KANSAS
STATE RESOURCES

A Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university with verification of completion of a teacher education program. 

In Kansas, a candidate must first qualify for an initial teaching license before pursuing licensure in special education. To qualify for a Kansas initial teaching license, the candidate must complete a content knowledge assessment in each of the endorsement or teaching subject areas for which the candidate completed a teacher preparation program.   

Exemptions from this testing include the following conditions:

• Experienced educators who meet specific experience and licensure requirements 

• Applicants who have completed comparable out-of-state assessment(s) and have achieved licensure in another state.  

• Initial Kansas applicants who are National Board Certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards 

• Applicants who were licensed or certified before May 1, 1986. 

Once initial licensure is attained candidates seeking licensure in special education complete a PRAXIS test for specific areas of endorsement which include the following: 

• Gifted Education - Gifted Education (5358) with a qualifying score of 157 

• High Incidence Special Education - Special Education: Foundational Knowledge (5355) with a qualifying score of 145 

• Low Incidence Special Education - Special Education: Severe to Profound (5547) with a qualifying score of 156 

• Teachers of Deaf or Hard of Hearing Students - Special Education: Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students (5272) with a qualifying score of 160 

• Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments - Special Education: Teaching Students with Visual Impairments (5282) with a qualifying score of 163 

You can view these requirements and more here: https://praxis.ets.org/state-requirements/kansas-tests.html 

• A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college/university is required

• In the traditional route, a person already holds a bachelor’s degree because they are already licensed in another area. This can also be a bachelor's degree unrelated to education and they completed the approved preparation program in their original licensure area, which may or may not have resulted in an additional degree, and they can ultimately complete the approved program for special education, which also may or may not result in an additional degree. 

• The majority of the time, a person holds a BSE, for example, for elementary or secondary education and they complete an added endorsement coursework program for special education. It’s a 50/50 split whether or not that program is completed post-bachelor's, and an additional degree is not awarded versus completing the program at the graduate level for a master’s degree. 

• A common misconception is: Degree = License. This is not the case. There are Bachelors of Education degrees that are issued for many things, not just educator preparation. The licensure department routinely gets calls/emails from people who hold these degrees expecting that because it’s a bachelor’s in education it should therefore translate automatically to a teaching license.  

• A more accurate formula is Degree + State-Approved Program = License

More information can be viewed here: https://www.ksde.org/Portals/0/TLA/Licensure/Regulation%2091-1%20Licensure%20Regulations.pdf?ver=2023-04-10-105732-250 

Educate Kansas outlines the steps for alternative licensure in the state: https://educatekansas.org/alternate-pathways-to-the-classroom/

• Baker University - https://www.bakeru.edu/area-of-study/special-education-masters/   

• Benedictine College - https://coursecatalog.benedictine.edu/courses-instruction/education/special-education-ba/ 

• Bethany College - https://www.bethanylb.edu/education#MajorsandEndorsements   

• Bethel College - https://www.bethelks.edu/area-of-study/education/teacher-education/teacher-education-coursework/  

• Central Christian College - https://www.centralchristian.edu/academics/division-of-human-service/education/ 

• Emporia State University - https://www.emporia.edu/teachers-college/academic-departments/elementary-education-early-childhood-special-education/ 

• Ft. Hays State University - https://www.fhsu.edu/aep/academic-programs/ 

• Friends University - https://www.friends.edu/graduate/education-graduate/   

• Kansas Independent College Association - https://kscolleges.org/page/special-education   

• Kansas State University - https://online.k-state.edu/programs/special-education-masters/ 

• Kansas Wesleyan - https://www.kwu.edu/academics/programs/undergraduate/elementary-education/   

• McPherson College - https://www.mcpherson.edu/programs/teacher-education/  

• MidAmerica Nazarene University - https://www.mnu.edu/undergrad/elementary-education-unified/   

• Newman University - https://newmanu.edu/academics/undergraduate/education-wichita/b-s-in-early-childhood-unified-education 

• Ottawa University - https://www.ottawa.edu/academics/degree-programs/graduate/education-elementary-education-unified-(ks) 

• Pittsburg State University - https://www.pittstate.edu/teaching/programs/special-education-teaching-masters/index.html 

• Southwestern College - https://ps.sckans.edu/degrees-and-certificates/masters-degrees/master-of-education-in-school-leadership/ 

• Sterling College - https://www.sterling.edu/academics/education    

• Tabor College - https://tabor.edu/undergraduate/undergraduate-academic-programs/social-behavioral-science/teacher-education/ 

• University of Kansas - https://specialedu.ku.edu/ 

• Washburn University - https://www.washburn.edu/academics/college-schools/applied-studies/departments/education/graduate/special-education.html 

•  Wichita State University - https://www.wichita.edu/academics/applied_studies/isle/special-education-programs.php 

• Council for Exceptional Children- Kansas - https://kansas.exceptionalchildren.org/ 

• Kansas Technical Assistance System Network (TASN) - https://ksdetasn.org/ 

  • Educate Kansas - https://ksdetasn.org/educate-kansas 

  • Instruction Within Inclusive Learning Environments - https://ksdetasn.org/ile 

  • Kansas Teacher Retention Project - https://ksdetasn.org/emss 

  • Autism and Tertiary Behaviors Supports - https://ksdetasn.org/atbs 

• Kansas Educational Service Centers - https://www.ksde.org/Portals/0/Directories/2023-2024%20KED/Service%20Centers.pdf?ver=2023-12-26-103816-887 

• Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders - https://mslbd.org/symposium-conference/ 

The Kansas Board of Regents website provides information about scholarships and grants available to students in Kansas. It outlines various financial aid options, including state-funded programs, eligibility requirements, application processes, and deadlines. The site aims to help students understand their financial aid opportunities to support their education in Kansas.