Special Education Teacher Certification Options
A table showing the certification required for various types of special education teaching assignments can be found on the special education teaching assignments by certificate webpage.
Information about the new Special with Disabilities (All Grades) certificate is available on the Summary and FAQ webpage.
Special education teachers can teach additional grade levels and subject areas with the following extensions.
Special Education Teachers Who Teach A Special Class
Effective July 1, 2021, all special education teachers who teach one or more subject areas in a special class (self-contained class) in grades 7-12, with some or no students under alternate assessment, must either:
- be certified in each subject area that they teach, or
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meet the teaching experience requirement for the statement of continued eligibility (SOCE) and have an active SOCE application in the in each subject area that they teach.泭
There are several ways that special education teachers can become certified in a subject area. They can earn one of the certificates listed on the泭Types of Certificates and License webpage in a subject area. They can also earn subject area certification through the limited extension, SOCE, or subject area extension.
The limited extension enables eligible special education teachers to be certified in a subject area while they teach a special class in grades 7-12 and pursue the subject area extension or certificate. The SOCE certifies eligible special education teachers who met specific requirements to teach a subject area in a special class in grades 7-12. The deadline for applying for the SOCE is June 30, 2021.
The limited extension enables eligible special education teachers to be certified in a subject area while they teach a special class (self-contained) in grades 7-12 and pursue the subject area extension or certificate.
Validity
Limited extensions in each subject area are valid for five years. They may be renewed once for an additional five years if the extension holder completes at least three semester hours of coursework in the subject area of the limited extension. Limited extensions are only valid in a special class.
Subject Areas
The limited extension is available in the following subject areas: biology, chemistry, earth science, English Language Arts, general science, languages other than English, mathematics, physics, and social studies. A separate application is needed for each subject area.
Requirements
The following limited extension requirements can also be found on the webpage by choosing Statements of Continued Eligibility and Limited Extensions as the area of interest.
- Hold one of the following certificates.
- Initial or Professional Students with Disabilities (All Grades)
- Initial, Emergency COVID-19, or Professional Students with Disabilities (Grades 7-12) Generalist or Content Specialist
- Initial, Emergency COVID-19, or Professional Students with Disabilities (Grades 5-9) Generalist or Content Specialist
- Permanent Special Education
- Complete one of the following options.
-
Have at least two years of satisfactory, full-time special education teaching experience in a special class with students in grades 7-12 in the subject area of the limited extension sought prior to June 30, 2021, during which time the teachers would have been considered Highly Qualified through passing a HOUSSE rubric in the subject area of the limited extension sought.
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For the teaching experience requirement:
-
The years of experience do not need to be contiguous.泭
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Special education teachers need to complete least one teaching assignment in a special class in grades 7-12 in the subject area of the limited extension sought during each academic year (e.g., one period for an entire semester or year), while under full-time employment.
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The experience must be completed after August 1, 2003, when the HOUSSE rubric first became available in 做厙TV.
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The experience must be in a special class in grades 7-12 in the subject area of the limited extension sought, with some or no students under alternate assessment. Other teaching assignments are not acceptable, such as co-teaching, resource room, consultant teacher, and teaching a special class with all students under alternate assessment.
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The experience must have taken place in 做厙TV.
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Special education teachers do not need to have a teaching assignment in a special class in grades 7-12 on the date of their limited extension application, but they do need to be currently employed in a public school or other school for which teacher certification is required to teach a special class.
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- Pass an industry accepted exam in the subject area.
- Complete at least 9 semester hours of coursework in the subject area.
- Complete at least 45 hours of acceptable CTLE in the subject area and either:
- have at least two years of satisfactory teaching experience in grades 7-12 in the subject area or in a closely related subject area acceptable to the department, OR
- have an employment and support commitment from a public school district or a State-supported or State-operated school or private school established under 853 of the Laws of 1976 submitted online through TEACH that verifies the teacher will be employed in a special class for the period of the limited extension and includes a plan from the school or school district for mentoring and appropriate instructional support from a teacher in the school or school district who holds a professional or permanent certificate and is certified in the subject area in which the limited extension is sought. Mentoring must include regular, ongoing collaboration between the teachers and types of mentoring activities may include, but are not limited to, modeling instruction, observing instruction, instructional co-planning, peer coaching, and team coaching.
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- Complete the following workshops: Child Abuse Identification and Reporting, School Violence Intervention and Prevention, Dignity for All Students Act, and Autism
- Complete the fingerprint clearance.
Experience Documentation
Each employing district must submit the following documents to verify the required teaching experience to otiexpverif@nysed.gov. Multiple Verification of Paid Teaching Experience forms泭
泭and HOUSSE rubrics would be submitted if the teaching experience occurred in multiple districts.
- A completed Verification of Paid Teaching Experience form泭
- The form includes a question for employers where they can verify that the applicant was employed in a public school or other school for which certification is required to teach a special class.
- A completed HOUSSE rubric in the subject area in which the limited extension is sought.
- The HOUSSE rubric must have a date indicating that the rubric covered the years of experience listed on the Verification of Paid Teaching Experience form泭泭(e.g., the date on the rubric is prior to the academic years listed on the form, the academic year listed on the rubric is the same as the oldest academic year listed on the form).
- If the district does not have the required HOUSSE rubric, then it may complete the HOUSSE rubric now based on the teachers qualifications immediately prior to the academic years listed on the Verification of Paid Teaching Experience form泭, demonstrating that the special education teacher was Highly Qualified throughout the time that he/she was teaching the subject area in a special class. An appropriate district official (e.g., Superintendent, Director of Human Resources) must send:
- the completed HOUSSE rubric provided below AND
- a letter explaining that the special education teacher taught the subject area in a special class and the HOUSSE rubric represents the fact that the teacher would have been considered Highly Qualified in the subject area in each of the years listed on the Verification of Teaching Experience form.
- The HOUSSE rubric must have a date indicating that the rubric covered the years of experience listed on the Verification of Paid Teaching Experience form泭
The statement of continued eligibility (SOCE) is a pathway through which special education teachers can become certified to teach one or more subject areas in a special class in grades 7-12, with some or no students under alternate assessment. Information about the SOCE is provided below.
Application Deadline
Individuals must apply for the SOCE in and pay the application fee by June 30, 2021. Special education teachers can complete the SOCE requirements within three years of the application date or two evaluations of the application, whichever comes first, with the exception that the teaching experience requirement must be completed by June 30, 2021.
Application Fee Waiver Information
Special education teachers would submit a separate for each subject area in which they are seeking a SOCE.泭 For the SOCE, special education teachers would pay the $100 application fee for the first subject area.泭 If they are interested in receiving a SOCE in other subject areas, they would submit additional SOCE applications, but not pay the application fees.泭 These additional SOCE applications can then have the fee waived.泭 To have the application fee waived, teachers would send an email to the Office of Teaching Initiatives at tcert@nysed.gov with the subject line SOCE Application Fee Waiver and list the subsequent subject area SOCE application(s) whose fee would be waived in the text of the email.
Validity
The SOCE is continuously valid and is only valid in a special class.
Subject Areas
The SOCE is available in the following subject areas: biology, chemistry, earth science, English Language Arts, general science, languages other than English, mathematics, physics, and social studies. A separate application is needed for each subject area.
Requirements
The following SOCE requirements can also be found on the webpage by choosing Statements of Continued Eligibility and Limited Extensions as the area of interest.
- Eligible Certificate Holders. Hold one of the following certificates.
- Initial or Professional Students with Disabilities (Grades 7-12) Generalist or Content Specialist
- Initial or Professional Students with Disabilities (Grades 5-9) Generalist or Content Specialist
- Permanent Special Education
- Current Employment. Employed in a public school or a .
- Teaching Experience. Have at least three years of satisfactory, full-time special education teaching experience in a special class with students in grades 7-12 in the subject area of the SOCE sought prior to June 30, 2021, during which time the teachers would have been considered Highly Qualified through passing a HOUSSE rubric in the subject area of the SOCE sought.
- For the teaching experience requirement:
- The years of experience do not need to be contiguous.
-
Special education teachers need to complete at least one teaching assignment in a special class in grades 7-12 in the subject area of the SOCE sought during each academic year (e.g., one period for an entire semester or year), while under full-time employment.
-
The experience must be completed after August 1, 2003, when the HOUSSE rubric first became available in 做厙TV.
-
The experience must be in a special class in grades 7-12 in the subject area of the SOCE sought, with some or no students under alternate assessment. The following teaching assignments are not acceptable: co-teaching, resource room, consultant teacher, and teaching a special class with all students under alternate assessment.
-
The experience must have taken place in 做厙TV.
-
Special education teachers do not need to have a teaching assignment in a special class in grades 7-12 on the date of their SOCE application, but they do need to be currently employed in a public school or other school for which teacher certification is required to teach a special class.
- For the teaching experience requirement:
- Workshops. Complete the following workshops: Child Abuse Identification and Reporting, School Violence Intervention and Prevention, Dignity for All Students Act, and Autism
- Fingerprinting. Complete the fingerprint clearance.
Experience Documentation
Each employing district must submit the following documents to verify the required teaching experience to otiexpverif@nysed.gov. Multiple Verification of Paid Teaching Experience forms泭and HOUSSE rubrics would be submitted if the teaching experience occurred in multiple districts.
- A completed Verification of Paid Teaching Experience form泭
- The form includes a question for employers where they can verify that the applicant was employed in a public school or other school for which certification is required to teach a special class.
- A completed HOUSSE rubric in the subject area in which the SOCE is sought.泭
- The HOUSSE rubric must have a date indicating that the rubric covered the years of experience listed on the Verification of Paid Teaching Experience form泭泭(e.g., the date on the rubric is prior to the academic years listed on the form, the academic year listed on the rubric is the same as the oldest academic year listed on the form).
- If the district does not have the required HOUSSE rubric, then it may complete the HOUSSE rubric now based on the teachers qualifications immediately prior to the academic years listed on the Verification of Paid Teaching Experience form, demonstrating that the special education teacher was Highly Qualified throughout the time that he/she was teaching the subject area in a special class. An appropriate district official (e.g., Superintendent, Director of Human Resources) must send:
- the completed HOUSSE rubric AND
- a letter explaining that the special education teacher taught the subject area in a special class, and the HOUSSE rubric represents the fact that the teacher would have been considered Highly Qualified in the subject area in each of the years listed on the Verification of Teaching Experience form.
- The HOUSSE rubric must have a date indicating that the rubric covered the years of experience listed on the Verification of Paid Teaching Experience form泭
Information about the subject area certification requirement for special education teachers who teach a special class is also available in a December 2019 memo and an April 2020 memo to the field.