Tennessee Special Education Certification & Requirements

Featured Programs:

Special Education in Tennessee

The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 12.1 percent of the student population in Tennessee has an Individualized Education Program, below the national average of 13 percent. The state hires 7,320 special educators to serve 1,791 public schools and 20 charter schools that are organized into 140 school districts. The state also has 494 private schools. In its analysis of the ability of each state to meet the needs of its students with disabilities, the U.S. Department of Education rated Tennessee as “Needs Assistance.” The Tennessee Department of Education (TDE) oversees issues related to education in the state. Its Division of Special Education promotes educational programs and services for students with special needs.

Licensure Requirements

For Undergraduates

The initial three-year Practitioner License is available to you if you hold a bachelor’s degree, are either enrolled in or have finished a teacher preparation program, and have verified content knowledge. The Practitioner License is renewable once. If, during the original three years and one optional renewal year, you have met expectations at that level and completed any ongoing preparation program, then you are eligible for the Professional License, good for six years and renewable, based on your performance.

For Graduates

The requirements for licensure are now the same for all candidates. Endorsements call for specific preparation and meeting of performance expectations. For example, you may enter a teacher preparation program or a special education endorsement program to meet TDE requirements for special education teachers. Be sure to choose a Tennessee approved teacher education program.

Types of Licenses

The TDE’s Office of Educator Licensing (OEL) issues several types of teaching licenses in accordance with state policy. New teachers who have followed the traditional route to teacher preparation or who are still finishing a teacher preparation program can qualify for the three-year Practitioner License. After three to four years of teaching experience and ongoing training, educators may apply for a Professional License. Occupational Education Licenses are granted to candidates who have work experience and professional licenses outside the field of education.

Reciprocity

The OEL awards licenses to candidates with valid teaching credentials from regionally accredited institutions outside the state of Tennessee. For the latest guidelines, refer to the OEL’s guide for teachers new to Tennessee and answer the questions on TDE’s Out of State License Self Test. Teachers who earned their degrees from outside the United States must meet requirements similar to those for out-of-state teachers, with the additional step of submitting documentation of their credentials to a recognized evaluation service to ascertain equivalency.

FIND SCHOOLS

Special Education Degrees in Tennessee

The Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt Peabody College has the notable distinction of being rated number one in the nation for its graduate special education offerings, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report. Research and effective practices are the focal points of this school’s degree and certificate programs, and the department indicates that most of its graduates receive multiple job offers upon graduation. Undergraduates engage in a course of study resulting in an interdisciplinary major in exceptional learning with a focus on mild and moderate disabilities, multiple and severe disabilities or visual impairment. They can also opt to combine a special education major with another complementary major such as human and organizational development, child development or cognitive studies. At the graduate level, Vanderbilt Peabody offers Master of Education programs in early childhood, high-incidence disabilities and visual disabilities, as well as a low-incidence disabilities program and an applied behavior analysis certification program. Most of these areas of focus are also available at the doctoral level. Refer to Vanderbilt Peabody’s SPED Student Funding Opportunities webpage for information about available grants and stipends for students.

For information on master’s in special education programs in Tennessee, click here.

Alternatives to Certification

If you have at least a bachelor’s degree and a minimum of three years of teaching experience in the subject and grade level where you wish to teach, you may present that experience in lieu of student teaching.
You may apply credit you earn from correspondence or extension instruction through a member institution of the National University Extension Association or the Teacher College Association for Extension and Field Services toward your license application, up to one fourth of the total credit required for the license.

Teaching Special Education in Tennessee

Public schools

Teachers-Teachers Tennessee allows job seekers to search current openings or create a user profile that Tennessee public school administrators can access. Memphis City Schools runs its own recruitment website, Teach Memphis, targeting certified teachers as well as individuals who want to pursue an accelerated track to working in Memphis public schools.

Private schools

In Nashville and the surrounding region, Genesis Learning Centers operates several schools and support programs serving children and youth who have emotional, behavioral, developmental and learning challenges.

Other programs

The TDE operates Tennessee School For The Deaf in Knoxville, West Tennessee School For The Deaf in Jackson and Tennessee School For The Blind in Nashville.

Professional Development

The instructional leadership page of the TDE website delineates the role of the Office of Instructional Leadership in professional development for Tennessee educators and provides links to staff development resources.
Conferences and workshops for general and special educators are organized by the Tennessee Education Association.
The TDE’s Teacher Leadership Development program pairs mentor educators with new teachers.

Tennessee Organizations for Special Educators

The National Education Association-affiliated state teacher’s union, the Tennessee Education Association, organizes conferences and workshops, as well as takes part in advocacy work. Its 46,000 members include public school teachers, administrators, education support professionals, public university faculty and people studying to become teachers.
The TDE’s Advisory Council for the Education of Students with Disabilities meets a few times per year to discuss and interpret policy relating to Tennessee’s people with disabilities.
The Arc Tennessee supports people with developmental and intellectual disabilities through advocacy work.

FIND SCHOOLS

Tennessee Special Education e-News

Tennessee Voices for Children: This advocacy organization publishes a quarterly e-newsletter, as well as fact sheets pertaining to Tennessee children who have special educational needs.
The Arc Connection: The quarterly newsletters of The Arc Tennessee contains profiles of advocates for those with disabilities, as well as coverage of relevant events.
Peabody Journal of Education: The country’s second-oldest publication focused on educational policy, research and practice provides information about general and special education.
Tennessee Disability Pathfinder: A statewide database of disability-related resources, including a multilingual helpline and a comprehensive system of early intervention services.