The program is called Project SPEECH, and stands for Speech-Language Pathologists and Exceptional Educators Collaboration for Children with High-Intensity Needs. It will begin this summer and is currently taking applications.

Students accepted into the program will receive tuition assistance thanks to federal funding from the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education for up to 36 credit hours, including fees and tuition.

Students accepted into the program will receive tuition assistance thanks to federal funding from the Office of Special Education Programs at the U.S. Department of Education for up to 36 credit hours, including fees and tuition.

This amount of support pays for a significant amount of the degreed program. In addition to working toward their degreed programs, graduate scholars will earn a graduate certificate in interdisciplinary language and literacy intervention. The courses for the certificate fulfill elective requirements.

Students who are accepted for funding are required to fulfill a service obligation. For each year of funding received, scholars are required to work with students with disabilities for at least 51 percent of their time or 51 percent of their caseload in a school setting. The project is funded for five years and will include up to 46 scholars throughout the course of the program.

Students in the program will be trained as interventionist specialists to serve students with high-intensity needs through the implementation of evidence-based strategies and practices. The program includes 10 Central Florida school districts where scholars can implement the skills and knowledge gained in school settings. The courses meet standards and competencies from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Council for Exceptional Children.

“This program is aimed at addressing the shortage of fully qualified special educators and speech-language pathologists in our school districts,� said Linda I. Rosa-Lugo, a co-principal investigator on the project and speech-language pathologist. “By bringing these two groups of students together, they learn critical knowledge and skills from each other that support them in their role.�

Children with high-intensity needs require specialized intervention in language and literacy. Through collaborative and specialized instruction across two programs, scholars who participate in this project will gain the competencies needed to work with students with a variety of disabilities who need sustained interventions to address their language and literacy needs.

Additionally, this project involves working with faculty who specialize in best-practices for English learners and students who need extra support with reading instruction. An additional component of the program is aimed at supporting the entire care network of the child, including parents, teachers and service providers. Students will help these stakeholders by providing them tools, resources, and strategies that enable them to provide the best care for the child.

“There is a great need for special education teachers and speech-language pathologists to collaborate to serve children holistically. Our program is unique, as we will prepare our graduate students to work collaboratively before they begin working in schools together. Through a cohort model and coursework, they will benefit from gaining knowledge across professions focused in language and literacy,� said Dena Slanda, co-principal investigator and project coordinator of Project SPEECH.

Throughout the course of the project, the co-principal investigators will evaluate the impact of the program on enhancing the skills and competencies of graduate students to meet the needs of this special population within a school setting. Through application-based coursework, scholars will implement evidence-based instruction and intervention and evaluate the outcomes of school aged children and adolescents.

“Students with this certificate will be uniquely qualified to support children and adolescents with high-intensity needs in our local schools,� said Mary Little, co-principal and director of Project SPEECH. “It gives scholars an advantage to serve as intervention specialists and adept collaborators. The additional graduate credential as interdisciplinary language and literacy intervention specialists places scholars at an advantage when seeking employment.�

The Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy’s No. 2 ranking was released today by The Princeton Review and PC Gamer Magazine. FIEA has been ranked among the top five in all four Princeton Review sets of rankings since the school opened in downtown Orlando nine years ago.

Since opening its doors in 2005, FIEA has graduated 359 alumni working at 124 companies around the world, including Google, Electronic Arts, Blizzard, Ubisoft, Disney and Microsoft. The average starting salary for FIEA graduates is $54,581.

“I’m glad to see the Princeton Review recognize the hard work put in by our faculty and staff at FIEA,â€� said FIEA executive director Ben Noel. “We spend every day ensuring our students are as ready as possible to have valuable careers in the video game, film and simulation ¾±²Ô»å³Ü²õ³Ù°ù¾±±ğ²õ.â€�

In other rankings released today, U.S. News & World Report ranked 23 UCF graduate programs among the top 100 in their fields. Last year, 21 UCF programs were ranked in the top 100 in their fields. The Best Grad Schools 2015 rankings are available online at https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools, and the Best Grad Schools 2015 guidebook will be available on newsstands beginning April 8.

The Counselor Education program earned ±«°ä¹ó’s highest ranking at No. 7, up two spots from its 2014 ranking. Counselor Education educates and prepares students interested in working as counselors and practitioners in schools, community mental health settings, institutions, hospitals, and private practice.

±«°ä¹ó’s Special Education program also earned a Top 20 ranking, jumping up four places to No. 12. The program provides course work needed to meet state certification requirements in special education of children and youth with disabilities

“We’re very pleased with the recognition our programs have received,� said Sandra Robinson, dean of the College of Education and Human Performance. “Faculty, staff and students have earned these accolades through their hard work and professionalism.�

±«°ä¹ó’s College of Optics and Photonics ranked No. 14 among the nation’s atomic, molecular and optical sciences programs. The Nonprofit Management program in the College of Health and Public Affairs ranked No. 25.

Two other programs in the College of Health and Public Affairs also made the top 50 – Criminal Justice (26) and Healthcare Management (46) – along with the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s Industrial Engineering program, which ranked No. 42.

“These rankings clearly demonstrate the national recognition our programs have achieved in both health and public affairs,” said Michael Frumkin, dean of the College of Health and Public Affairs. “They are truly a testimony to the commitment and hard work of our faculty and the excellence of our students.â€�

Others from UCF in the top 100 of their specific fields are: Computer Engineering (58), Public Administration (59), Materials Engineering (61), Electrical Engineering (64), Environmental Engineering (68), Communication Sciences and Disorders (73), Civil Engineering (76), College of Nursing (79), College of Engineering & Computer Science (81), Physics (85), Social Work (89), Computer Science (90), Business Part-Time MBA Program (94), Mechanical Engineering (97), College of Education (98) and Physical Therapy (99).

More than 1,300 programs are reviewed nationwide for the magazine’s annual graduate-school guide. Scores are based on expert opinions about programs and statistical indicators that reflect the quality of faculty, researchers and students at each institution.

In a separate set of rankings released in January, UCF ranked No. 24 among the Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs, up from No. 45 in 2013.

Templeton, a single mom who raised three children with disabilities, including one with cerebral palsy, has seen firsthand the need for teachers who can create a positive, rigorous learning atmosphere for students with exceptionalities.

“A lot of teachers aren’t prepared to deal with special needs children, so having more specialized teachers in the field is invaluable for these kids.� Templeton said.

But she isn’t sitting on the sidelines and complaining about the problem; she’s working to be a part of the solution.

Templeton, who spent most of her life working in sales, was just a few years into her second career as an educator when she discovered the º£½ÇÖ±²¥â€™s graduate certificate in autism spectrum disorders, a program that is part of the College of Education and Human Performance.

The program, which ranks 16th in the nation in special education graduate programs, recently received a five-year renewal of its $1.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant is used to fund the tuition of students who are seeking to gain special education credentials geared at instructing those with autism.

Professor Eleazer Vasquez, the program’s director, said the grant is highly competitive and helps remove the cost burden for teachers-in-training.

“This is one of a select few programs in the country that has actually been rewarded this particular DoE grant, so we’ve been fortunate to be successful with this particular research program,� Vasquez said. “We fund students throughout their entire certification program, and the grant allows students to get half of their entire graduate degree paid for.�

Many of the program’s courses are available online, allowing students like Templeton, who lives in Cocoa, to earn most of the certificate on her own time and without a commute.

The students also have access to outside-the-classroom learning through field experiences in which they visit local schools to observe and volunteer in special needs classrooms.

Templeton will complete her certificate in May and return to teaching full-time with a better capability of helping students with special needs, and she encourages other teachers to pursue the sort of training and education she’s receiving.

“Unfortunately, there are not enough highly qualified special education teachers,� she said. “That’s what makes this program so important. It encourages teachers to get the special education training that they need to help the students that often fall through the cracks.�

To learn more about ±«°ä¹ó’s autism spectrum disorders program, contact Vasquez at eleazar.vasquez@ucf.edu.

The program placed ninth in the nation in rankings released today, up two spots from last year. A second College of Education program – Special Education – ranked No. 16.

“It is gratifying to see our programs in Counselor Education and Special Education receive this recognition on a national stage,� said Dean Sandra L. Robinson of the College of Education. “Our faculty and staff bring passion and excellence to their work and that is reflected in the success of our students as well as our programs.�

Twenty-one UCF programs were ranked in U.S. News & World Report‘s top-100 list of Best Graduate Schools for 2014. Today’s rankings are available online at usnews.com/best-graduate-schools, and the Best Graduate Schools 2014 guidebook will be available on newsstands beginning April 9.

±«°ä¹ó’s College of Optics and Photonics ranked No. 13 among the nation’s atomic, molecular and optical sciences programs. The Nonprofit Management program in the College of Health and Public Affairs ranked No. 25.

Two other programs in the College of Health and Public Affairs also made the top 50 – Criminal Justice (26) and Healthcare Management (46) – along with the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s Industrial Engineering program, which moved up 13 places to No.35.

Others from UCF in the top 100 of their specific fields are: Electrical Engineering (55), Computer Engineering (58), Public Administration (59), Environmental Engineering (64), Materials Engineering (70), College of Engineering & Computer Science (72), Communication Sciences and Disorders (73), College of Nursing (79), Social Work (89), Civil Engineering (90), Computer Science (91), College of Education (91), Mechanical Engineering (93) and Physical Therapy (99).

More than 1,200 programs are reviewed nationwide for the magazine’s annual graduate-school guide. Scores are based on expert opinions about programs and statistical indicators that reflect the quality of faculty, researchers and students at each institution.

The ninth-ranked UCF Counselor Education program is designed to educate and prepare individuals interested in working as counselors and practitioners in schools, community mental health settings, institutions, hospitals, and private practice.

“This was a pretty fast progression, especially since many of the other programs in the top 10 have been there a long time,� said program director Bryce Hagedorn. “Our curriculum is designed with a heavy emphasis on experiential and clinical work for master’s students, and teaching research and supervision for doctoral students.�

UCF tied with the º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of Southern California for No. 5 on the “up-and-comersâ€� list, which recognizes schools that recently made the most promising and innovative changes in the areas of academics, faculty, student life, campus or facilities. UCF is the only Florida school on the “up-and-comersâ€� list.

Overall, UCF moved up three spots in the rankings to No. 174 and again ranked among the top 100 public schools in the country.

“±«°ä¹ó’s continued advancement in the rankings during a period of severe state budget cuts is a testament to our hard-working staff and faculty members,â€� said UCF spokesman Grant J. Heston. “Their dedication enables us to provide our students with a high-quality education and  opportunities that prepare them for a lifetime of success.â€�

The annual rankings reflect ±«°ä¹ó’s commitment to quality growth. The average SAT score for ±«°ä¹ó’s fall freshman class has increased 77 points during the past 10 years to 1244 this year.

With a university-record 241 National Merit Scholars enrolled this semester, UCF again will be among the top 50 universities nationwide for the total number of scholars enrolled.

This spring, U.S. News & World Report ranked several UCF graduate programs as among the best in the nation. The highest-ranking UCF programs included the College of Education’s graduate counselor education program at No. 11 in the country, a College of Optics and Photonics program at No. 13 and the special education graduate program at No. 14.

In other recent rankings, Kiplinger and The Princeton Review have recognized a UCF education as one of the best values in the country.

View the full list of ±«°ä¹ó’s rankings.

Dr. Dieker was nominated by Dr. Kathlene Shank her graduate advisor and she attended the award ceremony in Charleston, Illinois along with her parents Barbara and Scottie DeWitt.

Dr. Dieker received her bachelors and masters degrees from Eastern Illinois º£½ÇÖ±²¥ and her Ph.D. from º£½ÇÖ±²¥ of Illinois. She is currently a professor in the College of Education at UCF and the Lockheed Martin Eminent Scholar.