Missouri Special Education Certification & Requirements

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Special Education in Missouri

The U.S. Department of Education bestowed its highest rating, “Meets Requirements,” on the special education services provided in Missouri, according to Education Week. The Institute of Education Services indicates that 13.8 percent of students in Missouri hold Individualized Education Programs, slightly higher than the national average of 13 percent. The state’s 2,456 public schools and 48 charter schools are divided into 523 districts, which employ nearly 9,000 special education teachers. The Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) is in charge of policies and practices impacting public schools in the state, and oversees the Office of Special Education.

Licensure Requirements

For Undergraduates

The DESE guide to Educator Certification states that, to be certified as a teacher in Missouri, you must hold a professional teaching certificate. However, you can obtain this certificate through an undergraduate education or special education major, so long as your course of study contains the pedagogical coursework required by DESE and student teaching experience.

For Graduates

Graduates can opt to enroll in a program that results in only a teaching certificate, or enroll in a master’s or doctorate degree program that allows students to earn a teaching license concurrently with a graduate degree.

Types of Licenses

The educator certification section of the DESE website describes the teaching licenses issued in Missouri and the criteria for earning them. The four-year Initial Professional Certificate is the traditional certificate awarded to new teachers who have met DESE requirements for teacher preparation. After gaining four years of teaching experience, participating in a mentoring program and completing continuing education coursework, educators can apply for the Career Continuous Professional Certificate (CCPC). Educators who want to teach students with special needs can pursue one of over a dozen special education licenses. See the Compendium of Missouri Certification Requirements Index for a list of the many areas and grade levels in which teachers can choose to specialize.

Reciprocity

Missouri typically grants reciprocity to qualified candidates who earned their academic degrees and teaching certificates out of state. These candidates must submit their valid certificates for evaluation and, in most cases, they will not have to complete additional requirements or take any tests to receive a Missouri teaching certificate. Candidates with expired out-of-state certificates must include institutional recommendations with their applications. Candidates who completed teacher preparation programs outside of the U.S. must submit their transcripts and credential information to a DESE-approved Credentialing Agency to ensure that their qualifications are equivalent to Missouri requirements.

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Special Education Teaching Programs in Missouri

The Department of Special Education at the University of Missouri prepares educators with an undergraduate degree in special education; master’s degree programs in special education focusing on autism, behavioral disorders, cross categorical, early childhood, gifted education and learning disabilities; and a doctorate program with several areas of emphasis: autism, behavioral disorders, early childhood special education and learning disabilities. The majority of these degrees offer the DESE-required coursework for licensure in the state. Missouri State University’s Special Education/Cross Categorical Undergraduate Program features two DESE-approved programs that allows graduates to work in K-12 cross-categorical settings, as well as other general education and special education settings. They include a four-year course of study,as well as an accelerated master’s degree with one of several areas of focus.

For profiles of all the schools in Missouri that offer master’s in special education programs, click here.

Alternatives to Certification

The DESE offers a Provisional (academic contract) Certificate to individuals currently enrolled in teacher preparation program who have secured a job in a Missouri public school or accredited private school. These candidates must have their academic institution send a Plan of Study for DESE review. For individuals who have completed their bachelor’s degree in a core subject area that is not education, the DESE might award a Temporary Authorization Certificate. This route to licensure entails following the DESE-approved Plan of Study that applies to the certificate a candidate wishes to earn. The candidate must have a position in a Missouri public school district, agree to teach for at least two years, participate in a mentoring program and pass exit exams.

Special Education Jobs in Missouri

Public schools

The MOREAP Teacher Job Listings webpage allows job seekers to sort listings for open positions in participating districts of Missouri public schools by region, position and subject areas.
The DESE and SuccessLink sponsor the MO Teaching Jobs website, which pairs qualified candidates with state public school districts.

Private schools

The Arc Of The Ozarks owns and operates the Rivendale Institute of Learning & Center for Autism, located in Springfield.

Other programs

The DESE operates three schools dedicated to serving only populations with special needs, including the Missouri School for the Blind, the Missouri School for the Deaf and Missouri Schools for the Severely Disabled.
The Special School District of St. Louis County is a unique public school district that provides intensive, individualized support for children with special needs.

Professional Development

The DESE’s professional development guidelines summarize state requirements for continuing education. Missouri State University’s Southwest Regional Professional Development Center (RPDC) provides regional special education training programs, as well as support and consultation to school districts. The Heart of Missouri RPDC also provides training opportunities, as well as resources for special educators.

Missouri Special Education Groups for Teachers

The state teacher’s union, the Missouri State Teachers Association, is open to public educators and administrators, other public school employees, pre-service teachers and retired teachers. Membership dues for teachers vary, depending upon their years of experience and the number of hours that they teach.
The state-mandated Missouri Special Education Advisory Panel provides policy guidance on issues related to special education.
The DESE also manages a Task Force on Blind Student Academic and Vocational Performance.
The Missouri National Education Association is an advocate for public schools, public school students and public school employees. Members consist of public school educators and support staff in both preK-12 schools and colleges and universities. Special School District NEA represents special education teachers in the Special School District of St. Louis, and education support professionals in Special School District are also represented by Missouri NEA.

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Missouri Special Education Blogs

Applied Learning Processes: This blog contains teaching and parenting tips from experts who diagnose learning disabilities and consult with Kansas City, Missouri schools, teachers and families.
Special Education ListServe: The DESE manages this subscription-based ListServ that operates as a repository of information regarding special education funding, compliance, data collection and training.