nyssa - NYSCA

REPORTS
THE VOICE OF THE NEW YORK STATE SPEECH PROFESSION
1976 New Year Edition
i'
'·
PRESIDENT'S REPORT
By Mort Klayman
In the post-convention issue of reports
talked about three specific areas of concern
upon which I was hoping NYSSA could
concentrate during the 1975-76 year. These
areas were public relations, organizational
structure, and membership . As of this
writing, six months have passed since I
assumed the responsibility of this office. I feel
an obligation to report to the membership on
the progress that has been made along these
lines during this time. I am pleased to report
that we have made progress (Thanks are due
for the concerted efforts of several people who
have conscientiously been carrying out their
responsibilities between the convention in
April and the Executive Board meeting held in
Cooperstown on October 18.) It is sometimes
difficult to pinpoint only one area that will be
affected by a particular piece of legislation or
an idea. When I talk of the progress in one of
the three aforementioned areas, it should be
understood that like a chain reaction other
areas may also be affected positively.
Our public relations are under the aegis
of Frances Hassencahl whose first project has
been initiated. Fran is in the process of setting
up a file of publications to which articles can
be sent to publicize the participation of
NYSSA members in various activities of our
association. State wide dissemination of information about NYSSA will be forthcoming
through the New York State Education
Department. We have been asked by the
Bureau of English Education to submit
material which they will publish in their
ENGLISH NEWS, a newsletter being sent' to
all the schools in New York State. In addition
to the possibilities of printed publicity, we are
in direct contact with the New York State
English Council through a reciprocal liaison
set up with them, and we will be represented
on their convention program in October with
at least one program.
A comparatively small membership is one
of our failings. This obviously contributes to
the small attendance at our conventions.
Public relations regarding the activities of an
organization, by itself, will not entice people
to join an organization. Some decisive action
must be taken. At the Executive Board
meeting it was decided to follow the
philosophy of "spending money to make
money" - or in this instance "to make
members". At the suggestion of Steve
Epstein, our Executive Secretary, money has
been allotted for an extensive mailing
campaign to promote membership and
attendance at the 1976 convention. But the
mailing alone will not suffice. It will have to be
an obligation of all members of NYSSA to
follow up these mailings with a ''word of
mouth" campaign to encourage their
colleagues in all areas of English, speech and
theatre on all levels to become an active part
of the association. We must convince them
that we do have something to offer.
My third concern was in the area of
organizational structure. I expressed concern
principally in regard to the functioning of
standing committees. I am pleased to report
that through the efforts of Peggy Rypsam and
her constitution committee a series of
constitutional amendments were proposed to
restructure the organization where needed.
Those amendments that apply to standing
committees would give flexibility to the
organization of those committees in the hope
that their function and purpose will become
more meaningful. These proposals, along with
other recommended constitutional changes,
will be published in the pre-convention issue
of REPORTS for your perusal and study.
Consider these changes carefully. You will be
asked to vote on them at the business meeting
at the 1976 convention.
It is difficult to determine at this point if the
steps taken will help us to alleviate any of our
problems. We can only hope that we're
moving in the right direction. At least we're
moving, and we've passed the point of sitting
around bemoaning our fate and stewing over
the fact that something must be done. Right or
wrong, we're doing. It looks like this could be
a year of action. Let's hope the action will
make it year of progress.
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Plan Now To Attend NYSSA Convention. Apnl 11 -13
Stevensville Country Club
Swan Lake, New York
NYSSA OFFICIAL FAMILY
1975-1976
President
MORTON KLAYMAN
Amerst Central High School
Snyder 14226
VIce President
BEATRICE FERRANTE
St. John 's University
Jamaica 11432
Vice President Elect
ALLAN FRANK
State University College
Brockport 14420
Vice President for Regional Activities
NANCY SWARTWOUT
Orange County Community College
Middletown 10940
Vice President for Public Relations
FRANCES HASSENCAHL
2425 Esplanade
Bronx, N.Y. 10469
Vice President for Advertising
MYRON SHAW
State University College
Geneseo 14454
Executive Secretary
STEVEN EPSTEIN
Columbia Teachers College
New York 10027
Editor
JOHN MEYER
State University College
Plattsburgh 12901
Historian-Archivist
ROBERT GREENE
State University College
Geneseo 14454
Regional Directors
N.Y. City
SYLVIA CHIPMAN
Bureau for Speech Improvement
Brooklyn 11201
Letters To and From t;he Editor
Committee on Committees
Dave Hill '76
Anthony Tripolone
John Chamard
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following
memorandum was sent to all
REPORTS editors on Sept. 22, 1975.
May I extend this same invitation to
all members of NYSSA interested in
writing or publishing.
All officers
Finance Committee
Anthony Trlpolone '76
Sr. Ruth Trautman '77
Robert Cemlgl ia '78
Certification Committee
Gayle Levison chm . '78
Isabelle Mirsky '77
Julia Piquette '76
MEMORANDUM TO: Editors of
Reports
FROM : John L. Meyer
RE: Article Writing for this Year.
Curriculum Committee
Beulah Rohrl ich '76
carolyn Gilbert '77
Julian Kaufman '78
Constitution Committee
Peggy Rypsam '76
Dora Longway ' 77
Ruth Goldfarb '78
Dave Hili
Steve Epstein
Citations Committee
Fran Hasencahl
Nancy Greska
Edwin Ore
Liaison Committee
Bernice Sherman
Frances Brown
John Chamard
Beatrice Ferrante
Robert Hayes
Mary-Jo Morris
Beulah Rohrilch
Mort Klayman
Delegates to NYSCEA
John Meyer and Louis Betstadt
Nominating
Tom Goetchius
SCA Advisory Council
Beatri ce Ferrante
Allan Frank
Eastern
MARY-JO MORRIS
Cooperstown Central School
Cooperstown 13326
Central
JUDI BROWNELL
State University College
Cortland 13045
Western
FRED POWELL
State University College
Brockport 14420
West Hudson
DON WILDY
State University College
New Paltz 12561
East Hudson
JOHN KIRN
Dutchess Community College
Poughkeepsie 12601
Long Island
SIDNEY SIEFF
Island Trees High School
Levittown 11756
Members at Large of
Execu!)ve Council
Louis Betstadt
Delores Bradshaw
John Meyer '76
Julian Kaufman
Allan Schramm '77
Sue Carrel
Barbara Mendoza
Joan Sanbonmatsu '78
Recording Secretary
Frances Marion Brown
NYSSA
NEW YORK STATE
SPEECH ASSOCIATION
Vol. XVI
No. 1
- EDITORIAL STAFF-
Editor ....... ... .. . ...... ... .. ... .. .. .. John L. Meyer
State University College at Plattsburgh
Advertising Manager .. .. ....... .. . ... .... Myron Shaw
State University College at Geneseo
Cinema .................... . ............. Paul Jensen
State University College at Oneonta
Drama .. ..... . .... .. ... ....... . . . ... John F. Kingston
State University College at Oswego
industrial Communications .. ... .. .. . . Charles Goetzinger
State University College at Geneseo
Oral Interpretation .. ... ...... . ..... ...... Timothy Gura
Public Speaking .................. Katherine E. Kendall
State University at Albany
Radio-Television . . ...................... William Berry
State University College at Geneseo
Semantics & Linguistics .. ..... .. ...... Abraham Tauber
Yeshi va College, New York
Speech Education ............ . ......... Josef Elfenbein
State University College at Oneonta
Speech & Hearing .......... . .. . ........ H.S. Freeman
State University College at Plattsburgh
State Ed. Dept. . ..... . . ...... .. . .. ........ Jerome Flax
Secondary Speech Education . . .............. J. D. Lynne
Bureau for Speech Improvement . ... . ....Pearl Schosheim
Greetings! If we are at all alike, you
are probably filling the squares on
your calendar of events for th is
('75-'76) academic year. I am in hopes
that you are leaving time in that busy
schedule of events for writing and
research . Some of those professional
writings will , hopefully, find their
way to Reports (The Voice of the New
York Speech Association).
I trust that you will conti'nue to
accept your position on the editorial
staff under my ed itorship and provide
me with the editorial support I need.
Please send me all the news items,
book reviews, short articles and other
pieces you would like to see published
in care of the Department of
Communications, State University
College at Plattsburgh , Plattsburgh,
New York 12901. If you have any
ideas for changes or improvements in
the publication, I would be most
interested and open to your suggestions.
I look forward to meeting you all at
our various organizational meetings
this year . I will be gathering materials
at the Fall Executive Council meeting
at Cooperstown on October 17, prior
to the dead li ne for our New Year
Edition.
The following are the tentative
deadl ine dates for our 3 issues this
year:
ISSUE
DATE
No.1) "New Year Issue .... Nov. 3,1975
No. 2) Pre Convention Issue Feb. 2, 1976
No. 3; Post Convention Issue May 3, 1976
Nov. 3, 1975
Thank you and best wishes for
another successfu I year .
MEMORANDUM TO:
John
L.
Meyer, Editor of Reports
FROM: Pamela A. Martinson
Project Manager,
Bicentennial Youth Debates
1625 Massachusetts Ave.
N.W., Washington, D.C.
20036
Phone (202) 265-1 070
SUBJECT: BYD UPDATE
The purpose of this notice is to
bring you up to date with the
activities of the Bicentennial Youth
Debates program, with the hope that
you will place current information
about the project in your publication.
As of June 1, 1975, over 6,000 high
schools, colleges and universities
were enrolled in the BYD program.
We now estimate that over 10,000
schools will be enrolled by the time
events begin in September, 1975. We
are particularly pleased that a wide
range of institutions and groups will
be holding BYD competitive events:
schools on U.S. military bases in the
Pacific, institutions for the blind,
labor organizations and Indian reservation schools, as well as traditional
high schools and colleges.
Most of the major national civic,
professional, educational and youth
organizations have endorsed the
program and their leaders serve on
the BYD Council for Development
and Community Involvement. The
memberships of the respective
groups Kiwanis International,
League of Women Voters, 4- H, etc.
- will judge BYD competitive events
and host community
programs
throughout the Bicentennial year.
With the assistance of the Council,
the BYD will become a major
grassroots effort to commemorate the
Bicentennial. (A complete list of
Council members is found on the
inside back cover of the enclosed
Participant Guide.)
The BYD Participant Guide was
d istributed in April to each high
school and college library in the
country and contains details regarding formats, rules and regulat ions
and a section on how to prepare for
BYD events. Also enclosed is the
''Guide for the Community Leader ''
which describes how individuals can
become involved in a substantive way
in the Bicentennial through BYD
program . You may find material in
these Guides which would be useful
in an upcoming publication.
We would appreciate receiving
reprints of any information you may
have already printed about the BYD
program. If there is other material I
can make available to you, please feel
free to contact me.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The materials cited
above are available to you. BYD is
sponsored by a grant from the
Nfltional Endowment for the Humanities. A project of the Speech
Communication Association.
LETTERS TO AND FROM
THE EDITOR
EDITOR'S NOTE: Because
Reports is more ''newsletter''
than "jou rna I" I urge all readers
who want to make a contribution
- but do not feel they want to
submit a report or an article to send me a ''letter to the
editor". I will attempt to develop
this section of Reports as a form
of a forum or a written dialogue.
Although I can not promise to
print all of the letters submitted
nor all portions of a letter, I will
attempt to extract those paragraphs for publication which I
feel are particularly newsworthy
or would tend to stimulate
debate. Send letters to:
John L. Meyer,
Editor of Reports
Department of Communications
and Theatre Arts
State University College,
Plattsburgh,
Plattsburgh, New York 12901
NYSSA Membership
Renewals
Is it time to renew your membership for 1976?
Mail Checks to:
Steve Epstein,
NYSSA Exec. Sec'y.
Columbia Teacher's College
Box 66
New York, N .Y. 10027
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETS
Minutes of NYSSA Board Meeting,
October 18, 1975
Tunnicliff Inn,
Cooperstown, N.Y.
Twenty-Four
Executive
Board
Members met at the Tunnicliff Inn in
Cooperstown, N.Y. on Oct. 17-18. The
following are the minutes of the
Board's Business meeting. Meeting
called to order by President Mark
Klayman at 9:25 a.m . Agenda (#1)
Minutes were circulated. Under the
1st Vice President's report a correction was made to the suggestion that
the Editor be one of the delegates to
NYS Council of Education Associations. Minutes were approved as corrected .
President's Report was circulated
(#2) - He reported on the Empire
State Youth Theatre Director being
appointed and a new program be
instituted.
Appointments and corrections to
Official Family - Mary Jo Morris Regional Director of Eastern Region.
Frances Hassencahl is replacement
for James Johnson as Vice President
for Public Relations.
Anthony Bifaro-replacement for
John Lent on Ad Hoc Legislative
Comm ittee .
Julian Ka21fman - replacement for
Mary Jo Morris as Member-at-Large.
SCA-Advisory Council - Beatrice
Ferrante delegate, and Allan Frank,
alternate.
No appointment has been made as
of October 3 for Executive Secretary
for the State Board for Speech
Pathology and Audiology.
Steve Epstein moved Lou Bedstadt
seconded that we endors€ David
Brook for Executive Secretary for the
State Board for Speech Pathology and
Audiology and the President take
appropriate action. Carried .
The President was instructed to
send a letter to NYSSHA suggesting
that they could work through us to get
NYSCEA to take appropriate action
on legislative matters.
Report on October meeting of
Presidents of Association in NYSCEA
David Brooks attended the
meeting representing Mark Klayman.
The new tenure law is drawn up on
certification lines.
A very comprehensive report was
given by David Brook - minutes of
the meeting will be forthcoming and
at that time all the material will be
available for dissemination - next
meeting of Presidents will be in
January - Regular NYCEA meeting
will be in November.
Bernice Sherman was requested to
write an article on the new
certification provisions for Reports.
A letter from the organization
expressing our concern on CBTE will
be sent to Dr. Gazzetta with a copy to
the president of NYCEA for dissemithe Professional
nation to all
organizations represented in NYCEA.
1st Vice President Report Dittoed sheet (#3) distributed by
Beatrice Ferrante - It was requested
that a program on the Basic Speech
Program be included at the Convention - Bureau of English would like
to present a program . Suggestions
were requested for key note speaker.
David Brook moved, Myron Shaw
seconded, that report be received.
Carried.
V.P. for Public Relations - report
given by Fran Hassencahl - has just
taken office requested that on
news release sheets give names and
addresses of news media. She gave
out press release sheets (#4) M. Shaw
moved A. Frank seconded that report
be received. Carried.
Editor - John Meyer responded
that he had sent letters to all his
editorial staff. November 3 deadline
for 1st issue - Feb. 2 for Preconvention issue, May 3 for Post Convention
issue, mailing labels and number of
copies were questions discussed . D.
Brooks moved, M . Shaw seconded,
acceptance of report . Carried.
Historian Archivist Bob
Greene reported on what was in the
Archives- He will report at the next
meeting what he would like members
to send to him. Brooks moved, J.
Meyer seconded, that report be
received. Carried.
Nominating Committee Tom
Goetchus not present - no progress
report was available.
V.P . for Regional Activities Nancy Swartwout distrib uted mimeograph report (#5)
It was
suggested that the regions be
expanded to 10 Constitutional
change to establish "regions" be
worked out by Constitution Committee. Letters (if needed) will be
sent. (See more of this report in this
Issue.)
Regional Reports - John Kerr Dutchess Community College is
working to provide workshops.
Mary Jo Morris Inter-County
Speeth Tournament in her region is
being planned.
Judy Brownell -April 5 workshop
was held in early February a
workshop will be held in Syracuse.
Sylvia Chipman d istributed a
dittoed report (#6). Theatre party on
July 19 was successful - Nov. 1 a
workshop will be held at Hunter
College Alumni House- Program all day workshop 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Method of teaching speech to slow
learners; innovated therapy for
stutterers; use of simulations in
teaching of communications; stage
lighting; make-up techniques.
Travel opportunities were discussed.
Moved by A . Frank, seconded by L.
Bestadt to receive report of Regional
Directors. Carried .
V.P . for Advertising Myron
Shaw reporting- sent out mailingone ad already received 200
prospective advertisers will
be
contacted in Dec. 2 mailing.
Moved by D. Brooks, seconded by
John Meyer, to receive report.
Carried.
Steve
Executive Secretary
Epstein reporting 175 checking $3300
savings; has not had Finances to
touch surplus for special project IRS and NYS tax problems have
arisen - Steve is trying to resolve
them .
Membership
Membership
trends and projections graph (#7)
were distributed - Mailing list must
be brought up to date- AAUP has a
list of college people and secondary
schools Meeting recessed for lunch at
12:40.
Meeting reconvened at 2 p.m.
Budget proposals (#8 and #9) were
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETS
distributed - #9 includes membership promotion by a commercial
concern . A question as to who should
send Resolutions was raised by the
Executive Secretary - They will be
sent out by V.P. for Public Relations
For registration at Conventions a
committee including Executive Council members will man the registration
desk.
Time and Place- 1977 Convention
- suggestions: Concord, Grossingers, Queensbury at Glens Falls, 3
Rochester locations.
Questions as to printing costs will
be looked into in non-Metropolitan
areas.
Moved by D. Brook seconded by
Myron Shaw to receive report.
Carried.
Constitution Committee Report dittoed sheets distributed by Peggy
Rypson, Chairman proposed change
#10 then gave the rationale behind
recommended changes present Constitution (#11) (All constitutional
Amendments will be published in
Reports - PreConvention Issue)
Moved by Lou Bedstadt seconded
by Allan Frank to receive report.
Carried.
Citations Committee - no report
from newly appointed V.P. for Public
Relations.
Liaison to NYSEC - Dora Longway
reported that they (English Council)
would like exchange programs at the
respective Conventions
Lou
Bedstat moved; Allan Frank seconded
that report be received. Carried.
From S.E.D. Dora Longway
reported a meeting with Jerry Flax
from English Bureau who offered any
assistance and will use any articles
sent by us in the English Newsletter.
The suggestion was made that Dora
Long way be our Liaison.
Delegates from NYSEA - Meeting
will be in November.
Finance Committee
Steve
Epstein reporting for Tony Tripoloni
- his suggestion (as in other years)
that committee be done away with.
Special Education Program Committee - Spots are worked on Films will be ready for the Convention.
Old Business - None
New Business Lou Bedstat
moved that Sylvia Chipman be
charged with getting particulars on
tours for NYSSA members and give a
specific proposal at the Spring
Executive Council Meeting. Dave
Brook seconded. Carried. Steve
Epstein moved that an Easter trip be
arranged now. Bea Ferrante seconded . Carried.
2. Steve Epstein moved that the
$4000 budget be approved. Lou
Bedstadt seconded. Carried.
3. Nancy Swarthout moved that the
1977 Convention be in Rochester
April 22-24 Holiday Inn. 1978
Convention be in Glens Falls, date to
be announced. Seconded by Judi
Brownell. Carried.
4. Constitution Revisions - Moved
by Peggy Rypsan seconded by Allan
Frank to accept Constitutional Revisions as amended to be presented to
total membership for ratification at
the 1976 Convention after being
published in Reports.
Moved by Julian Kaufman, seconded by John Meyer.
"In view of the recent appointment
of a new chairman, the Citations
Committee be granted a delay until
December 1st in order to present to
the Executive Council a list of
candidates recommended for citations. Carried.
Moved by David Brooks, seconded
by Bob Greene that we become
co-sponsors of the NYSEC Convention as proposed.
Letter to be sent to Jerry Flax to
use his offer to use the English
Newsletter to publicize our organization (and what it does) will be sent by
the President, Mort Klayman.
Fran Hassencahl moved that the
Executive Council of NYSSA go on
record as urging the passage of the
E.R.A. Seconded by Peggy Rypen.
Carried.
A letter of appreciation will be sent
to our hosts of last evening's social
hour- Mabel and Bob Atwell, John
Chamard and Mary Jo Morris.
Meeting adjourned at 4:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Frances Marion Brown
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EXECUTIVE COUNCIL REPORT ON REGIONAL ACTIVITIES
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL REPORT
ON REGIONAL ACTIVITIES
By Nancy Swartwout,
V . P. for Regional Activities
Orange County Community
College
During the Apri l, 1975 Convention,
the Regional Directors met to define
their job and to make certain recommendations to the Association concerning the regions and the directors
function within a given region.
I. Job Description
All agreed that in keeping
with the tenets of NYSSA that
the primary function of a
regional director is to advance
the cause of Speech in New
York State.
The
regional
director
should provide active leadership by conducting at least
one, one day workshop, or
pathology workshop, etc. , on
any or all levels of education .
For examp le, a debate workshop could involve social
science teachers, a pathology
workshop cou ld be geared to
the classroom teacher. These
programs should not be
specifically directed at Speech
people, especially not to just
the NYSSA
Membership.
However, resource people
could very well come from the
membership .
The
reg ional
director
should try to encourage the
support of speech activities in
his region.
1he
regional
d irector
should provide a list of
school·s-, and where possible,
speech personnel in his
region. This list should be
sent to both the Vice President for Regional Activities
and to the Executive Secretary .
A Regional Director should
be aware of inter-scholastic
schedules of Physical Education and Music, so that he or
she can plan in conjunctioin
with, or schedule events
around these activities to
eliminate part icipat ion conflict for sttJdents.
Ill. Conclusions
A. That the nominating committee consult with the
Regional Directors when
proposing a slate of officers. This would allow for
"grass-roots" in-put and
for recognition of service
across the state. It would
also allow the Associat ion
to infuse new·" blood" into
its leadership·.
A ll felt that participation·
by new members was extremely im portant.
B. That if a regional director,
whether on the elementary, secondary or college
level , has difficulty in obtaining released time to attend Executive Council
meetings,
professional
workshops or the Convention of the State Association , a letter of appreciation and/ or commendat ion
be sent to his principal or
chief admi nistrator. Attendance is difficult for many.
II Recommendations:
A. That the length of term of
office for regional director
be increased to three years
from the present two year
term .
It was felt that two years
is not long enough to
develop a meaningful program. This is a constitutional change.
B. That the Regions be reorganized so that they are
more workable. The VicePresident was charged
'w ith this project. See my
suggestions which are attached to the fu II report.*
If the Association agrees
to these changes, the
Regional Director would
then appoint area representatives (each county
should be represented)
who would report directly
to him or her. These
representatives would not
need to be members of the
Executive Council, but rather they would have their
own regional meetings .
Only the Directors would
have to serve on the
Executive Council.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Widely
applauded, this innovative
report was discussed at the
Executive Board Meeting in
Cooperstown on Oct. 18. The
suggestion to reorganize the
state into 10 Regions is a
Constitutional change.
DEVELOPMENTAL LEARNING MATERIALS
·is pleased to announce
the appointment of
ANNA R· FARSTER
as
MATERIALS CONSULTANT
for the States of New Jersey and New York
Developmental Learning Materials
7440 Natchez Avenue
Niles, Illinois 60648
(312) 647-7800
Mrs. Anna R. Farster
· 17 West Hanover Avenue
Morris Plains, New Jersey 07950
(201 ) 267-3490
TOWARD COMPETENCY BASED TEACHER EDUCATION: FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES
TOWARD COMPET ENCY BASED
TEACHER EDUCATION:
FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES
By Gayle Levison
(Herbert H. Leman College)
Chairman, Certification Committee
The NYSSA Cert ificat ion and
• Liaison comm ittees have been trying
to provide clarification of the issues
and questions that surround the
' formulation of competency-based
certification programs , mandated by
the New York State Educat ion
Department . With speech educat ion
departments in teacher training
colleges now actively engaged in
developing such training programs, a
review of some procedural guidel ines
seems in order.
The Conceptualization
The not ion of ' 'competency'' can
be explained by either a general or a
specific conceptualizat ion of what
canst itutes an effective teacher . But
whether the approach is toward more
generic competencies or toward more
specifically refined competencies, the
conceptualization must f ind its bases
wi thin the framework of regionalization: how does the region conceptualize the kind of teacher that it
wants and needs? The thrust for
developing regional competencies
must come from a working consort ium which includes , but need not be
limited to , education departments ;
speech communication departments ;
public school admi nistration and
teaching staff; union representat ives
and others whose participation represents a significant voice of "the
reg ion" ; with a university-wide
coordinator to facilitate the planning.
Fundamental to the effect ive functioning of the consort ium is the
formulation of gu idelines for its
governance.
The concept of regional ization is
based on the premise that "you can't
be all th ings to all people. " Rather,
the development of competencies, i.e .
spec ific ski lis, know ledges and atti tudes that we want teachers to
demonstrate , depends on the needs of
the region in which the teacher plans
to serve . The rationale for a regional
conceptualization , as explained by the
State Education Department , is
simply that " school district superintendents have the ri ght to know what
kind of ' product' they are gett ing ;
they have the right to examine the
graduate profile of competencies to
assess whether or not the candidate
has demonstrated minimal levels of
competency '' required to serve the
district 's teaching needs .
The unfortunate assumpt ion is ,
however, that the region in wh ich the
teacher will ultimately serve will be
the - local school districts in the
immediate environs. This conceptualization is not without inherent problems - most notably that this local
approach to a program of competencies can limit the mob il ity of
student graduales who must develop
a profile of competencies to suit the
needs of one particular region, in lieu
of developing broad and general
competencies that might be more
suitable to school districts of
disparate regions .
Developing the Program
Once the consortium and its governance structure has been established,
the training program can be devel oped . Whether the conceptualization
of the competent teacher is broad and
general or narrow and specific, a
training program and field experiences must be provided to reflect
that conceptualization . The training
program need not be built around
courses (see ' 'CBTE Progress Report'' by Carolyn Gilbert, REPORTS,
Spring , 1975). Rather, the program
must describe and develop a competency profile for each of its graduates
that includes specific behaviors that
are to be expected, and minimal
levels of performance competencies.
For example, where a program would
have traditionally expressed competency as , "a student will successfully
pass a methods course, '' the new
competency-based program needs to
cite the specific behaviors desired , as ,
" a student will be able to organize a
lesson in publi c speaking" ; the
minimal level of competency stipulated as , "the lesson must clearly
contain (1) a motivating device , (2)
substantive content (3) application of
that content in an exercise or activity ,
and (4) a summary of the content
presented." In this way both the
student and the evaluator understand
precisely and specifically the behaviors the student must perform to
demonstrate " com petence."
·vvti11e th e program is developed by
the consortium , the college has the
legal responsibility of subm itting the
certification requirements to the State
for approval . Instructional methods
for developing competence also
remain the province of the instructional departments of the college, not
the State Education Department. The
proposal submitted to the State must
further include specific provisions for
feedback from the graduates of the
program, to serve as one method in a
self-correction system for the training
program.
Measurement vs. Assessment
There are times when objective
measurement (i. e. scales, paperpencil tests) is not appropriate in an
instructional program, and the State
Education Department concedes that
one can assess without measuring.
For example, the teacher or supervisor can, in lieu of objective
measurement, operat ional ize that
"having observed the student , he or
she manifests
the
(knowledge,
attitu de , behavior) in the following
(descriptive) way ... " Furthermore,
indicators or conditions for behavior
can serve as a basis for judgment
(e.g ., "In a regular size classroom ,
the teacher w i ll use a level of volume
so that he can be heard by all the
students in the room " ). Thus,
non-quantitative data are acceptable
as assessment of com patency , as long
as that data and any other basis for
judgment are known to both the
evaluator and the student . The most
im portant matter to consider in the
development of measurement or
assessment procedures is that each
student must know what competency
is being assessed and at what
m inimal level of competency he or she
must perform . To ill ustrate, unless
you " teach " the concept of "appearance in t he classroom ", and the
con sorti urn has established specif ic
cr iteria for assessing the teacher' s
appearance, that dimension should
not be included in the profile of
competencies .
NYSSA Certification Guidelines
The NYSSA Certification and
Liaison committees have attempted to
formulate communication competencies to assist schools in th eir
preparation of pro gram proposals.
The SCA is also endeavoring to
provide methods and structure for
com ing to terms with the prodi gious
task mandated by the State Education
Department. It is precarious, however, to assume as we proceed that
knowledges of theory , principles , and
process of · communication make a
competent teacher. We must not
devaluate the importance of establish
ing teaching competencies, developing a conceptualization of what
constitutes effective teaching . The
graduate proficient in knowledges,
attitudes and skills of speech
communication must also be able to
impart these in a classroom situation .
He or she must show competence in
the fac ilitation of learning - helping
students to acqu ire the knowledges,
behaviors or performance that are
indicated as desired outcom~s of
speech commun icat ion instruction.
It is apparent from the literature on
teaching that there is not one
established set of cr iteria from which
to assess " effective teach ing " (see,
for example , B.O . Smith , Research in
Teacher Education , 1971 ; or N .L.
Gage , Handbook of Research on
Teaching, 1963). But there are many
characteristics of teaching behaviors
cited in the literature on teacher
education (e.g ., Simon and Boyer,
Mirrors for Behavior II, 1970;
Westbury and Bellack , Research into
Classroom Processes , 1971; Duncan
and Biddle, Studying Teaching, 1974)
to invest us with guidelines we can
apply to identifying competencies of
speech communication educators.
Competency based teacher education
has merit, if we appreciate how it can
foster the identification of specif ic
teaching behaviors in the diverse
prog rams of speech comm un ication.
We can make progress in the formulation of our teacher certification
proposals if we look less to the project
as a necessary evil and more to its
exciting challenge.
SPEECH COMMUNICATION
WORKSHOP AT CORTLAND
All high school teachers interested
in gathering new and pract ical
resource materials - games , activit ies , and ideas - for thei r speech
classrooms , should be su re to attend
the In-Service Workshop Program to
be held at the State Un ivers ity
College at Cortland on Saturday,
February 7, 1976. Emphasis wi ll be
on teaching Interpersonal Communi-·
cation skills , although there will also
be a sess ion on Pub lic Speaking and
plenty of opportunit y for discussion of
teaching techniques and the special
problems encountered in the high
school speech classroom .
Coffee and doughnuts will be
waiting for you at 9:00a.m . , with the
first session beginning promptly at
9:30a.m . So- bring your problems,
ideas, and enthusiasm to share with
other speech educators, and I'm sure
everyone will enjoy a very worthwhile
program!
For further information and registration materials write to Judi
Brownell , Speech-Theatre Department, SUNY Cortland , New York
13045.
DATA
Date: Saturday, February 7, 1976
Place: Corey Union, SUNY Cortland,
New York
(coffee and
Time:
Registration
9a .m.
doughnuts)
1st Session:
9:30-10:45 a.m.
11-12:15 p.m.
2nd Session:
lunch
3rd Session:
1-2:12 p.m.
2:30-3:45 p.m.
4th Session :
(Sessions wi ll be sequenced, and it is
therefore recommended that prticipants attend all sessions).
8eai~tr;:otinn Fee: $2.
GRANTS FOR SPEECH IMPROVEMENT
GRANTS FOR SPEECH
IMPROVEMENT
By Pearl E. Schosheim,
Editor from
Bureau Speech Improvements
The United States Of f ice of Education has awarded a Title Ill grant to
the Bureau for Speech Improvement
to provide intensive training in an
experimental language program for
the severely language impaired ,
called " Modification of Ch ild ren 's
Oral Language".
This program is designed to
provide specialized training in the use
of high precision language behavior
modification approach for teachers
and supervisors who w i ll , in turn ,
implement the innovative approach ,
with seriously language handicapped ,
brain-injured,
learning
disabled , '
mentally retarded and hard-of-hearing students .
Selected Manhattan and Bronx '
Speech Teachers have been availed of
the opportunity to participate in this
program which is often referred to as
the " Monterey" program . Implementation continues to Brooklyn and
Queens. Some selected supervisors
and teachers from the school fo r the
Deaf have been participating in the
program .
The Bureau has established a
training program for its Speech
Center Teachers who are engaged in
intensive therapy in the " Precision
Fluency Shaping Technique", f.or use
with stutterers . This training will take
the form of a workshop, led by those
speech teachers who were enrolled in
the special Summer training program
at Hol li ns College, Vir~inia .
Bureau teachers in Manhattan and
Staten Island have initiated a
language centered clinic program
which focuses on practical language
experiences as a clinical tool.
New York City continues to provide
funding for the continuation of speech
service to all pr ivate and parochial
schools .
MARQUETIE UNIVERSITY
The College of Speech ,
founded in 1926
offers
undergraduate-graduate
work in
Communicative Disorders,
Broadcast Communications,
Interpersonal
Communication,
Speech Education and
Theatre Arts.
for infor mation write:
Alfred J . Sokolnicki , Dean
College of Speech,
Marquette University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233
REPORTS ON SPEECH PATHOLOGY AND AUDIOLOGY
REPORTS ON SPEECH
PATHOLOGY AND AUDIOLOGY
By H .S. Freeman, Editor
Dr . Henry C . Youngerman , SUNYFredonia, was named "Professor
Emeritus", after 22 years. He is a
fellow of the American Speech and
Hearing Association .
* • * * *
SUNY Potsdam sponsored a program "Hearing Handicapped in our
Community" with the aid of New
York State Division of Vocational
Rehabilitation, November 6, 1975.
* * * * •
SUNY Oswego Speech and Hearing
program may not be accredited
because of state budget problem.
* * * * *
New York Governor Carey has
signed the Hearing Aid Dealers
Registration Law. It is a new section
of the business law.
* * * * *
The Empire State Laryngectomey
Association presents a multidisciplinary workshop regarding the Rehabilitation of the Laryngectomee November 19, and 20, 1975 at the
American Inn, Albany, New York.
* * * * *
State Senator Giuffreda and the
New Your State Senate Standing
Comm ittee on Education have been
holding hearings throughout the state
to receive input from professional and
consumer groups regarding a bill that
would overhaul the State Educational
Law as it affects handicapped children (Editorial comment : No new law
will help if it is not "funded" and
enforced . There is nothing wrong
with the present law. IT IS NOT
ENFORCED. Children are not receiving services to meet their child's
needs. Generally both in urban, suburban and rural areas the services
are limited to what the local school
district is willing to provide for the
handicapped . The parents "must"
accept and child must fit into the local
program . It appears the few districts
of any size provide most services .
H .S.F)
ALL MEMBERS WHO WANT
LICENSES
Send written request for application materials and forms to:
Dr. Raymond Salmon,
Director, Division of Professional Licensing Services
Speech Pathology and Audiology
Unit
State Education Department
99 Washington Avenue
Albany, New York 12230
Please apply at once. The
printing of forms will take place
after requests are received in
Albany. It will take some time
for your reply. If you apply later
you will most likely have to wait
for the second printing .
Questionnaire
WHY DO YOU [OR DON'T YOU]
ATTEND N.Y.S.S.A.
CONVENTIONS?
The Executive Council of the New
York State Speech Association want
to find ways to better serve the
readers of this newsletter. We want to
increase membership in the New York
State Speech Association and we
know that the only way to do this is to
provide convention programs and
other services which meet some of
your important needs as a professional person. Toward this end, I am
asking you to help us plan the 1977
and 1978 conventions with YOUR
needs and interests in mind.
Below is a questionnaire which I
hope you will complete and return to
me. Of course, we want all members
of N.Y.S.S.A. to complete and return
the questionnaire. Perhaps even more
important, we want the readers of this
The State Health Department and
State Education Department Division
of Handicapped Children are working
together to approve more local
programs under the ·-~Deaf Infant
Tuition "
law. These multidisciplinary programs provide identification and parent-child rehabilitation
for deaf infants ages 0- to 3 years. The
goal is to provide funds and services
to train the family in the concepts of
total communication and for early
intervention .
An interesting problem was reported by some institution in regard to the
Competency Based Teacher Education (CBTE) programs that were
scheduled to be implemented on
September 1, 1975. 1) Not all college
programs were approved for the
original four (4) year period. 2) Most
programs were forced contrary to
original instruction and responses to
questions from the State Education
Department to make a "uniform"
statement that provisionally certified
(BS-BA) graduates would be competent to provide services for all
Language, Speech and Hearing disorders. Some of the local consortium
would question the ethics of such a
statement! !
QUESTIONNAIRE
issue who do not now belong to
N .Y .S.S.A. to respond so that we are
given a chance to provide the
convention programs and services
that will convince you to join the state
association and attend the annual
conventions.
We know that all of us are less
willing to travel to conventions
because of the almost total absence of
school travel funds to support such
travel. Most people who attend the
state convention use their own money
to finance travel . They do so simply
because the conventions are worth
the $70 .00 or less of total expenses
(all of which is tax deductible- state
and federal) . I'm sure that if you
attend our 1976 and 1977 conventions
you will become convinced that active
membership in N .Y .S.S.A. and
regular convention attendance make
good sense for you as a professional
person .
WHY DO YOU (OR DON'T YOU ) ATTEND N·Y·S·S·A CONVENTIONS?
QUESTIONNAIRE
Place of employment _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Years in your present occupation
If a teacher, what grade levels?~,..-..----------------Subjects taught _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
N.Y.S.S.A member
_ _ _ _No. If yes,
VVould you pay $15 a year in tax
deductible dues to support an active
state speech association which would
provide quality convention programs
for you?
Yes
No
Any other comments on how to
improve this organization and make it
more attractive to you?
yes_
how many
years?______~--------~---------------How many times did you attend a
N.Y.S.S.A convention?_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __
VVhat years?_____________________________
People attend conventions for various
reasons. Below are listed some of the
common ones. Please rank them in
order of importance, with #1 being
most important to you, and #9 least
important.
Ranking
Reason for Attendance
Socializing with others
Convention programs
Book and materials
displays
Hearing
prestigious
keynote and luncheon
speakers
Quality of meals and
service
Hotel/ motel faci I ities
Location (how far I near
to you).
possibiliRecreational
ties in and near the
hotel/ motel .
Other (Name it and
include in ranking)
If you have not attended N.Y.S.S.A .
conventions during the past 3 years,
I ist reasons why you have not
attended. If possible, rank your
reasons in importance to you.
If you have not attended N.Y.S.S.A.
conventions during the past 3 years
what kinds of things (other than
financial support) would get you to
come?
Speech Communication Department
State University College
Brockport, N.Y. 14420
You will help us to help you if you
complete and mail the questionnaire
to me right now! Thanks much.
If possible, rank the above in
importance to your decision to attend
convention.
REPORTS
THE VOICE OF THE NEVV YORK STATE SPEECH PROFESSION
PUBLICATION OF THE NEVV YORK STATE SPEECH ASSOCIATION
John L. Meyer, Editor
State University College
Plattsburgh, New York 12901
Please send your completed questionnaire to:
Allan Frank
Vice president elect,
N.Y.S.S.A.
NOTE: Results of this survey will be
publ ished in the next issue of
N.Y.S.S.A. Reports
Non-profit Org .
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No.1
Plattsburgh,- N.Y.
12901