Special Education Teacher Preparation Policy
Content Test Requirements:
South Carolina does not require content testing for any of its special education teacher candidates.
South Carolina recognized the factual accuracy of this analysis. The state noted that it is currently working with the Office of Special Education Services to review current certification fields related to special education and related assessment requirements for special education teachers; has reviewed assessment requirements in other states; and has requested the assistance of ETS in reviewing the Praxis assessment Fundamental Subjects: Content Knowledge (5511).
Special educators should be valued for their critical role in working with students with disabilities and special needs; however, they are identified by the state not as "special education assistants" but as "special education teachers," presumably because the state expects them to provide instruction to children. The state makes an effort to distinguish between a consultative and an instructional role. However, whether working as a teacher of record or working with students who are primarily in a general education setting would require at least some knowledge of grade-level content in order to make it accessible.
4A: Special Education Content Knowledge
Generic K-12 special education licenses are inappropriate for teachers of high-incidence special education students. Too many states do not distinguish between elementary and secondary special education teachers, certifying all such teachers under a generic K-12 special education license. While this broad umbrella may be appropriate for teachers of low-incidence special education students, such as those with severe cognitive disabilities, it is deeply problematic for high-incidence special education students, who are expected to learn grade-level content.[1] And because the overwhelming majority of special education students are in the high-incidence category, the result is a fundamentally broken system.
Special education teachers teach content and therefore must know content.[2] While special educators should be valued for their critical role in working with students with disabilities and special needs, each state identifies them not as "special education assistants" but as "special education teachers," presumably because it expects them to provide instruction. Inclusion models, where special education students receive instruction from a general education teacher paired with a special education teacher to provide instructional support, do not mitigate the need for special education teachers to know content.[3] Providing instruction to children who have special needs requires knowledge of both effective learning strategies and the subject matter at hand.[4] Failure to ensure that teachers are well trained in content areas—presumably through subject matter licensing tests—deprives special education students of the opportunity to reach their academic potential.