Special & Gifted Education: Twice Exceptionalities with Transition & Special Needs, Gifted Education, & Special Education General Curriculum Add-On – Virginia
Educational Requirements
According to the Virginia Department of Education:
Virginia offers the following endorsements:
Additional Requirements
Program requirements for Special Education are located in the Virginia Administrative Code.
1. Earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and graduated from an approved teacher preparation program in early childhood special education; or
2. Earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and completed a major in early childhood special education or 27 semester graduate hours in early childhood special education, including at least one course in each of the following:
a. Foundations and legal aspects of special education: 3 semester hours;
b. Assessment for diagnosis, program planning, and curriculum-based measurement to document progress for young children with typical development, disabling, and at-risk conditions: 3 semester hours;
c. Curriculum and instructional programming for preschool: 3 semester hours;
d. Speech and language development and intervention: 3 semester hours;
e. Medical aspects: 3 semester hours;
f. Social and emotional skills and behavior management for early childhood: 3 semester hours;
g. Consultation, co-teaching, coaching, and mentoring: 3 semester hours;
h. Family-centered intervention: 3 semester hours; and i. Early childhood elective: 3 semester hours.
Program requirements for Gifted Education are located in the Virginia Administrative Code.
1. Earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and hold a license issued by the Virginia Board of Education with a teaching endorsement in a teaching area;
2. Earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and completed an approved teacher preparation program in gifted education; or
3. Completed the following requirements:
a. Earned a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university and hold a license issued by the Virginia Board of Education with a teaching endorsement in a teaching area; and
b. Completed 12 semester hours of graduate-level coursework in gifted education distributed in the following areas:
(1) Introduction and identification of giftedness: 3 semester hours;
(2) Social and emotional development and guidance of gifted learners: 3 semester hours;
(3) Curriculum and instructional strategies for gifted learners: 3 semester hours; and
(4) Advanced course work in one of the following areas: 3 semester hours:
(a) Advanced curriculum, instruction, and assessment design;
(b) Advanced program development and evaluation; or
(c) Advanced study in underrepresented populations; and
c. Completed a practicum of at least 45 instructional hours. This practicum shall include a minimum of 45 instructional hours of successful teaching experiences with gifted students in a public or an accredited nonpublic school. In lieu of the practicum, one year of successful, full-time teaching experience with gifted students in a public or an accredited nonpublic school may be accepted, provided the teacher is assigned a mentor holding a valid license with an endorsement in gifted education.