Early Childhood Special Education, Birth through Grade 3

Certificate Information

Overview: This Certificate authorizes the holder to teach in a Special Education setting from birth to grade 3/age 8. Additional endorsements may be added to this certificate. Teachers who hold one of the following have the equivalent of an Early Childhood Special Education certificate and are certified to teach Birth – age 5 special education; A K-12 Special Education Certificate and an Early Childhood Endorsement OR A K-12 Special Education certificate and a valid Early Childhood certificate. This certificate is valid for 12 years and is renewable.  Requirements may be subject to change and are fully referenced in the Arizona Revised Statutes and Administrative Code R7-2-606; R7-2-607; R-2-601.01; R7-2-611 (A)(B)(N); R7-2-621.

Out-of-state certificate or National Board Teaching Certificate: If you hold a valid, current, comparable out-of-state educator certificate/license or National Board Teaching Certificate that is in good standing in another state, follow this link for information and steps to apply under reciprocity. 

To qualify for this certificate applicants must meet Option A or B under Required Coursework/Training and meet the Professional and Subject Knowledge Exam requirements under Required Exams.  

A formal review is required to verify that all requirements have been met. Please visit the "How to Submit Official Documents" below for the proper submission of the required documents. Failure to submit documents as described could cause a delay in the processing of the application.

  • Application: A completed Application for Certification.
  • Fee: The fee for this certificate is $60. Per Board-rule, certification fees are non-refundable. 
  • AZDPS IVP Card: A valid Arizona DPS IVP Fingerprint Clearance Card.
  • Official Transcripts: Official Transcripts documenting a Bachelor's or more advanced degree and all applicable coursework.
    • Note: If you completed your degree and applicable coursework at an institution outside of the United States, you must submit an evaluation from a Department approved foreign credential evaluation agency.  Please see the "Approved Foreign Credential Evaluation Agencies" list.
  • Exams: A passing score on the required Arizona Professional Knowledge and Subject Knowledge Exams, or appropriate documentation to meet exam requirements.
  • Teaching Experience (if applicable): If you are using teaching experience to meet certification requirements, have your district/school human resources office complete and submit the "Verification of PreK-12 Teaching Experience" form.
    • Please note that teaching experience does not fulfill all requirements for certification. 

Option A: Teacher Preparation Program

  • Completion of a teacher preparation program in Early Childhood Special Education from a Board-approved educator preparation program, or from an accredited college or university offering substantially similar training, which includes the coursework outlined under Option B, Requirement B-2, and at least 12 weeks of a capstone (student teaching) experience serving children with exceptionalities in birth through grade three.

 

  • This option has allowable deficiencies, please see the "Allowable Deficiencies" tab below.

 

OR

 

Option B: Teaching Experience and Coursework/Training

Both B-1 & B-2 are required

  • B-1 - Teaching Experience: Two (2) years of full-time teaching experience serving children in Early Childhood Special Education, Birth-Grade 3 or age 8. 
  • B-2 - Coursework: Completion of Board-approved or accredited coursework or training which teaches the knowledge and skills described in Arizona Administrative Code R7-2-602 and addresses the following topics:
    • Teaching students with exceptionalities;
    • Characteristics and quality practices for typical and atypical behaviors of young children, including behavioral interventions for children with and without disabilities;
    • Typical and atypical child growth and development, including health, safety, and nutrition with an emphasis on special health care needs for children birth through grade three;
    • Child, family, cultural and community relationships including community organizations that support and assist children with disabilities and their families;
    • Developmentally appropriate instructional and inclusive methodologies for teaching:
      • social and emotional development,
      • language arts,
      • math,
      • science,
      • social studies,
      • and the arts;
    • Diagnosis and remediation of learning difficulties;
    • Early language and literacy development including communication methods in early childhood education/special education;
    • Assessment and evaluation for early childhood special education to include observing, assessing, monitoring, and reporting on the progress of young children;
    • Substantial experience in practicum as described in R7-2-604 serving children with exceptionalities from birth through preschool and kindergarten through grade three.

 

  • This option has allowable deficiencies, please see the "Allowable Deficiencies" tab below. 

There are multiple options for meeting the Professional Knowledge and the Subject Knowledge Exam requirements, below are the most common. Select "Other Exam Options" for additional exam waivers. 

Professional Knowledge Exam Requirement - One of the following

  • Option A - Arizona Exam: A passing score on the AEPA/NES Professional Knowledge - Special Education: Early Childhood Exam (AZ083). 
  • Option B - Out-of-State Exam: A passing score on a similar professional knowledge exam from another state.
  • Option C - Teaching Experience: Verification of three years of full-time teaching experience in any state, including Arizona, in Early Childhood Special Education, Birth-Grade 3 or Age 8.
    • Experience teaching in a foreign school does not meet this requirement.
    • Experience as a substitute does not meet this requirement.

Subject Knowledge Exam Requirement - One of the following

  • Option A - Arizona Exam: A passing score on the AEPA/NES Subject Knowledge: Early Childhood Education Exam (AZ036). 
  • Option B - Out-of-State Exam: A passing score on a similar subject knowledge exam from another state.
  • Option C - Degree in the Subject: A Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctorate degree in Early Childhood Special Education from an accredited institution.
  • Option D - Teaching Experience: Verification of three years of full-time teaching experience in any state, including Arizona, in a self-contained Early Childhood, Birth - Grade 3 or Age 8 classroom.
    • Experience teaching in a foreign school does not meet this requirement.
    • Experience as a substitute teacher does not meet this requirement.

Other Exam Options

This certificate allows for the following deficiencies and will be due within 3-years of the issuance of the certificate. 

  • Phonics: A college/university course or an approved training in research-based systematic phonics.
  • Reading Intervention (Dyslexia): A college/university course or an approved training in research-based instructional strategies course from an accredited institution for delivering differentiated reading instruction, assessment, intervention, and remediation to support readers of varying ages and ability levels, including students with dyslexia.
  • Ethics: A college/university course or Board-approved training in professional responsibility and ethical conduct.
  • U.S. Constitution: A college/university course OR a passing score on the approved exam covering United States Constitution.
    • If you add the approved area to the certificate of History, Social Studies, or Political Science/American Government at the time of issuance you will have 1 year to meet this requirement.
  • AZ Constitution: A college/university course OR a passing score on the approved exam covering Arizona Constitution. 
    • If you add the approved area to the certificate of History, Social Studies, or Political Science/American Government at the time of issuance you will have 1 year to meet this requirement.

 

Applicants will have 3 years to complete the above allowable deficiency requirements.  If these are not met within the allowable timeframe, the certificate will be placed on non-disciplinary suspension. Once the deficiencies are met, the certificate end date will be extended back to its original date.  For additional information and resources for meeting these deficiencies please visit the Deficiency Removal page.

Documents Requiring Submission by the Verifying Authority

  • Official Transcripts: Transcripts that are uploaded through the educator portal or emailed by the applicant are not official and will not be accepted. Official transcripts and foreign credential evaluations must be submitted as follows:
    • Electronic official transcripts must be submitted directly by the college or university to [email protected].
    • Paper official transcripts must be in a sealed envelope and mailed by the college or university to the Arizona Department of Education - Certification Unit; PO Box 6490,  Phoenix, AZ  85005-6490.
    • Foreign credential evaluations must be sent directly by the approved foreign credential evaluation agency to [email protected] or mailed to the Arizona Department of Education - Certification Unit.
  • Out-of-State Exam Score Reports: If you are using out-of-state exams, include a copy of the out-of-state score report with your application and have exams verified as follows:
    • Forward the "Verification of Out-of-State Exams" form to the state agency that accepted the exam.  This form must be completed and submitted by an official with the state agency.
    • If you are using Praxis exam(s), have your scores reported by ETS to the Arizona Department of Education (8517). 
  • Verification of Teaching Experience: If you are using teaching experience to meet Certification requirements, request that the district/school human resources office complete and submit the Verification of PreK-12 Teaching Experience form directly to [email protected]. 

Accepted Photocopies from the Applicant

  • AZDPS IVP Card: Submit a photocopy of the Arizona DPS IVP Fingerprint Clearance card. 
  • Arizona Educator Exams:  Submit a photocopy of the official score report documenting a passing score on the Arizona educator exam(s) (AEPA/NES).  

    Ready to apply - click here for step-by-step directions

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