Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 12, March 22, 2024
This endorsement, to be affixed to a PEL, shall be required
for directors and assistant directors of special education.
a) Each candidate for the director of special
education endorsement shall hold a master's degree or equivalent awarded by a
regionally accredited institution of higher education. For the purposes of this
subsection (a), "equivalent" shall mean the completion of a degree beyond the
bachelor's degree level (e.g., juris doctor (J.D.), doctor of philosophy
(Ph.D.), doctor of education (Ed.D.)).
b) Each candidate shall:
1) have completed an Illinois program
approved for the preparation of directors of special education pursuant to
Subpart C or a comparable approved program specific to directors of special
education in another state or country or hold a comparable certificate or
license issued by another state or country, provided that the requirements met
by the applicant for the out-of-state program or certificate or license
included completion of at least one course each in:
A) special education law;
B) special education finance;
C) supervision of programs for children with
disabilities; and
D)
cross-categorical special education methods; or
2) submit, along with the application for the
endorsement and the applicable fee, a copy of a letter of approval as an
administrator of special education issued by the State Board at any time;
or
3) submit, along with the
application for the endorsement and the applicable fee, evidence of holding an
administrative certificate or a PEL endorsed for an administrative position and
having completed 30 semester hours of coursework, distributed as follows:
A) at least one course in each of the areas
described in subsection (b)(1); and
B) additional coursework to reach the
required total of 30 semester hours, chosen from the areas of:
i) curricular adaptations/modifications and
assistive technology;
ii)
facilitation of the least restrictive environment for all students;
iii) characteristics of students with
disabilities;
iv) collaboration
with parents and school personnel;
v) transition services for students with
disabilities; and
vi) educational
and psychological diagnosis and remedial techniques.
c) Each candidate shall
have two years' full-time experience providing special education services:
1) in the public schools, as a special
education teacher, a speech-language pathologist, a school social worker, or a
school psychologist; or
2) in a
nonpublic school, if the candidate holds the appropriate corresponding Illinois
PEL endorsed in a special education teaching field or for school support
personnel as speech-language pathologist, school social worker, school
psychologist, school counselor, school nurse, or marriage and family
therapist.
d) Each
candidate shall be required to pass the applicable content-area test (see
Section
25.710).
