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USDB committee authorizes creation of deaf‑education alternative licensure program
Summary
The Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind standing committee voted to authorize USDB to implement an alternative pathway (an "Apple" program) to license teachers in deaf education, creating a state-level option if university programs are discontinued.
The Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind (USDB) standing committee voted to authorize USDB to serve as an Apple sponsor to implement an alternative pathway to teacher licensure in deaf education for students birth through age 22.
The vote forwards the program to the Utah State Board of Education for final approval. Committee members described the pathway as a multi-year effort intended to expand the pool of teachers trained specifically to work with students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Dr. Michelle Tanner, USDB associate superintendent of the deaf, told the committee the effort has taken several years to develop. “This has taken an extensive amount of time — it's been a 3 year endeavor to get this off the ground,” she said, and described plans to combine coursework available through Idaho State University and state special‑education coursework with USDB‑developed classes.
The program will create individualized personal learning plans for applicants and allow USDB to offer coursework (for example, educational audiology or reading instruction for deaf students) when university courses are not available. Tanner said a liaison at the Utah State Board of Education (USBE), Tammy Geer, will support the program and Amy Brianholt, USDB curriculum and assessment director, will help run it.
Leah Voorhees, USBE deputy superintendent for student achievement, clarified federal expectations about candidates' baseline education: she told the committee that federal law (cited in the meeting as section "300‑1 56") requires that individuals providing specially designed instruction have a bachelor’s degree. “All the individuals that would be applying for this licensure program would already have a bachelor’s degree,” Voorhees said.
Committee members said the Apple pathway is intended to fill a potential statewide gap if university deaf‑education programs shrink or close. Tanner told the committee that the University of Utah’s deaf‑education program is the state’s last functioning university program and that the Apple pathway would become an option if that program were cut.
The committee approved a motion to authorize USDB to implement the Apple program and to forward the authorization to the board for final approval. The motion instructs USDB to implement the program in accordance with Utah code and applicable board rules and to return the finalized application and materials to the state board.
What happens next: USDB will finalize the program paperwork with USBE staff and, if the board approves at the state level, USDB will recruit candidates, set up MOUs for coursework (ISU was identified as a partner), and begin initial implementation. The committee discussed funding options and said most initial coursework will use existing USBE or university courses; any USDB‑developed coursework would be budgeted on a case‑by‑case basis.
The committee also discussed program administration: several members raised concerns about workload and whether one staff member would be the gatekeeper for applications. Tanner and others said Amy Brianholt and USDB leadership will share responsibilities and that USDB staff and USBE had advised that small programs commonly rely on one or two administrators.
The committee’s approval does not itself grant licenses; it authorizes USDB to act as an Apple sponsor and submit materials to USBE and the State Board of Education for final licensing authority.
