Special Education Program at Princess Nourah University: Evaluation of Program Alignment with the Standards of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

Ola Abusukkar ,Areej Ahmed ,Dianne M Gut

doi:10.7176/rhss/10-14-01

Abstract

The research is financed by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in Saudi Arabia. Abstract This study evaluated the extent to which the special education program in the College of Education at Princess Nourah University (PNU) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aligns with the standards of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). The research utilized a mixed-method approach to examine the preparedness of pre-service special educators currently enrolled in their last year of the special education program . Surveys were used to explore the perceptions of five hundred pre-service teachers of their teacher preparation program as related to the seven standards from CEC’s initial special educator preparation standards. Keywords : pre-service special education teachers, and Council for Exceptional Children, CEC’s initial special educator preparation standards. DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/10-14-01 Publication date: July 31 st 2020

Highlights

The roles and responsibilities of in-service teachers in special education can be overwhelming
This study evaluated the extent to which the special education program in the College of Education at Princess Nourah University (PNU) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aligns with the standards of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
Aldabas (2015) stated that in Saudi Arabia, special education is not part of the curriculum required for the teacher education programs for general education pre-service teachers

Summary

Introduction

The roles and responsibilities of in-service teachers in special education can be overwhelming. They are responsible to work with many individuals with a range of abilities, plan and differentiate instructions in addition to managing students’ documentation and paperwork. Teacher preparation programs must be wellequipped with strong standards to prepare pre-service teachers (those training to be teachers) in special education. Strong preparation programs for pre-service teachers can eliminate many difficulties that future teachers in special education may face. Aldabas (2015) stated that in Saudi Arabia, special education is not part of the curriculum required for the teacher education programs for general education pre-service teachers. Aldabas further added that to have a strong special education program in the schools, teachers must have strong knowledge and skills to provide high quality education to students with special needs

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