Paraeducator to Special Education Teacher Program Partnerships

Paraeducator to Special Education Teacher Program Partnerships

What Is It?

Utah applied for and received services from the NASDSE Personnel Improvement Center (PIC) www.personnelcenter.org to assist the state in increasing the number of candidates in our special education preparation programs.
Utah's focus for this effort is to bring working paraeducators into a preparation program leading to a special education teaching license.

Multiple Levels of Collaboration

Nationally the Personnel Improvement Center (PIC) and the National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals . . . at a State Level: Utah Department of Education, State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) and the Utah Personnel Development Center . . . At the Local Level: LEAs: Districts and Charters, IHEs: 2 and 4 year colleges and universities.

PIC Process in Utah - Steps

Utah selected for PIC services
Utah State Leadership Team created
State Leadership Team identified districts (LEAs) with high needs and partnering Institutes of Higher Education (IHEs)
District LEAs, IHEs, and leadership teams held four face-to-face meetings
LEA/IHE Personnel Partnership Plans written and revised as needed. See sample partnership plan: Granite School District/Utah State University/University of Utah
Continuous follow-up and monitoring through e-mails, teleconferences, and webinars

Current District IHE Partnerships

District Partnerships

How to Obtain Financial Aid:

Paying for school: Financial Opportunity Pathways (.pdf)

How to Get Into a University Program:

Utah State University: 6 steps to obtaining a degree in Special Education at Utah State University (.pdf)
University of Utah: Checklist (.pdf) | Flowchart (.pdf)
Weber State University:

Contact Information:
Marilyn Likins: marilyn@utahparas.org
Peggy Milligan: peggy.milligan@schools.utah.gov
Kit Giddings: kitg@updc.org