Special Education Initiatives

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The Educator Pathway Program consists of five courses that would enable school districts to recruit potential teacher candidates while still in high school. The Educator Pathway Program provides high school students interested in entering the teaching field the opportunity to take dual credit while still in high school, which will count towards both graduation requirements and college credit. The NDDPI Office of Specially Designed Services will provide payment for college application fees, dual credit fees, and books/materials for any student taking the dual credit coursework through the Educator Pathway Program. The university system will turn in an expense claim for the coursework to the NDDPI Office of Specially Designed Services which will then provide payment for the student’s coursework. If a local school district is interested in including these courses as part of their high school curriculum, they can either have a teacher in their system teach the coursework themselves or reach out to universities for assistance. Students interested in accessing this coursework should contact their school administrator or counselor to share their interests.

Universities that are currently a part of the Educator Pathway Program:

  • Valley City State University
  • Mayville State University
  • Minot State University
  • University of Jamestown

For more information, visit TEACHING ND - Education Pathway Project

The Para to Teacher Program seeks to attract special education paraprofessionals by transitioning them into licensed special education teachers. Ideal candidates need to: be currently working as a special education para with at least one year of experience, have an associate degree or some college completed, and have the support of their school administrators and special education teacher. Candidates will continue working in their para-professional position while completing the program through accessible distance technology.

Letters of support are required from 1) your building administrator (principal), 2) your special education unit coordinator or director, and 3) the special education teacher under whom you work (cooperating teacher). Letter of Support Form

For more information, contact Holly Pederson at Minot State University or visit MSU’s Para to Teacher website at MSU - Paraprofessional to Teacher Pathway (PTP) (minotstateu.edu)

The Special Education Resident Teacher Program through UND consists of a one-year experience in which a resident, a first-year teacher in the school district, has full responsibility for a caseload, is mentored by a master-level teacher, and is enrolled in seven to nine graduate credits a semester at UND. As part of this partnership, the school district pays the salary of the mentor teachers and the stipend of the resident teachers and may include a contract that requires the recipient to work for the district/special education unit for a certain number of years.

For more information on ideal candidates, cost and implementation requirements, and resident mentors and incentives, visit the Resident Teacher Program

In 2021, the NDDPI was granted authority to administer certificates for Special Education Technicians in North Dakota. Special Education Technicians are allowed to conduct academic and behavioral screenings, document student progress, assist with regulatory paperwork, participate in multidisciplinary team meetings, prepare materials, and assist with scheduling and maintaining space and equipment under the supervision of a special education teacher. For more information on coursework completion, contact: Minot State University (701-858-3050) or Certification Central (701-322-4429)

Once a Special Education Technician has completed forty semester hours of college education in the area of special education and has a two-credit transcribable minimum of one hundred clock hours of fieldwork experience, submit an application and upload transcripts to ND Teach.

Application: ND Teach 

The NDDPI Office of Specially Designed Services helps fund scholarships for individuals in the SLPP program at Lake Region State College. Annually the NDDPI issues ten scholarships given by Lake Region State College in North Dakota to cover tuition and fees in the areas of communication disorders and special education for recommended students working toward an Associate in Applied Science in Speech-Language Pathology Paraprofessional. Students will be responsible for tuition and fees for the general education courses required for the program. Scholarship dollars will be used only for students who have been accepted into the program. Paraprofessionals must be recommended by their special education unit.

For information about this program, contact Andy Wakeford, SLPP Program Coordinator, or visit Lake Region’s website at Speech Language Pathology Paraprofessional | Lake Region State College (lrsc.edu).

SLP Loan Forgiveness recruits Speech-Language Pathologists to North Dakota public schools by offering ten loan forgiveness award agreements to graduate-level (first and second-year) speech-language pathology students. For each year the student accepts the loan forgiveness award, the student receives $10,000 once the student completes a contract with a North Dakota public school district or a special education unit.

For more information about the SLP Loan Forgiveness Program, contact:

Lake Region State College offers an associate in applied science in speech-language pathology paraprofessional. For information about this program, contact Andy Wakeford, SLPP Program Coordinator, or visit Lake Region’s website at Speech Language Pathology Paraprofessional | Lake Region State College (lrsc.edu)

The North Dakota Educational Employment System is a website consisting of all current job openings in North Dakota, along with information on NDDPI Certification, Teacher Licensure, Funding Opportunities, Professional Development, and the Educator Pathway Project.

For more information, visit TEACHING ND

The Traineeship Scholarship increases graduate-level endorsed special educators by offering a scholarship for coursework to retrain current educators in special education endorsement areas. The scholarship is need-driven and requires each applicant to receive a recommendation from a special education unit which includes a description of the need for the scholarship along with benefits that would be received by the special education unit if the scholarship is awarded. Scholarship amounts are based on the credit hours of coursework taken during a semester ($1000 Part-Time, four credits or less, and $2000 Full-Time, five credits or more). The Traineeship Scholarship Committee will review the application packets and rate them according to a pre-identified rubric system. After an applicant has been accepted for the Traineeship scholarship, the applicant may be funded for a maximum of three (3) years or until they complete their endorsement (whichever comes first). Applications are accepted three times a year.

Below is more information on the Traineeship Scholarship and application, data, and deadlines.

Submission Deadlines:

Spring Semester 2025: The application period will be open from October 25, 2024 to November 8, 2024. Applications must be postmarked no later than November 8, 2024. Award recipients will be notified of their awards by November 22, 2024.

Summer Semester 2025: The application period will be open from February 17, 2025 to March 7, 2025. Applications must be postmarked no later than March 7, 2025. Award recipients will be notified of their awards by April 4, 2025.

Fall Semester 2024: The application period will be open from June 21, 2024 to July 5, 2024. Applications must be postmarked no later than July 5, 2024. Award recipients will be notified of their awards by August 2, 2024.

The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI), Office of Special Education, receives federal funds from the US Department of Education on an annual basis for personnel preparation. These funds support the Traineeship scholarship. The purpose of these scholarships is to increase and retain the number of personnel in North Dakota who provide educational services to students with disabilities.

Each year the Office of Special Education awards a limited number of Traineeships in priority areas of disabilities to ND teachers who wish to pursue graduate level retraining in the field of special education. Scholarship amounts are based on the credit hours of coursework taken during a semester. Information is sent to every building principal, superintendent and special education director before each application period. Applications are accepted until the identified deadline. The Traineeship Scholarship Committee will review the application packets and rate according to a pre-identified rubric system.

Determination of recipients is contingent upon such factors as:

  • Completion of the application process by submission deadline;
  • Unit need;
  • Letters of recommendation;
  • Transcripts;
  • ND teaching license; and
  • Acceptance into a graduate program.

NOTE:

  • Summer workshops or conferences are not considered coursework under this program;
  • Applicants receiving other sources of financial aid or grants for coursework will not receive priority;
  • Late, faxed or incomplete application packets will not be accepted; and
  • Failure to complete coursework or program requirements will result in disqualification of future award

The final number of Traineeship recipients will vary each semester, depending upon available funding. Recipients are notified by mail as soon as possible to plan for upcoming semester. DPI encourages repeat applicants.

After an applicant has been accepted for the Traineeship scholarship, the applicant may be funded for a maximum of three (3) years or until they complete their endorsement (whichever comes first). Each semester, the applicant's responsibilities include sending transcripts; class schedule and a signed Program of Study (only, if revised) to DPI, along with a letter of intent to teach in the subject area in North Dakota.

For more information, contact the Office of Special Education at (701) 328-2277.