FIELD                        EDUCATION

 

Review of Special Education unit standards

 

Subfield

Domain

Id

Special Education

Assessment and Programming in Special Education

7299, 7302, 9144

 

Behaviour Assessment and Intervention in Special Education

7282

 

Deaf and Hearing Impairment in Special Education

7355

 

Physical Needs in Special Education

7287

 

Professional Practice in Special Education

9135

 

The NZQA National Qualifications Services (NQS) has completed the review of the unit standards listed above.

 

Date new versions published                        July 2006

 

Planned review date                        December 2010

 

Summary of review and consultation process

 

In July 2003, notification was sent through the designated agencies for the National Qualifications Services advising of the need for a review of the Special Education unit standards which had been developed in 1996 and 1997.  A panel of Ministry of Education representatives, members of the original writing panel, provider representatives, vision education and deaf education representatives and other stakeholders was convened in October 2003 to be the New Zealand Qualifications Authority's principal adviser for the review of the Special Education unit standards.

 

Only 10 of the 106 unit standards in the Subfield had been used and although the advisory network recommended they be rolled over, NQS has decided to delay this process until another prioritisation and rationalisation process has been implemented and further consultation with the special education sector has been completed.

 

These 10 unit standards were selected and reviewed on the basis of use and of the needs of the special education sector.  Drafts of the reviewed unit standards were circulated to stakeholders for comment.

 

Of the 10 unit standards selected for review, unit standard 7304 was replaced by a new standard, 21327, and registered in the Early Childhood Education and Care subfield at the request of the ECE advisory network in February 2006.

 

Two more unit standards in the Vision Impairment in Special Education domain, 8576 and 8584, were transferred to Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan 0024 under the responsibility of the Community Support Services Industry Training Organisation (CSSITO) in April 2006.  The change of responsibility was actioned because the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind (RNZFB), reassessed their training programme and considered that these unit standards would fit with other unit standards dealing with visual impairment that were already the responsibility of CSSITO.  The review of the seven remaining special education unit standards has been completed.

 

Main changes resulting from the review

 

·        Unit standard 7287 was reviewed and replaced by two new unit standards: 21226 and 21227

·        Titles of unit standards 7282, 7302 and 9144 were changed

·        Credit values were increased for unit standards 7282, 7299, 7302, 7355, 9135 and 9144 as the panels felt that previous credit values were insufficient

·        Level of unit standard 9144 adjusted as it was considered to be set too high

·        Special notes were updated, clarified and additions made where necessary

·        Elements and performance criteria were rewritten for clarity and readability

·        Clarification of ranges and number of range items required were made where necessary

·        The moderation option was amended to reflect the changed arrangements within NZQA.

 

The unit standard categorised as category C will expire at the end of December 2008.

 

Impact on existing provider accreditations

 

None.

 

Impact on Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP)

 

None.

 

Impact on existing qualifications

 

None.

 

Summary of main changes

 

All changes are in bold.

 

Key to review category

 

A

Dates changed, but no other changes are made - the new version of the standard carries the same Id and a new version number

B

Changes made, but the overall outcome remains the same - the new version of the standard carries the same Id and a new version number

C

Major changes that necessitate the registration of a replacement standard with a new Id

D

Standard will expire and not be replaced

 

Subfield            Special Education

Domain            Assessment and Programming in Special Education

Id

Title

Level

Credit

Review Category

7299

Participate in the implementation of individual learning plans for young people with special needs

4

2

4

B

7302

Assist with programmes in education settings for young people with oral language difficulties

Assist with programmes in education settings for young people with oral language disorders

4

4

 

6

B

9144

Implement strategies to facilitate learning for young people with special needs

Assist with implementation of strategies to facilitate learning for young people with special needs

5

 

4

4

 

6

B

 

Domain            Behaviour Assessment and Intervention in Special Education

Id

Title

Level

Credit

Review Category

7282

Assist with behaviour change for young people with behaviour difficulties in education settings

Assist with behaviour change for young people with challenging behaviour in education settings

4

5

 

6

B

 

Domain            Deaf and Hearing Impairment in Special Education

Id

Title

Level

Credit

Review Category

7355

Take notes for young people who are deaf or hearing impaired

4

3

4

B

 

Domain            Physical Needs in Special Education

Id

Title

Level

Credit

Review Category

7287

Assist young people with personal care, eating and drinking, and toilet care

3

4

C

21224

and

Demonstrate knowledge of challenges and issues related to young people with physical needs

3

3

 

21225

Assist with implementation of programmes for a young person’s daily personal routines

4

6

 

 

Domain            Professional Practice in Special Education

Id

Title

Level

Credit

Review Category

9135

Identify and apply ethical guidelines for working with young people who have special education needs

4

3

4

B