PVAMU Faculty Elected to Serve on Statewide Educational Diagnostician Content Advisory Committee

Dr. Douglas M. Butler

PRAIRIE VIEW, TEXAS (November 22, 2019) – Dr. Douglas M. Butler, associate professor in Prairie View A&M University’s (PVAMU) Whitlowe R. Green College of Education, has been selected to join the Educational Diagnostician Content Advisory Committee, a state panel for the educational diagnostician licensure examination.

According to the Texas Educator Certification Examination Program website, the committee reviews exam items to help confirm the content is accurate and appropriate for testing educational diagnostician candidates in Texas.

“This is actually the second time I have been asked to be on the panel and work with the test. So, I am happy to be able to come back and do it again,” said Butler.

According to Butler, educational diagnosticians’ primary responsibility is determining if students need special education or other educational arrangements. Their parents or teachers may notice students having some difficulty in their classes.

“Educational diagnosticians will investigate the situation,” he said. “They do testing, write up reports, conduct interviews, and do observations in the classroom. So, this examination is for their licensure – to check to make sure they have the fundamental knowledge and skills for entry into the field as educational diagnosticians.”

Butler, who is also the interim head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at PVAMU, says the test is essential for the future of educational diagnosticians.

“The test determines whether they have the knowledge base. And we, as members of the committee, have to ask ourselves if we have exposed them enough and prepared them appropriately, so they are not surprised when they go out and take the exam,” Butler said.

Butler says PVAMU students have a stellar background and history in the diagnostician testing.

“We have a 100-percent pass rate,” Butler said.

Dr. Michael McFrazier, interim dean of the Whitlowe R. Green College of Education at PVAMU, says individuals chosen to serve on the Educational Diagnostician Content Advisory Committee are a select group.

“Dr. Butler’s knowledge and expertise will be used to help establish the diagnostician test standards for the State of Texas. As a college, this demonstrates a level of prominence that the WRGCOEis known for across the state. Our faculty are leading the way.”

To learn more about PVAMU’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction, visit www.pvamu.edu/education.

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By Sammy G. Allen