CEC Standards or the Red Book?

In my opinion it would be best to start this project with a translation of the CEC Standards or the Red Book - What Every Educator Must Know.

What do you think?

Maybe, maybe not re starting translations with the Red Book...

On the one hand, it's a seminal publication from CEC and so would be important to do because of that.

On the other hand, if the translations are going to be done on a volunteer basis, the volunteers for translating in the different groups might not have all that much of a need for a translation of this document, which is awfully long (as I suppose lots of other materials are, too). They might want to devote their time to something more useful to them right now. This would help motivate them to complete this arduous task in a timely manner.

The Red Book worked for the Arabic group as the sped faculty at Qatar University was already making use of the Red Book's standards in their sped teacher prep program and so one of the faculty members thought it would help if there were an Arabic version.

The Arabic group is currently revising a draft of a needs assessment that they'll send out as widely as they can in order to identify and prioritize what materials on what sped topics seem to be most needed. My guess is that the survey will be distributed some time this fall.

The beauty of the Red Book lies in at least three different domains (IMHO)

• it is a great guide for developing a sped curriculum
  
• could this lead at some time to DISES "recognition" that the program in question is in keeping with CEC standards?
  
• it is very repetitive (i.e., much is repeated for each disability group with some minor yet important additions) Is there a real need to translate the entire document? Or for most other nations with smaller systems would mild / moderate / severe / low incidence groups suffice?

Since the Arabic group has experience here, it would be important for those folks to join this discussion.

I agree it's a good guide for developing a sped teacher prep curriculum--I know of none better and I've used parts of the Red Book for MN projects when we've been working on developing content for disability areas not covered--but the folks who would be doing the translating might see other, more pressing needs. I think motivation will be key in getting this work done.

CEC can, and already has, given its blessing to programs in other countries that want some sort of approval but can't or don't want to go through the US NCATE process that CEC is a part of.

Having looked at a number of the disability specific areas, there's some similarity in language but not all that much. The part that I think is especially useful is the section about core knowledge and skills that every sped teacher should know.

Once you put out the invite for all CEC members, I suspect that several in the Arabic group will join. If not, then I can do some nudging along.

Again, both points are valid. Maybe we can explore further other documents and or journals that would be relevant to all our international members.
Maybe even our journal??????

Is the red book available online on the CEC website. I am sorry I am not familiar with it or is it a "code" name? Thanks for clarifying.Rashida

Never mind--I checked online..just knew it by a different name..

I agree to translate CEC standards to different languages, but for many nations, not all CEC standards are fitted. It really depends on the special education laws, regulations, cultures, and educational systems. However, the translation of CEC standards could help special educators from other nations understand U.S. sped services and current issues, which we can adopt from it and adapt into our country. If we only translate some parts of it, special educators or professionals may misunderstand the whole meaning of it. Therefore, I agree to translate the whole document and let special educational experts from other countries decide which parts could be fitted in their country.

My work in ePortfolio/Assessment is relevant to the CEC Standards question and our Riga conference.

First, I amd most familiar with the CEC Standards but I must admit that I am not familiar with the Red Book.

Second, TaskStream supports my ePortfolio and supported my presentation at the EIfEL Conference here in London this week.

They are most willing to post the Education Standards from Lativa. This does not address the current question but is clearly aligned.

Eileen