Chalkbeat: An Indiana licensing program is ‘putting a dent’ in the shortage of special educators with 600 licensed so far

After working at a summer camp for children with muscular dystrophy when he was 16, Andrew Bova knew he wanted to teach special education. But getting to the classroom would take some turns.

Bova enrolled at Ball State in 2012 to pursue an education major but did not pass a section of the PRAXIS test necessary to take upper-level courses. A retake led to similar results.

Taking the test a third time would mean delaying his graduation, so Bova chose a new major that led him to a career teaching preschool and then working with young adults and children in the Department of Child Services. [continue reading]