NAC391.363. Qualifications for teaching pupils who have disabilities and who are under 8 years of age.

     1. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4, before teaching pupils who have disabilities and who are under 8 years of age in a program of early childhood special education, a person must:

     (a) Hold an endorsement issued pursuant to this section; or

     (b) Hold a teacher’s elementary or secondary license, a license to teach special education, or a license to teach middle school or junior high school education, complete 6 semester hours from the courses prescribed in paragraph (b) of subsection 3 within 1 year after beginning that teaching and complete a program of preparation leading to licensing in early childhood special education within 3 years after beginning that teaching. The Department may grant a person an extension of up to 2 years in which to complete a program of preparation leading to licensing in early childhood special education upon receipt of:

          (1) Documentation which shows that the courses prescribed in paragraph (b) of subsection 3 were not offered at times or locations available to the person; or

          (2) Verification that the person’s medical condition prevented the person from enrolling in or completing the courses prescribed in paragraph (b) of subsection 3.

     2. To receive the endorsement, a person must:

     (a) Have completed a program of special education, approved by the Board, for children who have disabilities and who are under 8 years of age;

     (b) Hold a current license or certificate with a similar endorsement issued by another state;

     (c) Hold a master’s degree in early childhood special education and have completed 8 semester hours of student teaching, equivalent field experience or 1 year of verifiable teaching experience in early childhood special education; or

     (d) Satisfy the requirements of subsection 3.

     3. A person may also receive the endorsement if he or she:

     (a) Holds an elementary or secondary license, a license to teach special education, a license to teach middle school or junior high school education, or a bachelor’s or master’s degree in early childhood special education, special education, education for early childhood, child development or a related field that customarily involves providing service to children who have disabilities and who are under 8 years of age, such as counseling of children or families, educational or developmental psychology, speech pathology, physical or occupational therapy, elementary education, social work, or nursing if the person has at least 1 year of experience in pediatric nursing.

     (b) Has completed at least 18 semester hours which included a course in each subject listed in subparagraphs (1) to (5), inclusive, with any remaining hours completed by courses in any of the subjects listed in subparagraphs (6) to (9), inclusive:

          (1) Foundations or overview of early childhood special education;

          (2) Typical and atypical development of children who are under 8 years of age;

          (3) Assessment of children who have disabilities and who are under 8 years of age;

          (4) Strategies for intervention or development of curriculum for children who have disabilities and who are under 8 years of age;

          (5) Working with families of children who have disabilities and who are under 8 years of age;

          (6) Issues regarding physical and medical management of children who have disabilities and who are under 8 years of age;

          (7) Development of language and strategies for intervention for children who have disabilities and who are under 8 years of age;

          (8) Social and emotional development and strategies for intervention for children who have disabilities and who are under 8 years of age; and

          (9) Coordination and collaboration of services among other agencies and disciplines which serve children who have disabilities and who are under 8 years of age.

Ê For the purpose of completing the requirements for the subjects listed in subparagraphs (1) to (5), inclusive, a single course of 3 semester hours may be applied to satisfy the required course work in no more than two of those subjects.

     (c) Has completed student teaching of pupils who have disabilities or developmental delays and who are under 8 years of age or has 1 year of verifiable experience, at the conclusion of which the person is eligible for reemployment, working as a teacher in a program of early childhood special education in a public or private agency that is licensed by the State or that has been approved by a national organization and which serves such pupils and their families or has completed equivalent field experience with such pupils through a regionally accredited college or university.

     4. A person may teach in a class in which the majority of the children have developmental delays and are the age of pupils in kindergarten if the person:

     (a) On or before September 1, 1994, has at least 3 years of experience teaching pupils who have developmental delays and are the age of pupils in kindergarten in a program of early childhood special education at a public or private agency that is licensed by the State or that has been approved by a national organization; and

     (b) Holds a license to teach special education for kindergarten through grade 12 with an endorsement issued pursuant to NAC 391.343, 391.347, 391.360, 391.370 or 391.376.

     5. Testing in the principles and methods of teaching pupils in kindergarten through grade 6 is not required to receive a license to teach special education with an endorsement to teach pupils who have disabilities and who are under 8 years of age. A person who, on December 13, 1999, holds a provisional special license to teach pupils who have disabilities and who are under 8 years of age that was provisioned on passing the competency test required by paragraph (b) of subsection 1 of NAC 391.036 is exempt from the requirement to pass that test to receive a special license.

     (Added to NAC by Bd. of Education, eff. 3-7-84; A 11-25-86; A by Comm’n on Prof. Standards in Education, 7-18-88; 10-18-89; 11-27-91, eff. 1-11-92; 3-18-94; 2-24-95; 1-10-96; R122-99, 12-13-99; R005-05, 10-31-2005; R028-11, 10-26-2011)