Practice-Based Standards for the Preparation of Special Educators

The new Practice-Based Standards for the Preparation of Special Educators is a complete update to the earlier "Red Book," What Every Special Educator Must Know: Professional Ethics & Standards, 7th Edition. In addition to existing CEC standards, this new edition includes two NEW sets of 2020 CEC standards emphasizing initial practice-based preparation for special educators and early interventionists/early childhood special educators as well as resources to guide the design, assessment, and review of preparation programs.

• Section 1: Overview of the 20202 Initial Practice-Based Professional Preparation Standards for Special Educators (K-12)
• Section 2: Initial Practice-Based Professional Preparation Standards for Special Educators (K-12)
• Section 3: Potential Performance Indicators for K-12 Standards
• Section 4: Potential Sources of Evidence for K-12 Standards
• Section 5: Overview of the CEC Initial Practice-Based Professional Preparation Standards for Early Interventionists/Early Childhood Special Educators
• Section 6: CEC Initial Practice-Based Professional Preparation Standards for Early Interventionists/Early Childhood Special Educators
• Section 7: Early Interventionist/Early Childhood Special Educator Potential Performance Indicators and Assessments
• Section 8: Potential Sources of Evidence for Initial Practice-Based Professional Preparation Standards for Early Interventionists/Early Childhood Special Educators 
• Section 9: Initial Practice-Based Professional Preparation Standards for Gifted Education Professionals
• Section 10: Standards for the Preparation of Advanced Gifted Education Specialists
• Section 11: Standards for the Preparation of Advanced Special Education Professionals  

Dee Berlinghoff, Ph.D., is Professor Emerita in the Division of Education at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, NY, where she taught for 17 years. She has been working in public education and higher education for over 30 years, serving as a classroom teacher, professor, and embedded coach for teachers. She spent the 2014-2015 school year on sabbatical working in a high-needs school identified by the New York State Education Department as “in need of improvement.” Her responsibilities included modeling effective instructional strategies in classrooms, providing professional development, and embedded coaching. Dr. Berlinghoff has served as President of the New York State Council for Exceptional Children, New York State Division for Learning Disabilities, and the Small Special Education Programs Caucus of the Teacher Education Division of CEC. She served on the presidential line of the Teacher Education Division of CEC and co-chaired the CEC Standards Development Workgroup. Dr. Berlinghoff has presented at local, state, and national conferences and conducts professional development workshops for teachers. She is editor of the Evidence-Based Instruction in Special Education series, published by Slack, Inc. Dr. Berlinghoff holds a baccalaureate degree in Elementary & Kindergarten Education, with a minor in Early Childhood Education, from Penn State. She earned a master’s in special education from Lehigh University, and a doctorate in special education from Penn State. Prior to her work at Mount Saint Mary College, Dr. Berlinghoff was a special educator in the Winooski and Essex Town School Districts in Vermont. She was an Assistant Professor at Bel-mont Abbey College in Belmont, NC and director of the program for students with learning disabilities at Limestone College in Gaffney, SC. In recognition of her leadership and service contributions, Dr. Berling-hoff has received several awards, including the Mid-Hudson School Study Council Leadership Award (2012), Small Special Education Programs Caucus Nasim Dil Service Award (2016), and Teacher Edu-cation Division Distinguished Service Award (2021).

Virginia (Ginnie) McLaughlin, Ed.D., is Chancellor Professor Emerita of the School of Education at William & Mary (W&M). From 1995-2013, she served as Dean of the School of Education. Dr. McLaughlin was a gubernatorially appointed member of the Virginia Board of Education from 2009-2013. She served on numerous boards for professional organizations including AACTE and NCATE, and she was President of the Council of Academic Deans from Research Education Institutions (CADREI).  Dr. McLaughlin co-chaired the CEC Standards Framing Paper Work-group and Standards Development Workgroup. Dr. McLaughlin has taught courses in special education, inclusive practices, and collaborative partnerships at baccalaureate through doctoral levels. Her scholarship focuses on educational policy and teacher preparation issues. She has co-authored and served as co-principal investigator on more than $10 million of externally funded projects. Dr. McLaughlin holds a baccalaureate degree in psychology from W&M, a master’s in special education from Peabody College at Vanderbilt, and a doctorate in special education from University of Memphis. Prior to her appointment as Dean, Dr. McLaughlin was Chief of Staff for W&M President Tim Sullivan, Associate Dean for Academic Programs in the School of Education, and a faculty member at W&M, Old Dominion, and Clemson Universities. In recognition of her leadership and service contributions, Dr. McLaughlin has received many awards, including W&M’s Alumni Medallion (2015) and the Jefferson Award (2021).