Steps to Become a Teacher of Students with Severe and Sensory Disabilities

From Teach SSD

Jump to: navigation, search

Contents

Steps to Become a Special Education Teacher:

Welcome to the field of Special Education and to the specialty area of Sensory and Severe Disabilities. We hope this information will be useful. There are a number of paths that can lead you to becoming a teacher for students who are blind or visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, deaf-blind or who have significant support needs. Every state has specified requirements for becoming a licensed special educator. They all require the completion of at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited teacher preparation program at a college or university. Some states require a Master’s degree. Teacher preparation programs are designed for students pursuing undergraduate and graduate level studies. Following graduation from an accredited teacher preparation program, candidates must apply for teacher licensure from the state of residence.

Initial Steps:

  • Gain experience in working with children and or adults with exceptionalities. This experience can be volunteer or paid.
  • Obtain references from professionals or families related to your special education experience. References are required for the application process of teacher preparation programs at colleges and universities.
  • Achieve and maintain required grade point average (GPA) scores indicated from chosen teacher preparation program.
  • Investigate if additional test scores are required: Praxis Tests, SAT’s and GRE’s scores.

Locate and Apply to Teacher Preparation Programs:

The following process applies for individuals pursuing undergraduate or graduate level teacher preparation programs. Graduate programs are available for individuals who have completed a Bachelor's degree in Special Education or in a field other than Special Education. Be aware that some colleges and universitites are offering distance education opportunities through online instruction and learning formats.

Steps to Obtain an Alternative Teacher Licensure:

Alternative teacher licensure routes provide opportunities for individuals with higher education degrees in backgrounds other than special education to become a special education teacher. Alternative teacher certification programs vary within states and across accredited teacher preparation programs. Often there is a collaborative effort between state departments of education whose responsibility it is to license teachers, colleges and universities who have the responsibility to prepare new teachers and local school districts that hire teachers. Many programs can be tailored to meet the needs of prospective teachers. Most programs require specified courses and number of credits, supervised student teaching experiences, and mentorship. The overall time to complete an alternative program is typically less than the traditional teacher preparation route.

  • Searh for Alternate routes to teaching at Teach-Now.org
  • Visit the National Center for Education Information, for comprehensive source on information for alternative teacher programs, certification and licensure.
  • Contact colleges or universities of interest to receive specific information regarding application process and deadlines for alternative teacher preparation program

Steps for Paraeducators to Obtain Teacher Licensure:

Paraeducators are valuable members of the education team for students with sensory and severe disabilities. The national shortage of special educators has led states to design programs to recruit paraeducators into teacher preparation programs. Paraeducators have experience working with children in educational settings and many have expressed interest in becoming special education teachers, but they may have encountered obstacles such as time, funding, family responsibilities, or prerequisite requirements.

Steps to Obtain Additional Certification:

Certificates of advanced education specialization are designed for educators who are certified teachers and would like to receive additional certification in specialized areas, such as blind and visually impaired, deaf and hard of hearing and severe disabilities. Certificate programs are available at many teacher preparation programs within accredited colleges and universities.

  • Inquire with chosen teacher preparation program at college or university.
  • Certificate program requirements vary between states and teacher preparation programs.


Financial Aid and Scholarships:

There are a variety of financial assistance programs available to help individuals pay for the training required to become a special education teacher. The United States Department of Education sponsors the largest volume of student aid programs. Federal aid may be available through loans, grants and work-study programs. Eligibility is determined by completing a, free application federal student aid (FAFSA), FAFSA form. FAFSA is the form used by colleges and universities for awarding federal student aid, state aid and college and university aid. A FAFSA form can be completed and submitted online or through a paper copy. For extensive information visit the United States Department of Education Federal Student Aid web site at studentaid.ed.gov.

Additional sources beyond the federal government offer financial assistance, mostly in the form of grants and scholarships.

Federal Student Loans:

If you are interested in receiving aid through federal student loan programs you must complete the FAFSA financial aid formprior to the deadline set by your chosen college or university and the U.S. Department of Education. Extensive information about federal student loan programs is found at the Department of Education Federal Student Aid Web site at studentaid.ed.gov.

Federal Loan Forgiveness:

Depending on the type of student loan you receive loan forgiveness may be applicable. The recent passage of the Higher Education Reconciliation Act of 2005 has made federal loan forgiveness available to special educators teaching in low-income schools. Up to $17,500 could be forgiven to eligible special educators if:

  1. You borrowed Perkins Loans, Federal Family Education Loans (FFEL) and/or Direct Loans after October 1, 1998.
  2. You are a highly qualified teacher in Special Education.
  3. You have taught special education in a low-income school for five consecutive years.

For additional information:

Apply for loan forgiveness by completing a loan forgiveness application and return to loan holder(s) for which you are requesting loan(s) forgiveness.

Federal Loan Cancellation:

You qualify for cancellation of up to 100 percent of a Federal Perkins Loan if you have served full time in a public or nonprofit elementary or secondary school system as a

  • teacher in a school serving students from low-income families.
  • special education teacher, including teachers of infants, toddlers, children, or youth with exceptionalities.

Visit the Department of Education Federal Student Aid web site for Perkins Loan cancellation program.

Grants:

Grants are different from loans in that they do not have to be paid back. Visit the Federal student aid site for information pertaining to Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, Institutional Grants and more.

Work-study Programs:

Federal work-study programs are administered directly by the financial aid office at participating colleges and universities. A certain amount of money is available at participating colleges and universities each year. When the funding is finished for that year, no additional awards can be dispersed. It is best to complete the FAFSA formas early as possible. Each school has it’s own deadline, usually earlier than the U.S Department of Education’s deadline for filing a FAFSA .

Tuition Assistance and Scholarships:

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) offers personnel preparation grants to colleges and universities to financially assist students in attending special education teacher preparation programs throughout the country. Colleges and universities must apply for the funding, therefore this is not available at all colleges and universities. Search the teacher preparation programs database for programs funded by OSEP. If available, students must inquire within the teacher preparation program and follow application process.

  • Deaf education programs throughout the country have been awarded these grants and offer scholarships and/or stipends for students majoring in deaf education. In addition to federal support, private foundations sponsor some university programs. The Deaf Education website at Deafed.net provides information about deaf education funding opportunities], including scholarships, stipends, and grants for which you may be eligible to apply. To access funding opportunities you are requested to be a registered user and login to site. Gallaudet University provides a list of funding sources for scholarships that are available for students who are culturally and/or linguistically diverse. Please click here for a listing of scholarships available for students from underrepresented groups.
  • The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) web site provides a list of teacher of the blind and visually impaired preparation programs at colleges and universities across the country with financial aid opportunities noted. The site also includes a financial aid information page. The National Federation of the Blind Scholarship Program recognizes academic achievement by blind learners. Applicants for the scholarships must be (1) legally blind and (2) pursuing or enrolling in a degree program at a college or university within the United States. An application process needs to be completed. Awards are given at the annual national convention in July.
  • Scholarships for students concentrating on students with significant support needs are available as well. One example is the Bresnahan/Halstead Scholarship at the University of Northern Coloradowhere full-time graduate students in Special Education: Severe Needs, Cognitive, or Profound and have a 3.0 GPA are eligible to apply.

For additional ways to search financial aid resources see the following web sites.

Web Site Financial Aid Resources:

  • United States Department of Education Financial Aid enables you to explore options for financial aid to help with the cost of enrolling in a teacher preparation program. Learn about various kinds of federal aid, how to apply and more.
  • National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education Financial Aid Resources provides links to state, federal and private resources.
  • Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) has information and numerous links for financial aid opportunities.
  • Federal Student Aid Information Center provides student guide to grants and loans at www.ed.gov.
  • FastWeb offers online searches that match individuals’ skills and interest to available scholarships at www.fastweb.com.
  • FinAid offers web-based collection of information about student financial aid at www.finaid.org.
Retrieved from "http://teachssd.org/tssd/index.php?title=Steps_to_Become_a_Teacher_of_Students_with_Severe_and_Sensory_Disabilities"