department of EDUCATION
Professional Standards Board
Educational Impact Analysis Pursuant To 14 Del.C. Section 122(d)
307 Certification Administrative – Director Of Special Education
proposed
A. Type Of Regulatory Action Requested
Amendment to Existing Regulation
B. Synopsis Of Subject Matter Of Regulation
The Professional Standards Board, acting in cooperation and collaboration with the Department of Education, seeks the approval of the State Board of Education to amend DE Admin. Code 307 Certification Administrative – Director of Special Education. The regulation applies to the certification of educators as Directors of Special Education, as established by 14 Del.C. §1220(a). The regulation is being amended to align it with the statutory changes in 14 Del.C. §1220(a), and to require that a candidate complete an NCATE or NASDTEC approved educator preparation program or an approved alternative routes to certification program for school leaders. The requirements for Supervisor of Special Education, as set forth in DE Admin. Code 309, are incorporated into the amended regulation. The regulation will be renamed to make it consistent with the titles of other Professional Standards Board regulations and will be renumbered 1523 to reflect its movement to the Professional Standards Board section of the DE Admin. Code.
C. Impact Criteria
1. Will the amended regulation help improve student achievement as measured against state achievement standards? The amended regulation addresses student achievement by educational leaders support and lead Delaware educators and establish and sustain positive environments which encourage high student achievement.
2. Will the amended regulation help ensure that all students receive an equitable education? The amended regulation helps to ensure that all school administrators hired to lead buildings or districts meet high standards for certification.
3. Will the amended regulation help to ensure that all students’ health and safety are adequately protected? The amended regulation address educator certification. Regulations concerning high standards and appropriate credentials and training for school leaders help to ensure that all students’ health and safety are adequately protected. Specific issues governed by IDEA concerning the rights of students with disabilities will be protected by having adequately prepared administrators leading programs for students with disabilities.
4. Will the amended regulation help to ensure that all students’ legal rights are respected? The amended regulation addresses school leader certification, not students’ legal rights. Appropriate credentials and training for school leaders will help to ensure that all students’ legal rights are respected.
5. Will the amended regulation preserve the necessary authority and flexibility of decision makers at the local board and school level? The amended regulation will preserve the necessary authority and flexibility of decision makers at the local board and school level.
6. Will the amended regulation place unnecessary reporting or administrative requirements or mandates upon decision makers at the local board and school levels? The amended regulation will not place unnecessary reporting or administrative requirements or mandates upon decision makers at the local board and school levels.
7. Will decision making authority and accountability for addressing the subjects to be regulated be placed in the same entity? The decision-making authority and accountability for addressing the subjects to be regulated rests with the Professional Standards Board, in collaboration and cooperation with the Department of Education, and with the consent of the State Board of Education.
8. Will the amended regulation be consistent with, and not an impediment to, the implementation of other state educational policies, in particular to state educational policies addressing achievement in the core academic subjects of mathematics, science, language arts and social studies? The amended regulation will be consistent with, and not an impediment to, the implementation of other state educational policies, in particular to state educational policies addressing achievement in the core academic subjects of mathematics, science, language arts and social studies.
9. Is there a less burdensome method for addressing the purpose of the amended regulation? 14 Del.C. requires that we promulgate this regulation.
10. What is the cost to the state and to the local school boards of compliance with the amended regulation? There is no additional cost to local school boards for compliance with the regulation.
1523 307 Certification Administrative Standard Certificate - Director of Special Education Effective July 1, 1993
1.0 Content.
1.1 This regulation shall apply to the issuance of a Standard Certificate for Director of Special Education, pursuant to 14 Del.C. §1220(a).
2.0 Definitions.
2.1 The following words and terms, when used in this regulation, shall have the following meaning unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
“Administrative Experience” means experience in a pK-12 setting as an assistant principal, principal, School Leader I, or School Leader II.
“Standards Board” means the Professional Standards Board established pursuant to 14 Del.C. §1201.
“Standard Certificate” means a credential issued to verify that an educator has the prescribed knowledge, skill and/or education to practice in a particular area, teach a particular subject, or teach a category of students.
“State Board” means the State Board of Education of the State of Delaware established pursuant to 14 Del.C. §104.
“Teaching Experience” means meeting students on a regularly scheduled basis, planning and delivering instruction, developing or preparing instructional materials, and evaluating student performance in any pK-12 setting.
3.0 The following shall be required for the Standard Certificate for a Director of Special Education.
1.0 The following is required for the Standard License
1.1 Degree required
3.1 Educational requirements.
3.1.1 A master’s degree in special education from a regionally accredited college or university where the program is NCATE approved or state approved, where the state approval body employed the appropriate NASDTEC or NCATE specialty organization standards; and
3.1.1.1 Successful completion of a Delaware approved alternative routes to certification program for school leaders. Until approval and implementation of an alternative routes to certification program occurs, candidates shall fulfill the following requirements;
3.1.1.1.1 A minimum of twenty-four (24) semesters hours of graduate level course work in administration, completed either as part of the master’s degree or in addition to it, to include at least one course in each of the following areas, unless otherwise indicated:
3.1.1.1.1.1 Supervision/Evaluation of Staff;
3.1.1.1.1.2 Curriculum Development;
3.1.1.1.1.3 School Law/Legal Issues in Education;
3.1.1.1.1.4 Human Relations; and
3.1.1.1.1.5 Special Education (12 credits)(may include courses in curriculum, instruction, methods, and/or administration); or
3.1.2 1.1.1 A Mmaster's degree in any field from a regionally accredited college or university; plus and
3.1.2.1 30 graduate level credits semester hours in Special Education, to include at least one course in each of the areas set forth in 3.1.1.1.1.1 through 3.1.1.1.1.5; or
3.1.3 A current and valid special education administrative certificate from another state or the District of Columbia.
3.2 Experience requirements.
3.2.1 A minimum of three (3) years of teaching experience with children with disabilities at the pK-12 level; or
3.2.2 A minimum of three (3) years of professional experience with children with disabilities at the pK-12 level, in any setting, in a position requiring certification or licensing by the appropriate regulatory body, including, but not limited to a school psychologist, speech pathologist, or audiologist, regardless of whether the applicant’s position meets the definition of “teaching experience”; or
3.2.3 A minimum of three (3) years administrative experience with children with disabilities at the pK-12 level; or
3.2.4 Any combination of these types of experiences which totals a minimum of three (3) years.
1.5 Experience
1.2.1 three years of administrative experience as a supervisor of programs for Special Education or as an administrator in a school for the disabled and,
1.3 Specialized Professional Preparation
1.3.1 Master's degree in Administration and Supervision of Programs for Special Education from a regionally accredited college plus 30 graduate level semester hours in Special Education or,
1.3.2 A Master's degree from a regionally accredited college, in any field, plus 30 graduate semester hours. A total of 30 semester hours of graduate level course work shall be from the area of Special Education, taken either within or beyond the Master's degree and,
1.3.3 The individual shall meet the State of Delaware requirements for a Standard License as a Supervisor of Special Education or a Principal/ of a School for the Disabled.
2.0 The following shall be required for the Limited Standard License
2.1 The Limited Standard License may be issued for a period of three years at the request of a Delaware public school district, to a person employed in the above position to allow for the completion of the requirements for the Standard License in section 1.0.
2.1.1 Master's degree from a regionally accredited college and,
2.1.2 Meets the requirement in 1.2 and,
2.1.3 Within six semester hours of meeting the requirements in 1.3.1 or 1.3.2. and 1.3.3
3.0 Licenses that may be issued for this position include Standard and Limited Standard.
