Certification & Licensure

Licensure refers to the credentials that states or comparable jurisdictions issue to qualified school personnel. At a time when the profession is faced with significant special education personnel shortages and is considering alternative certification routes, an understanding of special education licensure is essential. COPSSE research helps inform discussions at state and district levels.

Date Type Title/Description Download
02/01/2004 Workforce Watch

Getting Teachers Where They Are Needed Most—Can License Reciprocity Facilitate Mobility?

  • Discusses the limited potential of license reciprocity agreements to alleviate special education teacher shortages.

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02/01/2004 Workforce Watch

Making Sense of Licensure—What Research Says About Current Trends

  • Provides national overviews of state licensure requirements and trends.

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02/01/2004 Workforce Watch

Special Education Administrators—What Should Districts Know About New Candidates?

  • Overviews shortages, preparation, certification, and licensure for special education administrators.

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07/01/2003 Issue Brief

Audiology Services in the Schools

  • Examines supply and demand, professional preparation, and certification and licensure for audiologists.

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07/01/2003 Issue Brief

Paraprofessionals

  • Examines supply and demand, preparation, and certification and licensure for paraprofessionals.

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06/01/2003 Issue Brief

Issue Brief on Personnel Preparation and Credentialing in Speech-Language Pathology

  • Describes supply and demand, professional preparation, and certification and licensure for speech-language pathologists.

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05/01/2003 Research Synthesis

Getting Teachers Where They Are Needed Most: The Case for Licensure Reciprocity

  • Describes reciprocity agreements and analyzes their potential for alleviating teacher shortages.

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05/01/2003 Issue Brief

Personnel Issues in School-Based Occupational Therapy: Supply and Demand, Preparation, and Certification and Licensure

  • Describes supply and demand, professional preparation, and certification and licensure for occupational therapists.

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04/01/2003 Research Synthesis

The Status of Licensure of Special Education Teachers in the 21st Century

  • Discusses results from two national studies on licensure and alternative licensure practices.

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04/01/2003 Issue Brief

Free and Appropriate Public Education and the Personnel Crisis for Students with Visual Impairments and Blindness

  • Examines shortages, preparation, and certification of personnel who work with students with visual impairments and blindness.

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04/01/2003 Issue Brief

Personnel Issues in School-Based Physical Therapy: Supply and Demand, Professional Preparation, Certification, and Licensure

  • Discusses supply and demand, professional preparation, and certification and licensure for physical therapists.

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03/01/2003 Issue Brief

Special Education Administration at a Crossroads: Availability, Licensure, and Preparation of Special Education Administrators

  • Reviews availability, licensure, and preparation of special education administrators.

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