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To: Superintendents, Special Education Directors, K-12 PIOs, Education Partners
From: Colt Gill, Director, Oregon Department of Education; Dr. Anthony Rosilez, Executive Director, Teacher Standards and Practices Commission
Date: May 26, 2023
Re: Beginning July 1, 2023 All Teaching Licenses For Special Education Require Bachelor’s Degree
Dear Superintendents and Special Education Directors,
As you know, workforce shortages have been worsened by the pandemic in recent years, and anticipated educator workforce shortages have been a concern in education across the country, especially in highly specialized areas like special education. Districts in Oregon face unprecedented workforce challenges that have made it very difficult to fully staff our schools.
As a response to these challenges, in 2015-16, Oregon adopted OAR 584-210-0130, establishing requirements for an Emergency Teaching License. However, Oregon’s Emergency Teaching License for special education does not currently meet federal statutory requirements because it does not require at least a bachelor’s degree for special education teachers (20 U.S.C. § 1412(a)(14)).
Beginning July 1, 2023, to ensure they comply with federal requirements, all teaching licenses for special education will require a bachelor’s degree. This will only impact special education teachers, not teachers in other endorsement areas.
It is critical that Oregon’s students with individualized educational needs be taught and served by highly qualified educators. When licensing limitations exist, concerted efforts should be made at the district and school level to ensure that classes with a majority of special education students be taught by non-emergency licensed teachers who know them and their school community. The Emergency Teaching License is designed for short-term licensure only and may not continue once the emergency situation has been remedied, typically one year or less.
All Emergency Teaching Licenses expire annually. For current Emergency Teaching Licensed special education teachers who do not hold at least a Bachelor’s degree, this means that they will no longer be able to assume the duties of a special education teacher after June 30, 2023. At that time, they will need to meet the requirements of one of the approved teaching license pathways or they will no longer be able to be utilized as special education teachers in your district. In no case can any person who has not earned at least a Bachelor’s degree serve as a special education teacher.
We understand this transition may be difficult due to workforce challenges in your area; we are happy to discuss your specific situation to provide support. Please feel free to reach out to Elizabeth Keller at TSPC if you have questions related to any licensure related issue or specific personnel and their qualifications. You can also reach out to Tenneal Wetherell at ODE if you have questions about the federal requirements for special education educator qualifications or other special education program matters. We are happy to discuss potential licensure pathways that comply with Federal and state requirements that may best meet the needs of your students in special education. We are hoping that you will share the important information in this message with appropriate district personnel, especially Human Resources Directors and Hiring Managers.
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