Section 226.810  Special Education Teaching Approval

Special education approval may be issued by the State Board of Education to an individual who does not hold a special preschool-age 21 certificate or who lacks some of the qualifications for one of the endorsements enumerated in 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.43.

a)         Beginning July 1, 2001, special education teaching approval will be issued for individuals to serve as Learning Behavior Specialist (LBS) I and may be limited to one or more of the following areas, as applicable (see 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.47):

1)         Learning disabilities;

2)         Social/emotional disorders;

3)         Mental retardation; and

4)         Physically handicapped.

b)         An individual who holds an early childhood, special, elementary, high school, or transitional bilingual certificate shall receive approval to teach in a special education area listed in subsection (a) of this Section if he or she has successfully completed college-level coursework addressing each of the following areas:

1)         Survey of exceptional children;

2)         Characteristics of special education students in the specific area of approval sought;

3)         Methods of teaching in the area of special education approval sought; and

4)         Psychological diagnosis for children with all types of disabilities.

c)          Except as provided in subsection (d) of this Section, an individual who wishes to receive special education teaching approval shall submit an application for a special certificate on a form supplied by the State Board of Education and shall comply with such other application procedures as the State Board may require.

1)         If the individual qualifies for a special certificate, the State Board shall issue one and endorse it as warranted.

2)         If the individual does not qualify for a special certificate, the State Board shall evaluate the application for special education approval and either issue such approval or notify the applicant of any deficiencies.

d)         Special education approval issued prior to January 1, 2002, shall not be limited with regard to time or district of employment but shall be valid only for the special education areas indicated and the grade levels to which the individual's certificate applies.  Any approval issued on or after January 1, 2002, shall be valid for three years, after which time the holder shall no longer be assigned to a special education teaching position unless he or she has received an unlimited LBS I endorsement pursuant to 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.47 (Special Provisions for the Learning Behavior Specialist I Approval).

e)         As of July 1, 2001, each teaching approval listed in subsection (a) of this Section shall automatically be reissued for service as an LBS I.  An individual's pre-existing approvals shall result in receipt of either a limited or an unlimited LBS I approval (see 23 Ill. Adm. Code 25.47).

f)          Beginning January 1, 2002, the State Board shall issue early childhood special education approval to an individual who either holds an early childhood certificate or a special preschool-age 21 certificate with an LBS I endorsement, provided that the individual makes application for approval on a form supplied by the State Board demonstrating that he or she has successfully completed coursework in all the following areas:

1)         Methods – Developmentally and individually appropriate methods for fostering the social, emotional, cognitive, communication, adaptive, and motor development and learning of young children with special needs in various settings, such as the home, the school, and the community.

2)         Assessment – Strategies, procedures, and formal and informal instruments for assessing young children's social, emotional, cognitive, communication, and motor skills; family concerns, priorities, and resources; and school, home, and community learning environments; and methods for conducting formative and summative individual and program evaluation.

3)         Language Development – Typical and atypical language development in young children; specific language disabilities; the relationship between communication delays and other areas of early learning and development; and alternative communication systems for young children with disabilities.

4)         Family and Community Relationships – Strategies in developing positive and supportive relationships with families of young children with special needs, including the legal and philosophical basis for family participation; family-centered services; and strategies for working with socially, culturally, and linguistically diverse families.  Strategies and models for promoting effective consultation and collaboration with other professionals and agencies within the community.

(Source:  Amended by peremptory rulemaking at 35 Ill. Reg. 14836, effective August 22, 2011)