Key Concepts: Special Education: Generalist (Elementary and Secondary)

  • Special Education: Generalist is divided into two endorsement areas: elementary and secondary;
  • Special Education: Generalist (Elementary) permits preK-8 teaching assignments;
  • Special Education: Generalist (Secondary) permits 7-12 teaching assignments;
  • A licensee is encouraged to have both endorsements on her or his license;
  • Completion of Commission-approved program is required to add this endorsement.
  • Coursework must be recently obtained (50% within past five years) to meet the requirements of content knowledge for special education endorsements.

584-300-0200 Special Education: Generalist (Elementary)

(1) A Special Education: Generalist (Elementary) endorsement indicates that an educator is qualified to teach in prekindergarten through grade 8 special education assignments for children identified as requiring special education services.

(2) A Special Education: Generalist (Elementary) endorsement permits the holder to teach children identified as needing special education services in prekindergarten through grade 8.

(3) An educator is not authorized to teach in the endorsed area unless and until the endorsement is officially added to the license, except as authorized in OAR 584-060-0250 License for Conditional Assignment.

(4) Adding a Special Education: Generalist (Elementary) to Existing License: To be eligible to add a Special Education: Generalist (Elementary) endorsement to an existing Preliminary, Professional or Distinguished Teacher Leader, or Legacy teaching license, an applicant must:

(a) Complete a Commission-approved Special Education Generalist (Elementary) preparation program.

(b) At least fifty percent (50%) of the Special Education: Generalist coursework must have been completed within five years prior to the date of application for the endorsement; and

(c) Submit a complete and correct application to obtain the endorsement in the form and manner required by the Commission, including payment of all required fees as provided in OAR 584-036-0055. Adding the endorsement at the time of renewal will not require an additional cost to the licensure renewal process.

(d) A Commission-approved Special Education: Generalist (Elementary) program must:

(A) Align with special education and dyslexia standards adopted by the Commission in OAR 584-018-0161;

(B) Include coursework especially designed to ensure that the applicant is able to provide instruction that enables pupils to meet or exceed third-grade reading standards adopted by the State Board of Education and become proficient readers by the end of the third grade;

(C) Require student passage of the Commission’s required test for Special Education: Generalist; and

(D) Provide supervised student teaching experience as a Special Education: Generalist (Elementary) teacher.

584-300-0205 Special Education: Generalist (Secondary)

(1) A Special Education: Generalist (Secondary) endorsement indicates that an educator is qualified to teach grades 7 through 12 special education assignments for children identified as requiring special education services.

(2) A Special Education: Generalist (Secondary) endorsement permits the holder to teach children identified as needing special education services in grades 7 through 12.

(3) An educator is not authorized to teach in the endorsed area unless and until the endorsement is officially added to the license, except as authorized in OAR 584-060-0250 License for Conditional Assignment.

(4) Adding a Special Education: Generalist (Secondary) to Existing License: : To be eligible to add a Special Education: Generalist (Secondary) endorsement to an existing Preliminary, Professional or Distinguished Teacher Leader, or Legacy teaching license, an applicant must:

(a) Complete a Commission-approved Special Education: Generalist (Secondary) preparation program.;

(b) At least fifty percent (50%) of the Special Education: Generalist coursework must have been completed within five years prior to the date of application for the endorsement; and

(c) Submit a complete and correct application to obtain the endorsement in the form and manner required by the Commission, including payment of all required fees as provided in OAR 584-036-0055. Adding the endorsement at the time of renewal will not require an additional cost to the licensure renewal process.

(d) A Commission-approved Special Education: Generalist (Secondary) program must:

(A) Align with special education and dyslexia standards adopted by the Commission in OAR 584-018-0161;

(B) Include coursework especially designed to ensure that the applicant is able to provide instruction that enables pupils to meet or exceed third-grade reading standards adopted by the State Board of Education and become proficient readers by the end of the third grade;

(C) Require student passage of the Commission’s required test for Special Education: Generalist; and

(D) Provide supervised student teaching experience as a Special Education: Generalist (Secondary) teacher.

Data Classification: Level 1 – Published

June 2015: DO: Dykeman1

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