Alternative Certification in Special Education

Steve Crites, Ph.D., Graduate Program Director

Purpose

The Alternative Certification in Special Education is designed to prepare individuals who do not currently hold certification and have not completed a teacher preparation program for a rewarding career as an educator working with children with disabilities. The Alternative Certification program in Special Education standards outline the knowledge and skills needed by a beginning teacher in the area of special education. This is a non-degree teacher preparation and certification program at the graduate level and will lead to certification in either Learning and Behavior Disorders (LBD) or Moderate and Severe Disabilities (MSD). Students who complete the alternative certification in special education program through Northern Kentucky University are eligible to apply a portion of the graduate coursework towards obtaining a Master in Arts of Education: Teacher as Leader. 

Admission Requirements

• Official transcripts from all institutions attended showing completion of at least a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a minimum GPA of 2.75 OR GPA of 3.00 on a 4.0 scale on the last thirty (30) hours of credit completed, including undergraduate and graduate coursework.  Transcripts must include completion of a college level mathematics course (not remedial level) with a C or better.
• Successful completion of the Praxis CASE (Core Academic Skills for Educators) test or Graduate Record Exam (GRE) with minimum passing scores as follows:
  • Praxis CASE: 156 in Reading, 150 in Mathematics, 162 in Writing
  • GRE: 150 in Verbal Reasoning, 143 in Quantitative Reasoning, 4.0 in Analytical Writing

To register for the Praxis CASE test or the GRE, visit http://www.ets.org.

• A criminal and federal background check. We recommend using this service: https://portal.castlebranch.com/nq45.  Teaching certificate can be submitted in lieu of the background check; submit a copy of current teaching certificate or out-of-state equivalent. New teachers in Kentucky may submit a Kentucky Statement of Eligibility.
• Supplemental application (found at http://inside.nku.edu/graduate/admission-process.html). 

Upon being admitted, new students will be expected to provide an offer of employment from a Kentucky school district in an LBD or MSD position, signed code of ethics for Kentucky School Personnel, College of Education, and Council for Exceptional Children, curriculum contract, and mentorship agreement.