Special Education: Early Childhood (ECSE) Licensure Standards

About This Project

Background:

In 2017, the Minnesota Department of Education began receiving intensive, federally-funded technical assistance from the Early Childhood Personnel Center (ECPC) to support the state’s efforts related to the early childhood special education workforce. As part of this work, MDE facilitated a number of work groups focused on standards, retention and recruitment, pre-service training, in-service training and professional development, and assessment of the ECSE system.

One of the MDE workgroups conducted an intensive review of the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board’s (PELSB) licensure standards for ECSE teachers and recommended that the Board consider replacing the ECSE standards with national standards as it has been over 20 years since the ECSE licensure standards have been updated in Minnesota.

In January 2021, PELSB authorized staff to release a first draft of proposed rule changes using the Initial Practice-Based Professional Preparation Standards for Early Interventionists (EI)/Early Childhood Special Educators (ECSE), which were adopted in 2020 by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) in partnership with the CEC’s Division for Early Childhood.

In March 2023, PELSB adopted the Initial Practice-Based Professional Preparation Standards for Early Interventionists (EI)/Early Childhood Special Educators (ECSE), replacing the old ECSE licensure standards which hadn't been updated in over 20 years.

Resources:

• The Divisions for Early Childhood’s webpage for the Initial Practice-Based Professional Standards for Early Interventionists/Early Childhood Special Educators 2020
• Standards, Knowledge Bases, and References
• Minnesota’s Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) webpage

Status

Rulemaking Record

Drafts:

Final rule draft (version adopted)

Rule draft (dated February 21, 2022)

Rule draft (dated August 1, 2022)

Revisor’s Certificate of Approval for draft (dated August 1, 2022)

Key Documents:

• Request for Comments (published in the State Register on March 14, 2022)
• Not applicable (a petition for rulemaking)
• The Statement of Need and Reasonableness (SONAR)
• The Dual Notice (as mailed on November 28, 2022)
• The Dual Notice (as published in the State Register on November 28, 2022)
• Not applicable (Chief Judge authorization to omit rule published in the State Register)
• Certificate of delivery of Dual Notice to rulemaking list
• Certificate of accuracy of Board's rulemaking list
• Comments received during the dual notice period 
• ALJ Order approving rules (dated February 23, 2023)