Standards for Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education: The Development, Uses, and Vision for the Future

Professional Standards identify what future educators should know and be able to do when they complete a program of study from an Institution of Higher Education (IHE). With support from the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), the first ever stand-alone Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education (EI/ECSE) Standards were approved in 2020. In this paper, we (a) discuss the rationale for stand-alone EI/ECSE Standards within the current context; (b) briefly introduce the Standards; (c) present an overview of how the Standards were developed; and (d) provide a vision for and guidance to the field in the development of personnel systems that ensure application of the EI/ECSE Standards for preservice and in-service preparation, IHE program accreditation, cross disciplinary collaboration, research and development, and policy and advocacy.