State Department Offer Tuition Reiumbursement for Special Education Courses, Certification
The Oklahoma State Department of Education has announced PATHWAY: The Special Education Recruitment Reimbursement Program for College Coursework Tuition and Certification Examination. This reimbursement program addresses Oklahoma’s shortage of highly qualified, fully certified special education teachers and will assist participants in meeting the Highly Qualified Teacher status mandated through the No Child Left Behind Act. The program is funded through the State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG), a five-year grant from the United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs.
This program is designed to encourage currently employed, full-time Oklahoma general education teachers (including those with alternative certification, administrators, counselors, etc.) to become fully certified in special education and employed as an Oklahoma special education teacher.
To qualify for the program, interested Oklahoma general educators must submit an application. Applications will be scored by a committee of educators using a rubric. If the number of eligible applicants exceeds funds available, applications will be further weighted based on number of years teaching in Oklahoma, employment by a school in need of improvement, and date application was received.
Applicants selected to participate in the program may receive tuition reimbursement up to $500 for enrolling in and passing an Oklahoma college special education course that will assist them in passing an Oklahoma Subject Area Test in one of the following areas: Blind/Visual Impairment; Deaf/Hard of Hearing; Mild-Moderate Disabilities; or Severe-Profound/Multiple Disabilities. Since unique situations may apply, please contact the Oklahoma State Department of Education, Office of Professional Standards, by telephone at (405) 521-3337, to determine if additional exams will be required for you to obtain full certification.
Upon completing and passing the course with a "c" or better, program participants must submit the grade record from the college.
Program participants may also attend a certification exam review session provided at no cost by the SPDG. Once program participants have taken and passed the OSAT, met certification requirements, and submitted the appropriate documentation, they may receive reimbursement up to $100 toward the expenses of taking the exam. Program participants may receive an additional $1,000 when they provide proof that: (1) they obtained a full-time special education teaching position in Oklahoma the year after receiving this certification; and (2) they completed one full year in that position.
For additional information about this program, please contact Ms. Kim Nickerson, Project Coordinator, State Personnel Development Grant, by telephone at (405) 521-4869 or by e-mail at Kim_Nickerson@sde.state.ok.us