On Wednesday, October 24th, Governor Wolf signed into law House Bill 1386, which is now Act 82 of 2018. This legislation changes the grade spans and age levels for certification of special education instructional certificates in the Commonwealth. All special education certificates issued after Dec. 31, 2021 will cover PK-12, or up to age 21, and no additional content or dual certification will be required.
Teachers currently holding the special education certification for PK-8 and grades 7-12 will be able to expand the scope of their certificates under a yet-to-be determined PDE process. Teachers holding early childhood certification will be able to expand their certificate to include grades five and six by attaining the necessary scores on an assessment developed by PDE.