Colleagues:
 
I have received a reply from Senator Cooper Snyder, including a
2-page response from Paul Marshall, executive assistant to the
Superintendent of Public Instruction.  According to  Mr.
Marshall's letter, teachers will be licensed to teach birth through
age eight, "but colleges and universities will provide a focus on a
specific age group within the total program."
 
This means that we will need to influence Miami's specific
licensure requirements to make sure that future teachers in the
primary grades are adequately prepared.
 
Mr. Marshall also indicated that we would, over the next several
months, "have ample opportunity to address the [State] Board and make
[our] concerns known to them.  Moreover, for the birth-through-eight
level, the National Association for the Education of Young Children
(NAEYC) standards will drive the program.
 
Dave Kullman