Special Education Add-On Endorsement

SPED Add-On Endorsement

• The 26-credit Special Education Endorsement Program at Washington State University provides the skills and knowledge required for those who want to teach students with special needs in grades P-12.
  • The endorsement requirements can be completed at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate levels. Students must be seeking Washington teacher certification or be a licensed teacher in Washington to qualify for the add-on endorsement.
  • Benefits of the program
    • Follows the semester calendar
    • Courses are offered online asynchronously
    • Each course is offered at least once a year (see schedule below)
    • SPEC ED 301 is the course prerequisite; concurrent enrollment is acceptable
    • Online students complete an evidence-based portfolio instead of a traditional student teaching experience
    • With the pre-endorsement authorization, eligible to teach after completion of 16 semester credits
    • The length of time to complete the program depends on how many credits are taken each semester
    • The cost of the program is dependent on the number of credits  completed each term

Pre-Endorsement Authorization (formerly Pre-Endorsement Waiver prior to September 1, 2023): 

 A teacher who has completed sixteen semester credit hours of the required special education course work is eligible for pre-endorsement authorization which will allow that teacher to be employed as a special education teacher. This is a district-initiated process; additional information and the application can be found on the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s website. 

WSU requires students to complete the courses listed in bold below before signing the Verification of Teacher Program Enrollment form (SPI 1534).  The remaining credits and all endorsement requirements must be completed within three years of service as a special education teacher (WAC 392-172A-02090).

Special Education Endorsement FAQs

Course Offerings and Schedule

Title	Fall	Spring	Summer
SPEC_ED 301 – Education of Exceptional Children Prereq: none	X	X	X
SPEC_ED 401/501 – Teaching Students with Disabilities Prereq: SPEC ED 301 or concurrent enrollment, or SPEC ED 420 or concurrent enrollment
SPEC_ED 402/502 –Assess & Curric for Students w/ Disab. Prereq: SPEC ED 301 or concurrent enrollment, or SPEC ED 420 or concurrent enrollment		X	X
SPEC_ED 403/503 – Sec. Ed. for Students w/ Disabilities Prereq: SPEC ED 301 or concurrent enrollment, or SPEC ED 420 or concurrent enrollment		X	X
SPEC_ED 404/504 – Professional Skills in Spec Ed. Prereq: SPEC ED 301 or concurrent enrollment, or SPEC ED 420 or concurrent enrollment	X		X
SPEC_ED 409/509 – Early Childhood Special Education** Prereq: SPEC ED 301 or concurrent enrollment, or SPEC ED 420 or concurrent enrollment	X		X
SPEC_ED 421/521 – Inclusion Strategies for Sp. Ed. Teachers Prereq: SPEC ED 301 or concurrent enrollment, or SPEC ED 420 or concurrent enrollment	X		X
SPEC_ED 471/571 – Assess and Instr in Reading Prereq: SPEC_ED 301 or 420 or instructor permission		X
SPEC_ED 490/590 – Practicum in Special Education*** Prereq: SPEC_ED 301 or 420; SPEC_ED 404 OR SPEC_ED 499 – Evidence Portfolio	X	X