This story was reported and written by our media partner the Virginia Mercury.
The number of Virginia preschoolers with disabilities has increased by 24% over the past two years, prompting the Virginia Board of Education’s decision Thursday to have the state find new ways to get more special education teachers into classrooms.
The board’s unanimous 7-0 vote directs the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) to open the state’s compliance pathways in its state administrative code governing special education by removing the requirement for graduate-level coursework earned towards an Early Childhood Special Education (ECSPED) endorsement.
VDOE staff said the need for additional teachers with ECSPED endorsement has been “longstanding,” noting that 7% to 9% of educators have taught outside their endorsed area over the past six years.
Elementary education Pre-K-6 and special education PreK-12 were the top two critical shortage areas staff identified, which they said showed the necessity of updating compliance standards to make hiring special education teachers easier.
“All we’re asking is to remove the word ‘graduate’ and align it with all of the rest of the special education endorsements and make a pathway that is easier to fill for early childhood education,” said Rob Gilstrap, VDOE assistant superintendent for human capital, at Thursday’s board meeting.
The ECSPED endorsement requires special education teachers to have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution.
Teachers must have also graduated from an approved teacher preparation program in early childhood special education, completed a college major in early childhood special education or 27 semester graduate hours in early childhood special education.
The board was provided two solutions to facilitate the compliance change. One will create an ECSPED add-on endorsement, which will be developed by the Advisory Board on Teacher Education and Licensure in September. The Board of Education will vote on the final details, and the process could take an extended period to complete.
The second solution is to make a minor revision to the state’s administrative code, which the board said would align licensure regulations for ECSPED endorsement and increase flexibility by removing an arbitrary graduate-level course requirement. This will also allow teachers without a graduate degree to add the endorsement outside of an approved program pathway.
Since the second solution would likely not spark public disagreement, the regulatory changes could be fast tracked and completed after 90 days.
VDOE said the changes could fill at least 70 positions in the future and would put the commonwealth in alignment with all other state special education endorsement requirements.
