HQ TEEMS

HQ TEEMS is an innovative collaboration with a high need school district that provides opportunities for teacher candidates, university faculty and public school teachers to collaborate to provide assessment-based instruction and support to K-8 at risk pupils. As part of a federally funded preservice training improvement program, special education faculty redesigned the field work component of the teacher preparation program to enhance candidate use and analysis of evidence-based practices and provide needed resources to a local high need school district. Benefits of this model include: the opportunity for preservice and inservice teachers to refine their collaboration skills in a real-world authentic experience; the provision of needed resources to deliver the individualized intensive instruction needed by pupils with or at risk for disabilities; and, the opportunity to make meaningful differences in the lives of pupils with or at risk for disabilities. This leveraging of resources to meet the needs of the multiple stakeholders has resulted in additional opportunities for shared professional development activities in the public school, school-based research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, and collaborative grant writing efforts.

HQ TEEMS Overview

Program Directors

Dr. Kate Mitchem

Kate Mitchem, Ph.D., is Professor in the Department of Early, Middle and Special Education at California University of PA. Dr. Mitchem co-directed a Phase 2 Steppingstones Project integrating EPSS in schools, a Phase 1 Steppingstones grant, and an IES grant to research EPSS tools with students with high incidence disabilities. She currently co directs a Preservice Training Improvement grant. She served as researcher on a Steppingstones Phase 3 project on interactive multimedia cases in higher education and coordinated a large federally funded prevention project in inner city middle and high schools. She teaches research courses in applied behavior analysis and works extensively in a number of school districts assisting them in implementing evidence-based programming for students with autism and behavior disorders.

Mitchem

Dr. Kalie Kossar

Kalie Kossar, Ed.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Early, Middle and Special Education at California University of PA. Dr. Kossar also serves as the Special Education Graduate Coordinator. She currently co directs a Preservice Training Improvement grant. She teaches courses at the undergraduate and graduate level regarding Assessment, Collaboration and Co-Teaching, and Inclusive Practices. She also teaches the field-based classes associated with HQ-TEEMS and works in the partner school districts assisting them in implementing evidence-based programming.

Kossar