University of Dayton Transition to Teaching

Licensure and Endorsements

The Transition to Teaching program enables individuals to acquire their Alternative license as an Intervention Specialist in hope that those individuals will become fully licensed educators under the Professional Educator license.

The Alternative Resident Educator License (AREL)

This 4-year license provides new educators with additional support through coaching, mentoring and guidance. This residency model will improve the Intervention Specialist’s skills and enable him to make an impact in the lives of students with disabilities.

Below are the requirements to obtain the AREL:

• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
• Passage of an Ohio civilian background check AND an FBI background check via the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation (BCI&I). All background check reports must be submitted to the Ohio Department of Education electronically from BCI&I. Please check the ODE website for more information on background checks: ODE - License Requirements
• Applicants must pass all three sections of the Praxis II subject assessment (0354), Special Education: Core Knowledge and Applications. Applicants are required to have the Educational Testing Service send an official Praxis II score report directly to the ODE, Office of Educator Licensure.  Photocopies of this report are not acceptable.
• Successful completion of 30 semester hours of coursework in the principles and practices of teaching exceptional children.
• Minimum GPA of 2.5 in the content area of special education, or extensive work experience directly related to the content area.

The Professional Educator License.

The Professional Educator license is a five-year renewable license that will allow the educator to work and be considered a fully licensed teacher. The requirements for this license are as follows:

• Completion of four years of successful teaching experience under the AREL as verified by the Superintendent of the employing school district;
• Successful completion of the four-year Ohio Resident Educator Program.
• Successful completion of an additional 12 semester (18 quarter) hours of professional education coursework.
• Completion of Praxis II, Principles of Learning and Teaching exam (either 0521, 0522, 2523 or 0524).

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

The T2T program incorporates preparation and ongoing professional development to prepare intervention specialist to address the instructional needs of students with disabilities who are also English Language Learners (ELL). To that end, T2T participants are encouraged to pursue the endorsement in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).

Ohio’s licensure requirements allow endorsements, such as the TESOL endorsement, to be added to a currently valid standard Ohio teaching certificate or license (e.g., intervention specialist license). Additionally, applicants must complete an approved program of preparation and submit an application through the college/university where the program was completed.

Guidance and support will be available to assist in planning for continued graduate-level work leading to receipt of a TESOL endorsement for those T2T participants who choose to pursue it. Content for this area will focus on training to prepare participants to work with students with disabilities of varying cultures, and will focus on demonstrating understanding of how the language and culture of English Language Learners (ELL) affect student academic achievement. This will include hands-on experience in the classroom with licensed TESOL teachers, as well as interaction with relevant cultural groups.