;
C) implements family services consistent with
due process safeguards;
D)
articulates the historical, philosophical, and legal basis of services for
young children both with and without disabilities and other special
needs;
E) identifies ethical and
policy issues related to educational, social, and medical services for young
children and their families;
F)
identifies legislation that affects children, families, and programs for
children;
G) follows policy and
procedures of school or agency, respecting boundaries of families;
H) serves as an advocate on behalf of young
children and their families for improved quality of programs and services for
young children and enhanced professional status and working conditions for
early childhood special educators;
I) initiates and develops new projects and
programs to support the development and learning of young children;
J) participates in the life of the school or
agency through activities such as policy development, curriculum development,
staff development, and family support;
K) contributes knowledge and expertise about
teaching and learning to the profession;
L) articulates a personal philosophy of early
childhood special education, including its relationship with general and
special education;
M) conducts
instructional, monitoring, evaluation, and other professional activities
consistent with the requirements of local, State, and federal law, rules and
regulations, and policies and procedures;
N) serves as a model for children by
demonstrating moral and ethical behavior, an inquisitive attitude toward
learning, and respect for individual differences, including differences related
to disability and to culture and language;
O) demonstrates commitment to developing the
highest educational and quality-of-life potential of individuals with
disabilities;
P) demonstrates
positive regard for the culture, religion, gender, and sexual orientation of
other individuals; and
Q) practices
within the codes of ethics, standards, and policies of the education profession
and of professional organizations.
Notes
Amended at 38 Ill. Reg. 6313, effective February 27, 2014
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