The University of Louisville's Director of Special Education Certification Program is designed to be a cohort-based program meeting the requirements of the Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB). This program provides each candidate with experiences allowing for comprehensive exposure to the relevant and essential performance standards facing the contemporary Director of Special Education.
The Director of Special Education certification program was designed by full-time faculty at the University of Louisville's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) within the Department of Educational Leadership, Evaluation, and Organizational Development (ELEOD). Also working in the design process were practitioners in the field, including current superintendents, assistant superintendents, and directors of special education.
This program may be used to fulfill Rank 1 requirements in Kentucky, and is completed in a Graduate, non-degree seeking status. Candidates interested in completing a degree program, as well as certification for Director of Special Education, should consider the EdS in Educational Administration.
The following are required courses for the certification program:
LEAD 613 Administration & Supervision in Special Education
LEAD 649 School District Leadership
LEAD 609 Internship in Educational Leadership: Special Education Placement
LEAD 636 Creating Equitable and Reliable Learning Environments
LEAD 720 Social and Emotional Well-Being for Diverse School Environments
LEAD 613 Administration & Supervision in Special Education
This course focuses on the development, coordination, administration, and supervision of special services for exceptional children.
LEAD 649 School District Leadership
This course focuses on the responsibilities of the school district superintendent, with an emphasis on the development and growth of the superintendency student in the area of leadership as it relates to continuous district improvement.
LEAD 609 Internship in Educational Leadership: Special Education Placement
In this course, students work with a mentor principal for a period spanning year end, summer preparation time, and school starting to gain valuable operational and instructional knowledge and skills.
LEAD 636 Creating Equitable and Reliable Learning Environments
In this course, candidates develop collaborative leadership skills and knowledge about school culture, learning communities supporting teachers and students, and professional ethics.
LEAD 720 Social and Emotional Well-Being for Diverse School Environments
This course is an examination of the societal factors contributing poor school climate and school responses to these factors to create a caring and inclusive school culture for all students regardless of culture or background experience.
Program and Certification Completion Requirements
Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work. A 3.3 grade point average in the master's degree is required.
Please have transcripts sent to:
School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies
University of Louisville
Louisville, KY 40292
If transcripts are sent electronically,
please have them sent to the following e-mail: gradadm @ louisville.edu
This program is open to all eligible faculty, staff, and students regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age.
Please contact Betty Hampton, Director of Graduate Student Services for the College of Education and Human Development, at betty.hampton@louisville.edu if you have any questions about the application process.
Deborah Powers, Ed.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department of Educational Leadership, Evaluation, & Organizational Development
The University of Louisville
1905 South 1st Street
Porter Building, Room 369
Louisville, Kentucky 40292
(502) 852-6428
debbie.powers@louisville.edu
The need is great in Kentucky for Special Education professionals. For the 2020-2021 school year, the most recent for which statistics are available, Kentucky has 171 public school districts with over 1,400 schools and in excess of 90,000 exceptional education students (ages 6-21). The federal and state regulations guiding their education demands highly knowledgeable professionals capable of both advocacy and action.
The Director of Special Education coursework and subsequent certification by the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board allows access to the following positions (the title and scope of responsibilities for these positions may differ by district):
*Some positions may require additional coursework for certification
This program may also prepare special education professionals to pursue positions in social service agencies and non-profit organizations.
For general information on financial aid resources, please visit the University of Louisville's Student Financial Aid Office web site.
The CEHD has its own web pages dedicated to financial aid that contains some extra information not listed here.
The CEHD has a long history of offering scholarships to prospective and current students pursuing an education degree program. The CEHD provides over $225,000 annually and selects recipients three times a year. Scholarship selection is competitive and applies to tuition only. Apply online for a CEHD scholarship before the deadline (March 1st, June 1st and/or October 1st). Applicants should expect notification four to five weeks after the posted deadline.
In recognition of valuable service to the preparation of teachers and the need for all teachers to have continual professional growth, a supervising teacher or a resource teacher for teacher interns may, with prior approval of the course-offering institution, take a maximum of six (6) credit hours per term at any public postsecondary institution and pay no tuition. The postsecondary institution shall waive the tuition up to a maximum of six (6) credit hours.
To apply, you must complete the Tuition Waiver Certification for Supervising and Resource Teachers Application [PDF]. It should be completed by the supervising teacher, certified by their principal, and returned to our office. Return the form to the Student Financial Aid Office at U of L, attention: Wesley Partin.
Eligibility: 6 credit hours of tuition benefits for each semester served as a full responsibility supervising or resource teacher, or 3 credit hours of tuition benefits for each semester served as a shared supervising or resource teacher. Students may exercise the tuition waiver option up to twelve months following the assignment. Tuition benefits are paid directly to the University of Louisville.
Much of the coursework overlaps with the Specialist’s Degree in Educational Administration (Ed.S.). Is it possible to be admitted into both the Ed.S. and Director of Special Education certification program?
Yes. With the exception of two additional courses, the Ed.S. and the Director of Special Education certification are the same. Most of our current students are those who are in the Ed.S. and have special education backgrounds.