A new teacher certification apprenticeship program gives special education professionals a new option to broaden their skills and qualifications, as well as increasing their earning potential, administrators say.
The Education Department has partnered with the Luzerne County Intermediate Unit to create a program that combines a previously existing curriculum with an online learning format that allows special educational professionals to acquire their degrees and special education certification online while still working.
According to Colleen Duffy, Chair of the Teaching Education Department, the program is looking for classroom aids, teachers with experience, teachers who have an emergency certificate due to an ongoing teacher shortage, or those who were not able to get their certification before.
The program offers a flexible instruction format, Duffy said, allowing teachers to decide which courses they need to take and how they would like the course to be laid out. Most classes offer an option that allows students to work at their own pace or have the option to test out of courses if they have experience and feel they are able.
“It gives them some flexibility to brush up on skills that they don’t quite have yet and take advantage of skills they already do have,” said Duffy.
Bringing the new program to Misericordia offers teachers the option to work completely online while still teaching, Duffy said. Previously, all teaching programs offered in-person classes only. The program not only makes the special education certification more convenient and accessible, but it also helps the shortage of teachers, particularly special education teachers, in Pa., she said.