Professional Preparation & Licensing Standards

The Standards for the preparation of special educators use rigorously validated specialty knowledge and skills as the foundation of professional preparation. Each specialty set comes with the literature upon which it is based. The initial entry-level specialty sets are combined into Initial Content Standards that describe in rich narrative the knowledge and skills essential for safe and effective practice. Likewise, the advanced specialty sets are combined into Advanced Content Standards that describe in rich narrative the essential knowledge and skills for safe and effective practice at the advanced or specialist level. The standards provide benchmarks to states, provinces, and nations for preparation program accreditation, entry-level licensure, professional practice, and continuing professional growth.

CEC carries out the development of professional standards through the Professional Standards and Practice Standing Committee (PSPSC) and its relevant subcommittees. The CEC Preparation Standards begin with the validation of knowledge and skill sets for the respective specialty areas in special education. These sets delineate the specialty knowledge and skills that practicing professionals mastered for safe and effective practice. Each of the knowledge and skills are founded on a literature base that is available at the CEC Professional Standards website.

In turn, CEC synthesizes the specialty sets into the Initial and Advanced Content Standards. The content standards are rich narratives describing the responsibilities common to all special educators in initial and advanced roles respectively.

Professional Preparation & Licensing Standards

CEC Program Recognition

Initial Special Education Content Standards

Advanced Special Education Content Standards

Initial Specialty Knowledge and Skill set

Advanced Specialty Knowledge and Skill set