College of Education

The first meeting of the ISEAS University Forum was held on December 13, 1985.  The Forum was formed for representatives of Indiana’s colleges and universities to identify, discuss, and seek resolution to personnel preparation issues in special education.

Original members in 1985 included special education department chairpersons from five universities  (Purdue University, Ball State University, Indiana University at Bloomington, Indiana University at South Bend, and Indiana State University); the Director of the Division of Special Education; a representative from the ICASE Executive Committee; and the ISEAS Director.

School year 1986-87 was spent on teacher certification issues.  In January 1987, a two-day retreat was held regarding certification of Indiana's special education instructional personnel.  Retreat participants developed several recommendations for changes in Indiana's current certification rules.  The final public hearing was held in September 1988. 

During the fall of 1987, it was decided that the Forum's membership should be expanded to include representatives from the private colleges and universities in Indiana.  Those which initially accepted the invitation were Marian College, University of Evansville, and St. Francis College.

The major focus in 1987-88 was teacher supply.  The Forum developed an Indiana Teacher Training Survey and an ISEAS Personnel Search Form.  The Survey was used to collect information from students in Indiana's colleges and universities enrolled in college level special education coursework.  The Personnel Search Form was designed for use by persons seeking special education teaching positions in Indiana.

In 1988-89 Forum members continued to focus on teacher supply.  The Forum revised the Indiana Teacher Training Survey and the ISEAS Personnel Search Form.  The final report from 1987-88 data was also completed.

The major focus in 1989-90 was recruiting, retaining, and recapturing (3-Rs) of special education personnel.  The University Forum was the component designated by the ISEAS Steering Committee for project evaluation through NASDSE.

The September 1990 evaluation report filed by Ed Birch recommended, in part, that the University Forum continue as a component of the ISEAS grant, have its own chair, take a more active role in the conduct of its activities, and improve its communication and articulation with local district administrators.  Invitations for University Forum membership were issued to all private colleges and universities with teacher training programs in special education.

In October 1990 an ad hoc committee met to analyze the ISEAS evaluation report.  The members of this committee recommended, in part, that a committee be formed to develop a strategic plan.  As a result the Task Force on Critical Personnel needs was formed for 1990-91.  This Task Force initially focused on limited licenses and training needs.  Due to the amount of work involved, the DOE Division of Special Education in March 1991 increased the ISEAS grant to contract with an external consultant to facilitate the research.

In November 1991 a strategic plan retreat was held at Marian College.  A revised purpose for the University Forum was formulated to: (1) identify local and state special education problems and needs for information; (2) find ways local, state, and university level resources might be focused to resolve identified problems and address needs; and (3) exchange information and technology to assist in improving special education in Indiana.

In March 1992 the first All Special Education Faculty Rally was held in Indianapolis.  A second Rally was held in March 1993 at which the executive summary draft of the Task Force paper titled “Who Will Teach Indiana's Children with Disabilities?” was presented.  The third Rally was held in February 1994 in conjunction with the IFCEC Convention.

In February 1993 the Forum established a Distance Education Task Force to work with the CSPD Coordinator from the DOE Division of Special Education on a proposal to be submitted to the Indiana Commission on Higher Education.  Although the proposal to the Commission was not funded, the Task Force was maintained during 1993-94 to focus on EH teacher training modules.  During 1994-95 input was solicited from Forum members about limited license criteria from the Indiana Professional Standards Board.  The 1995 All Special Education Faculty Rally was held in conjunction with International CEC at Indianapolis.  The draft Standards from the Indiana Professional Standards Board were the focus of discussion during 1996-97.

During the 1996-97 school year members of the Forum hosted regional meetings with local directors of special education to dialogue about personnel preparation issues.  The Committee for the Revision of the Personnel Needs Document was subsequently formed.  The pending promulgation of new standards by the Indiana Professional Standards Board in May 1998 for teachers of exceptional needs was an additional influence for the revision of “Who Will Teach Indiana’s Children with Disabilities?”  During 1997-98 the document was revised with the assistance of a consultant.  Copies of the June 1998 second edition of the document “Who Will Teach Indiana’s Children with Disabilities?” were distributed in September 1998.

The focus of meetings for 1998-99 centered around the IHEs responsibility to submit progress reports and develop unit assessment systems to comply with the new standards from the Indiana Professional Standards Board.

In 1999-2000 the continued discussion about the IPSB unit assessment plans led to the submission in March 2000 of a pre-application in collaboration with the Division of Special Education and ICASE under the federal initiative for Learning Anytime Anywhere Partnerships.  During 2000-01 the IDEAL web site <http://ideal.sf.edu> was established at the University of St. Francis through a DOE Division of Special Education grant.  At the end of the year eight (8) modules had been posted to the web site for training and staff development purposes.  Module development continued throughout 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, and 2005-06.

Bill Littlejohn was selected as the first chairperson of the University Forum for the 1990-91 school year and continued for 1991-92. The following have each served two-year terms: Judith Smith (1992-94); Maury Miller (1994-96); Cathy Shea (1996-98); Marlaine Chase (1998-2000), Jane Swiss (2000-02), and Deb Moore Hardin (2002-04).  John Somers served as chairperson for 2004-06 and Karen B. Clark served during 2006-2008 and, currently, Janice Grskovic is the chair.