Appendix A

INTASC and NAEYC/DEC Standards

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Education & Professional Studies, has adopted the ten principles of the Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC).  These standards are also used at the state level and have been titled the Wisconsin Standards for Teacher Development and Licensure (WSTDL).  There are ten core standards listed below:

The teacher preparation program prepares professionals who:

• understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.
• understands how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social, and personal development.
• understands how children differ in their approaches to learning and create instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.
• understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies, including the use of technology to encourage children’s development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.
• understands individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
• uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.
• plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community and curriculum goals.
• understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social and physical development of the learner.
• is reflective practitioners who continually evaluates the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community) and who actively seek out opportunities to grow professionally.
• fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support students’ learning and well being.

In addition to the INTASC/WSTDL Standards, the faculty of the early childhood program believe strongly in the tenets of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC/CEC). Many student teachers and cooperating teachers will be familiar with NAEYC and specifically the terms coined by NAEYC such as Developmentally Appropriate Practices, Anti-Biased Curriculum and the accreditation process. The NAEYC/DEC standards are employed by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) to evaluate teacher preparation programs.

Below are those NAEYC/DEC Standards, which are met through the preschool student teaching placement/experience:

1.1       use knowledge of how children develop and learn to provide opportunities that support the physical, social, emotional, language, cognitive, and aesthetic development of all young children from birth through age eight

1.2       use knowledge of how young children differ in their development and approaches to learning to support the development and learning of individual children in the following ways: 

1.2.1       demonstrate understanding of the conditions that affect children’s development and learning, including risk factors, developmental variations, and developmental patterns of specific disabilities

1.2.2       create and modify environments and experiences to meet the individual needs of all children, including children with disabilities,  developmental delays, and special abilities

1.2.3    identify pre, peri, and postnatal development and factors, such as biological and environmental conditions, that affect children’s development and learning

1.2.4    identify specific disabilities, including the etiology, characteristics, and classification of common disabilities in young children, and describe specific implications for development and learning in the first years of life

1.2.5    demonstrate understanding of (a) developmental consequences of stress and trauma, (b) protective factors and resilience, c) the development of mental health, and (d) the importance of supportive relationships

1.3       apply knowledge of cultural and linguistic diversity and the significant of sociocultural and political contexts for development and learning; recognize that children are best understood in the context of family, culture, and society

2.1       plan and implement developmentally appropriate curriculum and instructional practices, based on knowledge of individual children, the community and curriculum goals and content in the following ways:

2.1.1    use and explain the rationale for developmentally appropriate methods that include play, small group projects, open-ended questioning, group discussion, problem solving, cooperative learning, and inquiry experiences to help young children develop intellectual curiosity, solve problems and make decisions

NAEYC/DEC Standards (con’t)

2.1.2    use a variety of strategies to encourage children’s physical, social, emotional, aesthetic and cognitive development

2.1.9    make specific adaptations for the special needs of children who have unique talents, learning and developmental needs, or specific disabilities

2.1.15  support and facilitate family and child interactions as primary
contexts for learning and development

2.3       establish and maintain physically and psychologically safe and healthy learning environments that promote development and learning through the following actions

2.3.1    demonstrate understanding of influence of the physical setting, schedule, routines, and transitions on children and use these  experiences to promote children’s development and learning        

5.2       reflect on their practices, articulate a philosophy and rationale for decision, and continually self assess and evaluate the effects of their choices and actions on others as a basis for program planning and modification and continuing professional development

5.3    demonstrate an understanding of conditions of children, families, and professional; current issues and trends; legal issues; and legislation and other public policies affecting children, families, and programs for young children and the early childhood profession

5.6       actively seek out opportunities to grow professionally by locating and using professional literature, organizations, resources, and experience to inform and improve practice

6.1      observe and participate under supervision of qualified professionals in a variety of settings in which young children from birth through ages eight are served

6.3      work effectively over time with children of diverse ages (infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and primary-school age), children with diverse abilities, and children reflecting culturally and linguistically diverse family systems)

6.4      analyze and evaluate field experiences, including supervised experience in
working with parents and supervised experience in working with
interdisciplinary teams of professionals