Special Education Added Endorsement (K-12)

The Special Education Added Endorsement prepares students to become highly effective and culturally responsive teachers of students with disabilities in K-12 settings. This endorsement is for licensed or pre-service teachers interested in taking undergraduate coursework leading to an added endorsement in special education on their Colorado teaching license. Students seeking an endorsement in special education must either be accepted to a School of Education teacher licensure program OR already hold an initial Colorado teaching license. Upon successful completion of this endorsement program, candidates will be recommended for added endorsement in Special Education through the Colorado Department of Education.

The Special Education added endorsement will help you stand out from other candidates in your search for a teaching job and will generally increase the options available to you. The demand for special education teachers will always exist and a career in Special Education is fulling and rewarding. Make a difference in a child’s life, earn your Special Education added endorsement!

Additionally, in our School of Education programs, you will experience:

• A diverse student population
• Engaging, topical coursework
• Supportive faculty and staff who value diversity, equity and inclusion
• Clinical experiences in partnership schools across the Denver metro area throughout your program
• Incredible value

The Special Education added endorsement will open up multiple opportunities within the classroom and even outside the classroom. Special Education teachers can work as private tutors, special education advocates and consultants, transition specialists, job coaches and even as curriculum consultants and designers.

Dr. Tina Herring

Dr. Tina Herring is a Professor of Special Education. She has been in the field of education for over 20 years. She began her teaching career as a teacher of the deaf at a middle school in Salem, Oregon. In 2002, she graduated with her doctorate in Special Education with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis from The Ohio State University. Her current research interest includes online learning, effective instructional practices and Universal Design for Learning in higher education. Dr. Herring currently teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses at MSU Denver.

Dr. Rebecca Canges

Dr. Canges received her doctorate in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Teacher Education in Multicultural Societies from the University of Southern California (USC). She completed her undergraduate work in Psychology at California State University, Long Beach where she also completed both her Masters in Special Education and Education Specialist Teaching Credential. Dr. Canges started her career as a middle school Special Education teacher in California, where she worked to promote acceptance of students with disabilities by implementing district-wide awareness programs. She has studied and provided trainings for improving instruction for English Language Learners and currently researches methods for improving teacher preparation programs so teachers can better support students with disabilities who are in their classrooms.

All School of Education teacher licensure programs are authorized by the Colorado Department of Education and the Colorado Department of Higher Education.