Washington Special Education Certification & Requirements

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Washington Special Education

According to the State of Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, the state of Washington provides special education and associated services to over 124,000 students. About 12 percent of Washington students have been identified as having learning disabilities, which is slightly less than the national average of 13 percent. Nearly 5,500 special education teachers are employed by public school districts in the state, according to Concordia University.

Licensure Requirements

For Undergraduates

At the undergraduate level, you can earn a Bachelor of Arts in education or special education at an accredited university. To be eligible for the Residency Teaching Certificate (the certificate received by most first-time applicants), you must also complete a state-approved teacher preparation program.

For Graduates

Two common routes toward special education certification for college graduates are to earn a master’s degree in education with an endorsement in special education and to complete a certification-only program that offers a postgraduate endorsement in special education.

Types of Licenses

The State of Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) website delineates the current requirements for various types of teaching certification in Washington state. Prospective teachers in the field of special education typically begin by earning a Residency Teaching Certificate. This requires completing a bachelor’s or master’s degree program from a regionally-accredited university, as well as a state-approved teacher preparation program. The next level of certification is the Professional Certificate. This is an advanced level certification that many teachers obtain after completing a ProTeach Portfolio, graduating from an out-of-state program that awards a comparable advanced certification or earning a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certificate.

Reciprocity

Potential educators can apply their accredited university program credits from out of state toward Washington state’s basic requirements for teachers. Those who are certified to teach in other states need to procure a Washington certificate to teach in public schools, which requires verifying they hold an out-of-state certificate and have three years of K-12 teaching experience.

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Special Education Teaching Degrees in Washington

A total of 21 colleges and universities in Washington are approved by the Professional Educator Standards Board to offer educator preparation programs. For a complete and up-to-date list of these programs, consult this board’s list of approved teacher preparation programs. The 2013 graduate school rankings published by U.S. News & World Report placed the University of Washington’s special education program in the top 10 of its kind in the nation. Located in Seattle, the University of Washington College of Education offers master’s degrees in teaching and education and a Doctor of Education. Students at the University of Washington who choose an advanced degree with an emphasis in special education can select many areas of focus. Refer to the special education page of the university’s website for detailed descriptions of each program. The University of Washington also maintains a website dedicated to special education policy issues in Washington state.

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

Alternatives Paths in Washington State

Washington has a system in place to address special education staffing shortages in its public schools. Teachers who do not have a special education endorsement can enter a special education teaching position with a temporary out-of-endorsement assignment or a pre-endorsement waiver. The endorsement requires the completion of six semester hours or nine quarter hours of accredited coursework in special education, while the waiver requires 16 semester hours or 24 quarter hours of such coursework. You can find more information about these options at https://www.k12.wa.us/certification/teacher-certificate/already-washington-certified-educators/adding-endorsement.

Teaching Special Education in Washington

Public schools

By far, the largest employer of special education educators in Washington is the public school system. Washington has 295 school districts. To search for open positions in your local district, select that district’s website from the list provided by the OSPI. The largest districts (Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane, Kent, Lake Washington, Federal Way, Edmonds, Vancouver, Evergreen and Northshore) tend to have more openings. Educational Service District 112 operates the Special Educator Employment Konsortium (SEEK) program for the southern region of Washington state. SEEK places special education teachers and service personnel in districts experiencing critical shortages of qualified instructors.

Private schools

For a list of prominent private schools in Washington state that serve special needs populations, consult Private School Review.

Other programs

Tacoma’s Northwest School of Innovative Learning at Fairfax Hospital serves students in kindergarten through high school who require educational and therapeutic support. The organization operates two alternative school programs, and teachers interested in working in one of them can search for open positions through Universal Health Services.

Professional Development

The Washington Education Association’s Special Education Support Center offers programs for educators, administrators, teachers-in-training, families and service organizations. Its professional development and week-long Special Education Bootcamps are funded through the Washington Special Education Training For All (WWSTA) grant. Training topics include autism awareness, behavior interventions, brain research, effective instruction, IEP non-transition, IEP with transition, Section 504, special education law and universal design for learning. Seattle University’s Center for Change in Transition Services focuses its resources on providing technical support and training to public high schools as they help students transition to adulthood. This organization offers programs designed to form a bridge of services for high school students with special needs, preparing them to meet independent living goals, as well as obtain continuing education and employment.

Professional Groups for Special Education Teachers in Washington

The state teacher’s union, the Washington Education Association, is open to public school employees in the state of Washington. Dues are 0.00775 percent of a Washington state classroom teacher’s average salary, which was $405 in 2012-2013. The Washington State PTA, begun in 1905, has over 140,000 members. In 2012, the organization released a statement citing special education advocacy as one of its primary goals. Formed in 1977, the Washington State Special Education Coalition is a group consisting of parents, teachers, administrators and other members of the community. It focuses on statewide and national issues concerning special education policy, compliance, accountability, retaining educators, training and professional development. The Arc of Washington State is an advocacy group for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and maintains an active Facebook page. Another state-wide advocacy group is Disability Rights Washington, which protects the rights of those with disabilities. In addition, the Learning Disabilities Association of Washington provides information, resources and a referral network for individuals and families impacted by learning and attention disabilities.

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Washington Special Education Bloggers

Because We Care: Cheryl Felak writes impassioned, insightful posts about model programs that support a continuum of care for people with developmental disabilities.
Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle public schools’ policies and reform are the general focus of this blog, but many of the posts address special education and inclusion.