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Board leans to temporary professional license to ease special‑education coursework barrier for specialists
Summary
After hearing public comment on the three‑credit special‑education coursework requirement in COMAR, the board directed MSDE to draft language expanding use of a temporary professional credential so specialists hired without the course can enter on a two‑year temporary license and complete required coursework; MSDE to return with proposed language in October.
The Professional Standards and Teacher Education Board reviewed options to address a COMAR requirement that specialist and administrator candidates demonstrate three semester hours of special-education coursework at initial licensure. Kelly Meadows (MSDE) presented four options: leave the rule unchanged; remove the requirement from regulation; move the requirement to first renewal; or expand the use of MSDE's temporary professional credential so candidates could be licensed temporarily and complete the coursework after hire.
Board members and public commenters—including Liz Zogby of the Blueprint Special Education Workgroup and Paul Lemley of the Maryland State Education Association—warned that the requirement can impede recruitment for roles such as school social workers and library media specialists, especially when programs' transcripts and timelines do not align with sudden regulatory changes. Zogby urged retaining standards while using narrowly scoped temporary credentials only where needed.
Members discussed tradeoffs: moving the requirement to renewal risks being “lost in the fray” among many renewal requirements, while a temporary credential can expedite hires but must include clear timelines and supports so educators complete the coursework. Kelly Meadows explained operational options and noted that the temporary professional credential in law is a one‑time, two‑year credential. She also emphasized existing supports: MD-approved CPD routes, MSDE microcredentials and partnerships to expand access.
After discussion the board signaled support for the temporary professional credential solution with a two‑year window. Chair Melita Kitchen asked MSDE to draft regulatory language for the October meeting so the board can consider publishing it for public comment. Kelly Meadows said MSDE will return with proposed language in October and that any change would require formal promulgation and public comment by both relevant boards.
Board members requested attention to access and equity (tuition reimbursement is LEA‑dependent) and to avoid unintended consequences for related‑service providers and specialists historically overlooked in policy decisions. The board did not adopt final regulatory text at the meeting; the action was a direction to staff to produce draft language for the next meeting.
