The University of West Alabama has been approved by the Alabama State Board of Education to offer Education Specialist programs in the following areas: Elementary Education, Early Childhood, Collaborative Special Education K-6 and 6-12, Library Media, School Counseling, Instructional Leadership, and Teacher Leader. The essential objective of the sixth-year level programs shall be to extend upward the level of competence of the teacher.
All educator candidates seeking certification in any field shall be required to complete a general survey course in Special Education (3 semester hours) if such a course was not a part of their undergraduate program or another graduate program. A research component including research and/or field work will be an integral part of all specialist programs in education.
An educator candidate who took a course for credit in a master's level program cannot take the same course for credit in the education specialist program. Completion of sixth-year programs requires at least 30 semester hours of credit not used for prior level certification in the same teaching field.
Program Admission Requirements
General requirements for admission to all programs at the sixth-year level include the following:
The educator candidate shall:
Meet all requirements for admission to the School of Graduate Studies.
*Hold a valid master's level Professional Educator Certificate in the same teaching or instructional support field in which the Education Specialist degree is sought.
Have had recent experience in the area of specialization.
*All Instructional Leadership educator candidates must hold an Alabama Class A Professional Educator Certificate in Instructional Leadership or one of the other Alabama Class A leadership certificate designations [Instructional Leader, Principal, Superintendent, Superintendent-Principal, Educational Administrator, Supervisor (any subject and/or grade level), Administrator of Career and Technical Education.]
Special circumstances:
(i) A teacher with a valid bachelor's-level professional educator certificate in early childhood education and a valid master's-level professional educator certificate in reading may be unconditionally admitted to a Class AA program in early childhood education. A teacher with a valid bachelor's-level professional educator certificate in elementary education and a valid master's-level professional educator certificate in reading may be unconditionally admitted to a Class AA program in elementary education.
(ii) A teacher with a valid bachelor's-level professional educator certificate in any teaching field and a valid master's-level professional educator certificate in English for speakers of other languages may be unconditionally admitted to a Class AA program in the same teaching field for which the teacher holds a valid bachelor's-level professional educator certificate.
(iii) A teacher with a valid master's level professional educator certificate in a teaching field may be unconditionally admitted to a Class AA program in special education.
Requirements for Class AA Certification in a Teaching Field:
(a) A valid Class A Professional Educator Certificate in the same teaching field(s) which was used as a basis for admission to the Class AA program, as provided for in Rule 290-3-3-.52(3)(b)1.(i)-(iv) or for teacher leader as provided in Rule 290-3-3-.52.01(2)(a)1.
(b) An official transcript from a regionally accredited institution documenting an earned education specialist degree.
(c) A survey of special education course is required unless that course was taken for prior level certification. [See Rule 290-3-3-.01(51)]. An individual who completed a survey of special education course prior to meeting requirements for unconditional admission to a Class AA program July 1, 2017, and thereafter, must take a course focused primarily on one of the following categories: methods of accommodating instruction to meet the needs of students with exceptionalities in inclusive settings, multicultural education, teaching English language learners, rural education, or urban education. A course used to meet this requirement for one level of certification may not be used to meet the requirement for a higher level of certification.
(d) Satisfactory completion of a State-approved program with a minimum GPA of 3.25 on all courses in the Alabama State Board of Education approved educator preparation program as verified on an official transcript. Board of Education approved educator preparation program as verified on an official transcript. For candidates who meet requirements for unconditional admission to a Class AA educator preparation program July 1, 2017, and thereafter, satisfactory completion of a State-approved program with a minimum GPA of 3.50 on all courses in the Alabama State Board of Education approved educator preparation program.
(e) Successful completion of a practicum shall be required for initial certification in a special education teaching field. For programs that meet rules for Grades K-6 and 6-12 or Grades P12, the practicum must include both elementary and secondary placements.
(f) Testing for Class AA Certification for a Teaching Field. At the present time, there is no testing requirement for Class AA certification for teachers except for teachers who earn initial Class AA certification in a special education teaching field. Such teachers must meet the Praxis requirements of the Alabama Educator Certification Assessment Program (AECAP) as a precondition for certification. Additional information is provided in Rule 290-3-3-.01(3).
(g) Interim Employment Certificate. An Interim Employment Certificate (IEC) allows a superintendent or administrator to employ an applicant who is completing requirements for initial Class AA certification in a special education teaching field through a State-approved Class AA program at an Alabama institution. Additional information, including requirements and restrictions, is provided in the current Educator Certification Chapter of the Alabama Administrative Code.
Program Completion Requirements
The following requirements must be met prior to completion of the sixth-year programs.
The educator candidate shall:
Maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.50 in all courses in the approved program as verified on an official transcript with no grade below "C."
Make a satisfactory score on a written comprehensive examination documenting mastery of the curriculum of the educator preparation program.
Demonstrate leadership ability in his or her area of specialization.
Additional Information. If an educator candidate completes an Alabama Education Specialist program based on a master's level certificate from another state and applies for Alabama certification at the Class AA level, the educator candidate must earn an Alabama Class A (master's level) Professional Educator Certificate prior to applying for the Class AA certificate.
Return to: