Have you considered becoming a special education teacher and adding a special education endorsement to your current Montana teaching license? If so, the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) has a program that may benefit you as you pursue your career goal. The Special Education Endorsement Project is designed to support a candidate teaching in a Montana public K-12 school/district or special education cooperative as a paid special education intern, while attending a Montana higher education institute to obtain their endorsement in special education.
The Endorsement Project is a reimbursable program wherein a candidate who is admitted to the project pays their university expenses up front and can submit for reimbursement at the end of a successful semester during their 3-year internship status.
General Information
The OPI Special Education Endorsement Project began in 1987 to address the shortage of special education teachers in rural Montana.
Applications:
- Complete applications submitted by September 1 will be given priority.
- The school district or special education cooperative must have advertised the special education vacancy statewide on the Montana Jobs-for-Teachers website for a minimum of one month and provide documentation to that effect.
- The district must state that no special education endorsed applicants applied for the position.
- The candidate must hold a Class 1 or 2 Montana Teaching Certificate and have been offered a contract for the advertised special education teaching position.
- All candidates admitted to the project need a mentor for their first year and the district should identify the mentor. The mentor should have three years of teaching in special education and have completed training in mentoring which can be through their school district. If there is no mentor available within the district, then arrangements to locate a mentor will be made with the Project Coordinator.
- The candidate must complete their special education endorsement within three years of their project acceptance date. This includes the program requirement of student teaching in their own classroom.
- Candidates admitted to the project must hold a special education teaching position in Montana public schools for an additional two years after obtaining the special education endorsement.
OPI Contract:
- Eligible candidates will be sent a contract by OPI. This must be signed to be accepted into the project.
- Should the candidate fail to complete the required coursework to obtain the special education endorsement within three years from the date of the agreement, the candidate will be required to repay all sums paid by the OPI under the agreement.
- Should the candidate fail to complete the required additional two years of service in a Montana school, the candidate will repay all sums paid by the OPI under the agreement.
Required Documents:
- Completed application form
- Completed participation agreement form signed by all stakeholders
- Letter from the candidate describing their teaching experience and commitment to teaching in the school
- Letter from school district or special education cooperative verifying the applicant has been offered a contract
- Copy of the position advertisement
- Copy of Montana Teaching Certificate: Class 1 or Class 2
- Copies of unofficial transcripts from all universities the applicant has attended that show the semester of student teaching and degree or degrees
- Plan of Study from the participating Institution of Higher Education, signed by the advisor
Stipends are available to teachers accepted, contingent upon completion of coursework.
For more information, please follow this link.
