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Best special needs teacher certifications
The best certifications for a special needs teacher are Certified in Special Needs Transportation (CSNT), Educational Certificate: K-12 (Ed:), and Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE).
Special needs teacher certifications demonstrate your competency as a special needs teacher to employers. However, not all special needs teacher certifications provide the same value.
Below is a list of the best special needs teacher certifications. Obtaining a special needs teacher certification will give you a leg up when you apply for jobs and increase your potential salary.
3 best certifications for special needs teachers
| Rank | Special needs teacher certification | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Certified in Special Needs Transportation (CSNT) | NAPT |
| 2 | Educational Certificate: K-12 (Ed:) | RID |
| 3 | Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) | Microsoft |
3 best special needs teacher certifications
1. Certified in Special Needs Transportation (CSNT)
The CSNT (Certified in Special Needs Transportation) program was created to encourage individuals involved in school transportation to enhance their knowledge about transporting students with disabilities and promote excellent leadership skills for the community of transportation personnel serving children of all ages with special needs.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? No
- Renewal required? Every 3 year(s)
2. Educational Certificate: K-12 (Ed:)
Holders of this recognition certification have demonstrated the ability to expressively interpret classroom content and discourse and the ability to receptively interpret student or teen sign language. It is not limited to any one sign language or system. This certification is issued to interpreters who work with students and teenagers who use predominately American Sign Language (ASL), Manually-Coded English (MCE) and Pidgin Sign English (PSE). Holders also demonstrate proficiency in the voice-to-sign and sign-to-voice interpreting skills of interpreters who work in the elementary and secondary school classroom setting.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? Yes
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? Yes
- Renewal required?
3. Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE)
The Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE) certification validates that educators have the global educator technology literacy competencies needed to provide a rich, custom learning experience for students. MCE certification is ideal for educators-in-training, faculty of teacher training colleges, and in-service educators. Microsoft offers a comprehensive e-learning curriculum, 21CLD, to help educators prepare for this rigorous exam.
- More than two years of education or training after high school required? No
- More than two years of work experience required? No
- Oral or written exam required? No
- Renewal required? Every 1 year(s)
What is the best certification for a special needs teacher?
The best special needs teacher certification is Certified in Special Needs Transportation (CSNT). The Certified in Special Needs Transportation (CSNT) is awarded by the National Association for Pupil Transportation. This certification is great to have as it shows an improvement in your competency to perform your role. You can earn this certification at the beginning of your career, as it often doesn't require a minimum education level and work experience.
Here's a bit more background on how to obtain this special needs teacher certification:
- To become a certified Certified in Special Needs Transportation (CSNT), you don't need to pass the exam.
- Lucky you - certification doesn't require more than two years of work experience.
- Renew certification every 3 year.
The most common combination of special needs teacher certifications include: Certified in Special Needs Transportation (CSNT), Educational Certificate: K-12 (Ed:), and Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE).
Online courses for special needs teachers to earn certifications
1. Music Education for Teachers
In the Music Education for Teachers specialization, you will explore ways of integrating popular music into your teaching. You'll begin by learning from two highly experienced teachers, Krystal Banfield, the Vice President of Educational Outreach for Berklee College of Music, and David Alexis a Berklee Professor and long-time instructor for the Berklee City Music Program. They will take you through their process of incorporating popular music, improvisation, arranging, and music technology into...
2. The Teacher and Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
Social and emotional learning, or SEL, programs have flourished in schools during the last decade. These programs vary widely but most share a concern for five individual, student competencies: self awareness; self-management; social awareness; relationship skills; and finally responsible decision making. It is important for teachers and parents to know about and understand these programs. While lots of SEL programs emphasize K-12 student social and emotional learning, only a very few programs...
3. Educational Psychology & Special Education (Certificate)
Informational content for educators and parents to learn about teaching and understanding exceptional children...
4. Financial Accounting - Subsidiary Ledgers & Special Journals
Mastering Special Journals and Subsidiary Ledgers: A Comprehensive Guide to Streamlined Accounting Practices...
5. Activity Design with PhET Simulations for STEM Education
PhET Interactive Simulations ( https://phet.colorado.edu/ ), a project of the University of Colorado Boulder, provides fun, free, interactive, research-based science and mathematics simulations for use across, primary, secondary, and higher education levels. We extensively test and evaluate each simulation to ensure educational effectiveness. All simulations are open source and free to all students and teachers. In this course, we will review strategies for how to use PhET to create sim-based...
6. Strategies for Planned Social Change with Jagdish Sheth
Many social issues are within the realm of public policy and civil organizations (NGOS), but corporations can also enable and champion social change. The business of business is more than business. As more and more companies engage in corporate social responsibility (CSR), they need to understand the ultimate users’ perceptions and motivations. This course, taught by Professor Jagdish Sheth, 2020 Padma Bhushan Award winner for Literature and Education, includes examples such as environmental...
7. Learn 2D Game Special Effect Animation in Photoshop
The best Game special effects animation course on the market...
8. Implementing Positive Behaviour Management in the Classroom
Practical Strategies to Address Behaviour Issues in any Classroom...
9. Online Learning Design for Educators
This specialization is for educators seeking to improve and expand their repertoire of online teaching skills related to the design, development and delivery of effective and engaging online courses and lessons for school age and adult learners.\n\nLearning in the 21st century no longer takes place exclusively between the four walls of a physical classroom. With advances in technology, learners now expect to be offered flexible study modes outside of the traditional face-to-face model. This...
10. Educating Deaf Children: Becoming an Empowered Teacher
Many Deaf children around the world still leave school functionally illiterate. In some cases, there is no allowance made for the education of Deaf children at all. This 4-week course provides you with invaluable knowledge and skills about teaching Deaf children. You will learn about the importance of Deaf culture and community, the need for a language-rich environment for the Deaf child from as young as possible, and that having access to sign language can help Deaf children academically,...
11. Mastering Planning Vol 1: Hourly and Daily Planning
Learn the system for planning on an hourly and daily scale and the PAMe La (Plan, Act, Measure, Learn) Planning System...
12. Special Effects (fx) Makeup Level 1
Special Effects (fx) Makeup Level 1...
13. Virtual Teacher Final Project
The Final Project will be a hands-on, comprehensive project that practitioners of virtual education can implement in their profession. For this final project, learners will draft a design plan for an online learning module utilizing materials learned from the virtual teacher series. Learners will choose the subject matter, method of delivery, tools, instructional strategies, and assessments, with the goal of creating a module of online or blended instruction that meets the needs of their...
14. Climate change education
This specialization offers tools and resources developed as part of the "Rise up" initiative by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to combat climate change and improve the sustainability of the planet. Through the three courses that make up this specialization, you will learn what we can do individually, as a school, and as a community to lead a more sustainable and healthier life. You'll also delve into the primary ethical and social issues related to climate change, how to use games to...
15. Seth Godin on learning and education
Build the future of community, culture and possibility...
16. Active Learning in STEM with PhET Interactive Simulations
Learn how to engage your students and enhance learning in math and science with free virtual labs and simulations from the University of Colorado Boulder's PhET Interactive Simulations project (https://phet.colorado.edu/en). In this specialization, you will explore active learning strategies that you can incorporate into your own classroom, either online or in person. You will also learn how to evaluate the effectiveness of a learning experience by implementing a simulation-based lesson plan in...
17. ELL Success in the Content Classroom: Teacher Toolbox Series
Plan lessons, activities and assessment with the ELL in mind, and create an engaging and welcoming environment for the ELL and their families.\n\nThis Specialization covers lesson planning and assessing with the ELL in mind as well as engaging the ELL student and their families in the school and community. In the final Capstone Project, you’ll apply the skills you learned by creating an annotated lesson plan and assessment with appropriate modifications for the ELL students. You will also...
18. Social Entrepreneurship
In this specialization you will learn how to create societal impact through Social Entrepreneurship. Social Entrepreneurship describes the discovery and sustainable exploitation of opportunities to create social change. We will introduce you to examples of Social Entrepreneurship and guide you through the process of establishing a venture to address a social or environment problem. You will form of team and study a problematic issue to learn more about the source of the problem. We will equip...
19. Performance Assessment in the Virtual Classroom
Welcome to Performance Assessment in the Virtual Classroom! This course will help you effectively assess student performance virtually, including compliance issues, feedback models, online grade book functions, and data analysis. We will discuss why effective measures of performance and assessment are a crucial component of any virtual program, and the importance of teachers and administrators understanding both the myths and challenges of assessing performance virtually, administering...
20. ICT in Primary Education: Transforming children's learning across the curriculum
Why and how are teachers integrating ICT (Information and Communication Technology) into primary education? In this course we analyse examples from schools in different parts of the world, and bring professional teachers, headteachers and policymakers together to share their best ideas and inspiring stories. The materials in the course are based on studies carried out for the UNESCO Institute of IT in Education, Moscow. Learning Outcomes: to be aware of the range of reasons for using ICT to...