Special Education Teachers and "Highly Qualified Status"

Special Education Teachers and "Highly Qualified Status"

Update: February 20, 2007

We are writing to provide current information on the “Highly Qualified” (HQ) provisions of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, especially as it relates to Special Education (SPLED) teacher candidates graduating in 2007. As you are aware,  this is a very complicated area, and the requirements have been interpreted in different ways in different states.  We have been involved in providing input to the State Board, and meeting regularly with Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) staff. We would like to share our current understanding of the situation with you, and provide information on your current options.

Requirements for HQ status

Under the requirements of NCLB, all teachers, including SPLED teachers, need to be “highly qualified” in order to work in schools. If a SPLED teacher is a “teacher of record”, they need to be highly qualified in the content area that they teach. For example, if a SPLED teacher is the “teacher of record” for a Grade 2 student, that teacher would need to be HQ in elementary education content. Please note that at present this does not necessarily mean the teacher needs to be certified in Elementary Education, only that the teacher is HQ to teach elementary education content. If a SPLED teacher acts only as an instructional consultant to another teacher, they do not need to be HQ in that content area.

In discussions with the Certification Office for PDE, we have received confirmation that teacher candidates who pass the PRAXIS Fundamental Subjects: Content Knowledge (30511) will be considered HQ at the elementary level. In order to be considered HQ at the middle or high school level, teacher candidates would need to pass additional specific content Praxis tests. One exception to this requirement is if all of the students in a teacher’s class, because of the severity of their disabilities, are being tested to “alternative standards” – in these cases, the teacher meets the HQ requirement by meeting the standard for elementary education teachers.

While passing the PRAXIS Fundamental Subjects: Content Knowledge test makes you HQ at the EL ED level according to PDE, we have heard from recent graduates who have attended job fairs that some school districts in PA appear to be focusing on recruiting SPLED teachers who are dually certified in Elementary Education. We have informed PDE about this confusion, and they are working to provide information to school districts about the standards for HQ, but in all honesty we would expect there to continue to be some confusion on this topic (and some preference by school districts for dually-certified individuals).

Obtaining EL ED Certification at Penn State

We have been working with EL ED faculty on this issue for over two years, and we sincerely appreciate the time and effort that EL ED faculty have put into finding a positive approach to this challenge.

The EL ED faculty at Penn State have agreed to offer a 10-credit program in the summer of 2007 that is specially designed for SPLED majors graduating in 2007 . Pending successful completion of these courses, History 20 or 21 (see below),  and the passing of the required EL ED PRAXIS tests, SPLED students would be recommended for EL ED certification by Penn State.

The coursework will be offered according to the following schedule in 2007:

LL ED 497B     TCHG ELEM LANG ART   
 06/05/2007-06/18/2007   Credits: 2.0
Meeting Days/ MTWRF 09:00A - 12:00P          208 CHAM    

LL ED 497C     TCHNG CHILDRNS LIT   
06/05/2007-06/18/2007   Credits: 2.0
Meeting Days/Times     TWRF 01:00P - 04:00P     214 CHAM    

SCIED 497B     LRNG & TCHG EL SCI   
07/09/2007-07/20/2007   Credits: 2.0
Meeting Days/ Times MTWRF 09:00A - 12:00P     116 CHAM    

SS ED 497B      TCHG ELEM SOC ST    
05/21/2007-06/04/2007   Credits: 2.0
Meeting Days/ Times MTWRF 09:00A - 12:00P     224 CHAM    

MTHED 497B    TCHNG ELEM MATH   
06/21/2007-07/05/2007   Credits: 2.0
Meeting Days/Times     MTWRF 09:00A - 12:00P    208 CHAM

We will have specific information on registration procedures in spring 2007. These are special classes that will only be available to Penn State SPLED majors graduating in 2007.

History 20/21. At Penn State, the typical EL ED candidate also is required to take HIST 20 or 21.

HIST 020  AMERICAN CIVILIZATION TO 1877 (3) An historical survey of the American experience from its colonial beginnings through the Civil War and Reconstruction.

HIST 021  AMERICAN CIVILIZATION SINCE 1877 (3) An historical survey of the American experience from the emergence of urban-industrial society in the late nineteenth century to the present.

You can take History 20 as a World Campus offering. You also can take an equivalent class from a local college or university (it must be a 3-credit class dealing with content similar to History 20 or 21). You must complete this class before you can be recommended for El Ed certification.

Summary and Recommendations

While we realize that it is very frustrating for SPLED teacher candidates to be considering additional coursework at a time when they expected to be finished, as SPLED faculty we appreciate that EL ED faculty have worked to come up with a specially developed program for SPLED students. Obtaining a second area of certification would typically require a minimum of 30 credits of coursework, including a second practicum experience. We are unable to offer these courses as distance education offerings, and because of their specialized nature, we cannot accept substitute courses from other programs.

In summary, those students who

• complete the SPLED undergraduate or M.Ed. program,

• complete the ten credits of EL ED coursework described below with a grade of C or higher,

• maintain an overall GPA above a 3.0,

• complete an appropriate 3 credit course in American History with a grade of C or better,

• obtain passing scores on the required PRAXIS tests for Elementary Education certification,

• apply for Elementary Education certification through the office in 228 Chambers (there may be a small fee for this)

are eligible for recommendation for Elementary Certification by the Curriculum and Instruction program at Penn State. Those students who graduate with their SPLED degrees in May will be recommended for EL ED certification as soon as they have met the requirements above. All requirements must be completed by early August in order for recommendations to be processed and available for students who hope to start work in Fall 2007. Those students who graduate in December 2007 will be recommended in December.

We recommend that you carefully consider the benefits of taking the ten credits of Elementary Education course work this summer, and, if possible, consider “penciling” these activities into your summer calendars. We believe the coursework will be valuable to you both in your work as a classroom teacher, and also will be important preparation for the EL ED PRAXIS tests.

Please direct any questions about the summer program to Dr. David McNaughton or Dr. Kate McKinnon.

Sincerely

Kathleen McKinnon, Ph.D.
Coordinator of Teacher Education for Special Education
210 CEDAR Building
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802
Email:  kmm25@psu.edu
Phone: 814-865-2236

David McNaughton, Ph.D.
Graduate Program in Special Education
227 CEDAR Building
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA, 16802
Email: dbm2@psu.edu
Phone: 814-865-7159