Special education teachers need to meet highly qualified
requirements
Special education teachers nationwide are required to be
highly qualified by the end of the 2005-06 school year. The
requirement is mandated by two federal laws: the No Child
Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the recently revised Individuals
with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA).
Both NCLB and IDEA link the highly qualified requirement to
core content. This seems to be the challenge for many of
South Dakota’s special education teachers, who hold special
education majors as opposed to content-area majors.
This article addresses some of the questions surrounding the
issue of highly qualified special education teachers.
Who is impacted?
The requirements for highly qualified special
education teachers apply only to those who are providing
direct instruction in core-content areas. A quick litmus
test: If the special education teacher is the one giving the
grade, he or she is involved in direct instruction. In
addition, the requirements apply only to those teaching in
public schools.
New rules allow for a single test
Under NCLB, each state was allowed to develop
“HOUSSE rules” to establish a system for the state’s
teachers to become highly qualified. If the state decided to
have a separate set of HOUSSE rules for special education
teachers, that set of rules had to meet the same standard as
those for general education teachers.
In developing its HOUSSE rules, South Dakota chose to have a
separate set of HOUSSE rules for special education teachers.
In South Dakota, general education teachers have to prove
competency in each core-content area that they teach.
By federal mandate, special education teachers also have to
prove competency in each of the core areas they teach. By
developing a separate, yet still high-quality standard,
South Dakota was able to allow special education teachers to
take just one test that covers the gamut of subjects taught.
That one test is the multi-subject Middle School Content
Test (#0146) or the Elementary School Content Test (#0014).
Those teaching at the high school level would need to pursue
the Middle School Content Test.
Other avenues to reach competency
In addition to the test option, special education
teachers who are fully authorized in special education and
have a bachelor’s degree have other options to achieve
competency.
For example, many special education teachers already have
middle school endorsements (e.g., language arts, math,
science and social science) on their teaching certificates.
If the teacher has three years of teaching experience, these endorsements are acceptable ways to prove competency
- just like the HOUSSE rules for general education teachers.
A major in a specific content area also is an acceptable way
to prove competency. An endorsement, plus three total years
of teaching experience, makes the teacher highly qualified to teach in that
particular area. As assignments change, however, highly
qualified status can change, too.
At the elementary level, a teacher who is fully authorized
in both special education and elementary education and has
three years of teaching experience is considered highly
qualified to teach at that level.
In short, the question of highly qualified goes back to core
content. The federal law now requires any teacher – special
or general education – providing direct instruction in a
core-content area, to prove competency in that area.
Free resources available to prepare for tests
The South Dakota Department of Education
understands the challenges involved for individual teachers
under these new requirements. To assist the state’s special
education teachers in meeting the demands of these laws, the
department is providing a number of free resources.
Special education teachers who are planning to take a Praxis
II test can attend free study sessions across the state. The
sessions will be held on the dates below – all of which are
Saturdays – from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. All of the study sessions
are for the Middle School Content Test unless otherwise
noted.
Nov. 19 -- Spearfish, Black Hills State University
Dec. 3 -- Aberdeen, Northern State University
Dec. 3 -- Madison, Dakota State University (Elementary
School Content Test)
Dec. 10 -- Rapid City (location to be announced)
Dec. 10 -- Watertown (location to be announced)
Dec. 17 -- Sioux Falls (location to be announced)
Jan. 14, 2006 -- Rapid City (location to be announced)
Feb. 4, 2006 -- Winner (location to be announced)
Feb. 11, 2006 -- Sioux Falls (location to be announced)
April 1, 2006 -- Sioux Falls (location to be announced)
Special education teachers who are planning to take a Praxis
II test can get a free study guide. Guides were purchased
for the Elementary School and Middle School Content Tests
and will be distributed to district special education directors
and/or educational cooperatives.
The department will host informational sessions via the
Digital Dakota Network (DDN). These sessions will offer a
forum for teachers to get answers to specific questions.
Dates and locations will be announced.
In addition, districts can use their Title II dollars to pay
for the cost of taking the test, mileage to and from the
study sessions and/or testing site.
For more information on the issue of highly qualified
special education teachers, visit
Special
Education Programs online and click on “SPED HOUSSE
Rules” and “FAQ Sped HOUSSE Rules.” Or call our office at
(605) 773-3678.
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