Special Provisions for “New” Special Education Teachers

A special education teacher who is new to the profession, who is considered “highly qualified” in language arts, mathematics, or science, and who teaches two or more subjects shall be considered “highly qualified” in all subjects taught for two years after the date of first employment. Once this two-year period has elapsed, the teacher shall be required to meet the criteria for being considered “highly qualified” in the core subject area of assignment. However, it should be noted that a teacher in this situation will be treated as a veteran teacher after attaining one year’s teaching experience, as is the case for any other teacher. That is, the teacher has two years before he or she will be required to meet the criteria in every subject taught but will have access to points under the Illinois HOUSSE after one year’s experience.

A special education teacher who has completed an Illinois approved preparation program in special education after June 30, 2002, and has also passed the assessment of professional teaching shall be considered “highly qualified” in language arts, by virtue of the subject-area competence cumulatively evidenced by the individual’s:

• completion of coursework addressing the General Curricular Standards for Special Education teachers set forth at 23 Ill. Adm. Code 27.350, as well as the Common Core of Standards for All Special Educators (see the policies of the State Board of Education relative to certification in special education that are in effect pursuant to a federal court order of February 27, 2001, in the matter of Corey H. et al., v. Board of Education of the City of Chicago et al.), which encompass numerous relevant knowledge and performance indicators;
• passage of the test of basic skills covering reading, writing, grammar, and mathematics; and
• passage of the assessment of professional teaching, one of whose major components is the Language Arts Standards for All Illinois Teachers (see 23 Ill. Adm. Code 24).

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