frequently asked questions

Students with Disabilities

1. The "students with disabilities" certificates issued after February 2, 2004 appear to be grade-level specific and not subject specific. Are there plans in the works to have students with disabilities certificates with a concentration?

2. If I am seeking certification to teach students with disabilities after 2/04 and already hold a valid N-6 certificate, will I be able to select either the Birth-grade 2 or the grade 1-6 certificate at the master's degree level?

1. The "students with disabilities" certificates issued after February 2, 2004 appear to be grade-level specific and not subject specific. Are there plans in the works to have students with disabilities certificates with a concentration? Secondary schools need to have such teachers who can help deliver Regents level courses.
   
   The new certificate titles and grade ranges are: Students with Disabilities (birth-grade 2), Students with Disabilities (grades 1-6), Students with Disabilities (grades 5-9), and Students with Disabilities (grades 7-12).  In an effort to provide all teachers with the ability to teach to the learning standards, all New York State teacher preparation programs include a general education core in the liberal arts and sciences, a content core, and a Pedagogy core.  Further, a person preparing for a certificate in Students with Disabilities at the middle school level has two options:

   • Generalist certificate: Students with Disabilities (5-9) (Generalist). Teachers with generalist certificates must be prepared to teach the common branch subjects.

   • Specialist certificate: Students with Disabilities (5-9) (Math), Students with Disabilities (5-9) (English), etc.

   A person preparing for a certificate in Students with Disabilities at the high school level would also have to qualify for a certificate in an academic subject and would be certified in Students with Disabilities (7-12) (Math), Students with Disabilities (7-12) (English), etc. In fact, most programs are dual programs for this reason. top

2. If I am seeking certification to teach students with disabilities after 2/04 and already hold a valid N-6 certificate, will I be able to select either the Birth-grade 2 or the grade 1-6 certificate at the master's degree level?

   Yes, an N-6 certificate would be an appropriate general education certificate for both the Birth-2 and Grades1-6 certificates to teach students with disabilities. top