EXCEMPILS Scholar Opportunity

The Excellence in Multilingual Personnel in Illinois Schools (EXCEMPILS) training project is designed to address the need for highly qualified special educators, speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists with specialized academic, clinical, research and leadership training to:

• Provide evidence-based services tailored to meet the educational and communication needs of multilingual students and their families.
• Engage in interprofessional, collaborative teamwork to support tailored and adaptive instruction to students with specialized educational needs (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, and Down syndrome).

The goal is to prepare exemplary, master’s-level special educators, speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists to support children with specialized educational needs effectively.

Grant support will cover a significant portion of scholars’ tuition. The project is funded through a competitive, 5-year federal grant (2023-2028) awarded from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education:

• Occupational therapy scholars will complete their MOT degree and all standards of the American Occupational Therapy Association’s (AOTA) Accreditation Council of Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) required to sit for the National Board Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam and achieve high training standards for practice as multilingual personnel.
• Special education project scholars will complete their M.S.Ed. degree in Special Education and requirements to apply for the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Special Education Endorsement and Bilingual Approval.
• Speech-language pathology scholars will complete their M.S. degree and meet all standards to apply for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC), the Illinois State Board of Education Professional Educator License (PEL), and the Illinois Bilingual Special Educator Approval to document their qualified bilingual provider status.

EXCEMPILS Program

The comprehensive curricula will entail academic, fieldwork/clinical practicum across a variety of settings, research and leadership activities.

Academic

Coursework will include evidence-based services designed to support multilingual students and their families effectively and promote collaboration among professionals to address specialized educational needs.

Fieldwork/Clinical Practicum

Scholars will complete various assignments with multilingual learners with specialized educational needs in the on-campus clinic and externships.

Special Education scholars continuing their school employment while enrolled in the graduate program will complete fieldwork and course assignments in the context of classrooms, schools or districts.

Research

Scholars will collaborate to complete their master’s research with mentorship from project faculty on a topic related to multilingual learners with interdisciplinary needs (e.g., ASD, ID, and DS). Research and dissemination will enhance scholars’ leadership skills and ability to contribute to ongoing professional training in the field.

Project Monthly Team Meetings

Scholars and project directors will meet together regularly during Monthly Team Meetings (MTMs). Through these MTMs, scholars will advance their learning and experiences to meet the designated competencies through activities including collaborative case studies, simulations, hands-on lab rotations, and interdisciplinary assessments and co-treatment, both through in-person and distance learning modalities. The MTMs will also allow directors to provide ongoing guidance, mentoring, feedback, and other supports during training.

Additional Supports for Scholars

The program utilizes a cohort model in which students take classes, achieve milestones, and graduate together. Along with supportive faculty mentors, first-year scholars will also be paired with second-year scholars as peer mentors.

Elmhurst University faculty are known for excellence in teaching. Faculty have participated in training through the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) on best teaching practices. These trainings include the use of tailored instruction, fostering engagement through active learning strategies (e.g., large and small group discussions, case studies, simulations, labs, reflections), and assessment to provide meaningful feedback to enhance learning. Faculty foster an environment that values academic excellence and collaboration among all scholars.

Scholars will also have access to strong Elmhurst University Support Services, including the Learning Center, Student Accessibility Services and Wellness and Counseling Center, with whom we work closely to support participation in the program.

How To Apply

1. EXCEMPILS Scholar Application. After completing the regular CSDCAS (CSD, MOT) or Slate (Special Education) application for graduate admission, candidates pursuing the EXCEMPILS Scholar opportunity will complete the online EXCEMPILS application to provide information for federal grant reporting and to describe their:
   • Interest and experience serving school-age children.
   • Depth of qualifications to serve multilingual children with specialized educational needs.
   • Commitment to a professional career serving children with specialized educational needs to fulfill the service requirement (i.e., 2 years per year of funding).
   • Special Education EXCEMPILS scholar application deadline – April 15, 2025 – Click here to access the EXCEMPILS application.
   • CSD and MOT EXCEMPILS scholar application deadline – January 15, 2025 – Click here to access the EXCEMPILS application.
2. Interview. Candidates will interview with EXCEMPILS program directors to discuss their interest, qualifications, and commitment to the profession while addressing any remaining questions about the project components and requirements. Interviews will be scheduled February through April.

Accepted students will first be accepted into the graduate program and then receive separate notification of acceptance as an EXCEMPILS Scholar.

EXCEMPILS personnel ensure fair treatment of all scholars in accordance with Elmhurst University’s student rights and protections policies.

For questions, please contact the project directors:

Brenda Gorman ([email protected])

Jennifer Kremkow ([email protected]), CSD program

Elizabeth Wanka ([email protected]), OT program

Beverly Troiano ([email protected]), Special Education program