U.S. Dept. of Education Awards $1.2 Million to Project PASS-IT
Drs. Hilt-Panahon, Wagner and Petersen-Brown will lead the five-year grant
Project PASS-IT (Promoting Academic Success of Students with high-intensity needs through Interdisciplinary Training) is a 5-year, $1.2 million grant funded by the US Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). The Project is led by Principal Investigator, Dr. Dana Wagner (Special Education) along with Co-Principal Investigators Dr. Shawna Petersen-Brown (Psychology) and Dr. Alexandra Hilt-Panahon (Special Education).
Project PASS-IT will provide interdisciplinary training to future special education teachers and school psychologists. Specifically, they will be prepared to lead collaborative efforts to utilize current evidence-based practices that maximize the academic achievement of students who have high-intensity needs, including students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD). Collaboration between these professions has been shown in the research to improve outcomes for students with high-intensity needs. The grant will provide students in both the special education master’s and school psychology doctoral programs the opportunity to work together in coursework and field-based experiences, an opportunity that would not otherwise be available for students. During the 5-year grant period, Project PASS-IT will provide funding for 36 graduate students enrolled in special education and school psychology programs.
The first cohort of Project PASS-IT scholars will begin in the Spring 2022 semester. Please attend our information session on October 12 from 5-6 p.m. to learn more! Applications will be received through November 1. To apply or attend the information session, please visit ed.mnsu.edu/project-pass-it
