The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
Proposed Amendments to 603 CMR 7.00 - Regulations for Educator Licensure and Preparation Program Approval (Transition Specialist Endorsement)
At the September 25, 2012 meeting, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted to solicit public comment on proposed amendments to 603 CMR 7.00, Regulations for Educator Licensure and Preparation Program Approval, relating to the new transition specialist endorsement. The Department received 15 comments from individuals and organizations during the public comment period. Enclosed is a table summarizing the comments and the Department's responses.
In March 2012 the Legislature passed and the Governor signed into law Chapter 51 of the Acts of 2012, An Act Relative to Student with Disabilities in Post-Secondary Education, Employment, and Independent Living. The law directs the Board to establish a specialist teacher endorsement in transition services for special education teachers and rehabilitation counselors. A copy of the law is attached for your information.
A transition specialist provides transition services to students with disabilities with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). The endorsement provides recognition of a particular set of skills and knowledge in relation to transitioning to adult life for students with IEPs. An endorsement, in this case, is an optional form of recognition and does not result in a requirement that all individuals employed to provide transition services must seek and obtain such an endorsement. However, school districts have authority to establish additional requirements (beyond the licensure requirements) for their employees and they may choose to require candidates to hold or be eligible for such an endorsement.
This is a new endorsement that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) developed in collaboration with Massachusetts Advocates for Children and other stakeholders. The requirements align with the new law. The proposed regulation defines the following:
- Prerequisite license and experience;
- Subject matter knowledge (ESE will issue guidelines to further define other key knowledge for this endorsement);
- Field-based experience;
- Allowable exemptions for a defined period of time; and
- Renewal requirements
The changes from the September draft regulations, based on public comment, include:
- Adding to the list of prerequisite licensed educators eligible for this endorsement;
- Modifying some of the subject matter knowledge requirements;
- Extending the deadline for eligibility for this endorsement for individuals with previous experience; and
- Other minor edits for clarification.
Proposed amendments are indicated by underline (new language) or strikethrough (deleted language). Unchanged sections of the regulations are omitted. For the complete text of the current Regulations for Educator Licensure and Preparation Program Approval, 603 CMR 7.00.
Claudia Bach, Director of the Department's Office of Educator Preparation, Policy and Leadership (EPPL); Brian Devine, Director of the Licensure Office; Marcia Mittnacht, State Director for Special Education; Liz Losee, Assistant Director of the Office of EPPL; and Debra Comfort, Associate General Counsel, will be present at the Board meeting to answer your questions.
Enclosures:
and strikethrough version