Now Enrolling: Inclusive Education Pre-K-12 Micro-Credential

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies (ME UCEDD) was part of a collaborative team of faculty and staff with expertise in inclusive education that has developed an Inclusive Education Pre-K-12 Micro-Credential with funding from a competitive 2022-2023 mini-grant awarded by the University of Maine System Micro-Credential Initiative.

Micro-Credentials are short, focused credentials designed to provide in-demand skills, know-how and experience. A fully stacked micro-credential badge indicates the learner has successfully completed a high-quality and rigorous training and was able to demonstrate the skills they developed in a work-based setting.

This micro-credential provides practicing PreK-12 educators and support staff, pre-service educators and interested community members with the foundational knowledge and skills necessary to help create and sustain more inclusive schools. All participants will learn inclusive practices and strategies applicable to their setting.

Upon completion of this micro-credential, the learner will have knowledge of the following:

• The U.S. laws that govern special education and the legal preference for the inclusion of students with disabilities.
• The educational research evidencing positive outcomes of inclusion.
• The historical timeline of special and inclusive education, including the importance of family advocacy and the ethics of inclusion.
• The foundational instructional practices and collaboration necessary to implement inclusive special education.
• An effective Individualized Education Program (IEP) that addresses inclusive and age-appropriate annual goals for students with disabilities.
• Basic universal design for learning (UDL) principles.
• A framework for creating adaptations for students with disabilities.
• Classroom-wide and student-specific positive supports for students with challenging behavior using case study examples.
• Collaborative models and practices between school professionals and school-family relationships to support inclusive education.

Current education professionals can earn 2 CEUs from University of Maine System. Non-education professionals and pre-service educators can earn 20 contact hours. Registration is $50. For more information, please contact Marnie Morneault, [email protected] or Jennifer Maeverde, [email protected].

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Alt text for certificate graphic: Blue and green ribbon-shaped graphic with three children playing jump rope and text that reads, University of Maine System Inclusive Education PreK-12