SPED endorsement

Join Teachers.Net

Chatboards

Recent Groups

IL Teachers

MEMBERS

9 Members

+ Join Group

Pinned Posts

ALLAll Teachers

Teachers.Net LIVE CHAT Support group - Tues eve!

Featured Jobs

Full-timeMontessori Teacher

Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada

TemporaryTeachers, rural schools

Peace River North School District

Full-timeHead Teacher: 2nd/3rd Grades – Mills College Children’s School

Mills College

Teaching Jobs on Teachers.Net

Featured Job special only $39!

https://teachers.net/jobs

Become a Teachers.Net sponsor!

Illinois Teachers Chatboard

SPED endorsement

by trisha

Sep 27, 2010

Is it possible to get an endorsement in special education? It doesn't seem very clear on the ISBE website? All I see is a whole bunch of lengthy documents about certification in Sped. Thanks! Trisha.

Comment

(9)

report post

view previous comments

Laura Thanks, Sped, you have been very helpful and somewhat encouraging. In 2007, I was still fully employed, but I recall that was the year our school started laying off teachers -- decreased enrollment. I am well prepared for one or two years of unemployment. As for long commutes, I rent, so I can easily relocate. In fact, my son is a spec ed student i...See MoreThanks, Sped, you have been very helpful and somewhat encouraging. In 2007, I was still fully employed, but I recall that was the year our school started laying off teachers -- decreased enrollment. I am well prepared for one or two years of unemployment. As for long commutes, I rent, so I can easily relocate. In fact, my son is a spec ed student in CPS, so we would be better off elsewhere -- anywhere, perhaps. I want to continue teaching, but I am wondering what other industries could possibly be doing better, other than nursing. Also, I do not favor the tax increase, but only because Illinois already has such a regressive tax. I am assumming that home-owners/mortgage holders can deduct the real estate taxes they pay. As a renter, I cannot deduct the taxes my landlord pays and passes on. This means that I am actually paying a higher rate than somebody living in a McMansion. I dont see any other opportunities for deductions, except private schooling and EIC. Please, correct me if I am wrong.

On 11/29/10, sped wrote: > On 11/29/10, Laura wrote: >> Sped, >>I know how tough the job market is. >> What is the prognosis? Where should I look (county)? > > It does not look good for the next several years. Very lean state > budgets lie ahead and the federal government looks like it's about to > tighten it's belt. You should look everywhere possible. Expand your > commute time to 90-minutes, apply everywhere, and hope. Your ESL and > LBSI will make you as marketable as possible. > >> Please do not >> tell me to get another career, as I am a middle-aged single mother, >> and this is my second career. > > Ok... > >> I don't mind moving out of state, >> though the LBS1 likely will not qualify me to teach special ed >> elsewhere. > > I don't know. You'd have to check with that particular state. Most of > the former "hot spots" for teacher jobs have it as bad as IL. Nevada, > California, Florida, Arizona, North Carolina..., heck EVERYONE is > hurting. If moving out of state is an option, then it obviously expands > your pool of potential jobs, but there is no promised land anymore. > > You're better off with an ESL endorsement because that widens the pool > of jobs you could have. You would be better off still with an LBS I, > just because it includes still more job opportunities. If you had an > ESL and LBSI endorsement a couple of years ago, I'd say you had a > guaranteed job somewhere in Chicagoland. Heck, one or the other should > have gained you employment a few years back..., but again it's a long > way from 2007 > > Since you've already invested the time and money in 6 classes for ELL, > well, if you're game, the 4 courses for LBS I certainly won't hurt and > might help. Again, in 2007 you could've written your own ticket. > > If you asked about this before you spent 18 credit hours worth of time > and money on adding an ELL endorsement, I would have advised you to > spend that educational time and money to train into a non-teaching > field, regardless of your wishes to not be directed that way. However, > you're doing the best and smartest thing anyone can who wants a teaching > job. Again, if you live in Chicago-proper, being a Chicago teacher, be > willing to work in Aurora, Waukegan, or Bolingbrook, or beyond. Long > hours with Eric and Kathy in the morning may be in your future. Make > yourself as available as possible, consider ED rooms and alternative > schools, if you go sped, and maybe something will hook. And for God's > sake, support the bloody tax increase Quinn wants for education! > > Good Luck! > >> >> On 11/28/10, sped wrote: >>> I'll just add that if you're looking at an LBS I as a sure way to >>> get a job..., don't. In 2007, I was on this board lecturing >>> social studies majors that there were jobs-a-plenty in special ed, >>> and I was right. We hired 3 sped teachers at just the middle >>> school level that year, and we only had 6 or 7 applications to >>> sort through. In short, if you were willing and able to teach >>> special ed, you had a job. >>> >>> Now, in 2011, I'm grow more sure every day that we will lay off >>> several sped teachers this year. We're going multi-grade in our >>> self-contained classes, cutting way back on "inclusion" teachers, >>> and are packing rooms to capacity (and possibly beyond). No >>> hiring at all in my district, and my district is better off than >>> others.

Dec 1, 2010

report post

sped On 12/01/10, Laura wrote: > In fact, my son is a spec ed student in > CPS, so we would be better off elsewhere -- anywhere, perhaps.

You're son's a special ed student in a CPS school? Yeah, you're right, he would be better off. Almost to a tee, the lowest LD students I've ever seen transfer from CPS, and many times they start to lear...See MoreOn 12/01/10, Laura wrote: > In fact, my son is a spec ed student in > CPS, so we would be better off elsewhere -- anywhere, perhaps.

You're son's a special ed student in a CPS school? Yeah, you're right, he would be better off. Almost to a tee, the lowest LD students I've ever seen transfer from CPS, and many times they start to learn. It's not unheard of to see a CPS transfer 7th grader with an IEP come into my district at a 1st grade reading level. After a couple of years in a sane district, they may be at a 5th grade reading level and moving into resource out of self-contained. Remarkable what CPS does to these kids..., or doesn't do, as the case may be.

> I want to continue teaching, but I am wondering what other industries > could possibly be doing better, other than nursing.

You watch the same news I do. Not that many industries doing well these days. Health care is decent with decent job prospects. Maybe a few other highly technical fields. Heck, speech and language paths still can write their own ticket in education, for the most part, but that's a minimum 3-year, full-time program.

> Also, I do not favor the tax increase, but only because Illinois already > has such a regressive tax. I am assumming that home-owners/mortgage > holders can deduct the real estate taxes they pay.

You would be wrong. On IL state taxes, you claim your AGI from your federal 1040, which is calculated before the deduction for mortgage interest and real-estate taxes. After a $2000 deduction per adult, and some amount per child (I don't have kids), you calculate a straight percentage of that AGI. So, no break for housing costs.

While no one likes a tax increase, Governor Quinn wants to target that to education and towards saving and restoring teacher jobs. In your situation, I would rather pay a higher tax rate on a teacher's salary, than a lower rate on that of a store clerk.

> As a renter, I cannot > deduct the taxes my landlord pays and passes on. This means that I am > actually paying a higher rate than somebody living in a McMansion.

On the federal side, that's true. As someone who owns rental properties, let me tell you, the only reason some are in that business is for the deductions. Without those deductions, taken as a business expense because we're incorporated, I would be losing money renting to people. While you may shrug and not care, keep this in mind: If I let my company descend into bankruptcy, and the houses go into foreclosure, then they aren't on the rental market, and that means less supply for you to chose from and ultimately higher rates and lower selection for you to choose from. I've already lost a lot of capital I had in the value of those homes, so continuing to pay the mortgages and taxes at a loss wouldn't make sense. Plus, walking away it doesn't hurt my credit, because my company holds the mortgages, not me.

Ending the mortgage and property tax deduction would mean many landlords like me would no longer find it profitable to rent to tenants like you. The tenants, maybe you, get evicted by a bank that doesn't want to run a rental company, and you find it hard to find an affordable place to live because everyone is walking away from the rental biz. This causes another housing price collapse, and the cycle repeats.

I dont > see any other opportunities for deductions, except private schooling and > EIC.

If you're getting the EIC, then you... don't make much money. Probably not news to you. You would be much better off paying a slightly higher state tax rate because that tax increase, if it happens, gets funneled into education. Money goes to IL schools, which are bracing for another wave of cuts and lay-offs (which means you likely don't get hired), and maybe those lay-offs don't happen and maybe, just maybe we can hire some badly needed teachers, like you.

However, keep in mind that the EIC isn't actually a deduction, but a credit the government gives people with kids who don't make much money. While you see an issue with people who own property deducting their housing costs, others see an issue with the government basically giving you money for having a child and not earning money. In fact, because it's a credit, some people actually get more money back in their "refund" than they pay into the federal government in taxes. I don't necessarily have an issue with the EIC, because I know being low-income and having kids is very hard, but some do. There are many sides to this particular coin...

Dec 2, 2010

report post

Laura "In your situation, I would rather pay a higher tax rate on a teacher's salary, than a lower rate on that of a store clerk." So true, though I do not trust Illinois-- or any legislature --to vote/spend for the common good. However, since you pointed out that Illinois is not allowing regressive McMansion deductions, I do support the tax increase. I ...See More"In your situation, I would rather pay a higher tax rate on a teacher's salary, than a lower rate on that of a store clerk." So true, though I do not trust Illinois-- or any legislature --to vote/spend for the common good. However, since you pointed out that Illinois is not allowing regressive McMansion deductions, I do support the tax increase. I am embarrassed I never looked that up. I have no problem with the EIC, for which I do not qualify. As for federal taxes, the standard deduction is generous enough that it was not worth it for me to itemize when I owned a home in Florida. I did rent it out for a couple of years at a loss, before the bubble allowed me to sell.

"Remarkable what CPS does to these kids..., or doesn't do, as the case may be."

The best thing I ever did for my eldest son was to move to a small, but well-funded district in DuPage. He was never special ed, but the other schools wanted him tested; one advised I send him away. He was at least average academically and grew out of his "hyperactivity" so I assumed their concerns were based on his social deficiencies and/or demographics-- he was a bullied child raised by a very young mother in an apartment. We moved around until we found a school district that turned his life around in junior high. The second best thing I ever did for him was to, ironically, move him out of DuPage and to a Florida high school. His middle school years gave him the confidence and academic background to enroll in honors/AP courses and earn the grades and SAT scores for a full Fl. Bright Future scholarship. He graduated from the Univ. of Fl. four years ago. So when I saw my younger son-- 16 years younger --developing speech and behavior problems, I left my easy life in Florida to live in that same DuPage district. The early childhood team wrote an IEP for extensive services. Unfortunately, by then, I found employment in CPS, which requires residency. Without even meeting him-- let alone a new evaluation --the case manager shred the IEP: "We can't do this," she told me. He was tutored --while on official and unofficial suspensions-- by me and a babysitter until finally getting a placement that, on paper, offered what the DuPage IEP had provided. Last year, I did have to file due process to get him into a better school. The last advice from our former lawyer: "Leave Chicago." I managed to mediate with the BOE on my own, saving at least 10,000 and securing a much better placement. Of course, as a CPS teacher, I know that my son was not an isolated victim. As the attorney said, This has nothing to do with you or your son. It's just the way they do things, and it is getting worse.

So a seventh grader with first grade skills is nothing shocking to me. I guess you get the "lucky" transplants. Heck, I've had seniors who were never identified for IEPs, yet could barely read. Thanks for the enlightening info on taxes and jobs. You really should write your own blog.

12/02/10, sped wrote: > On 12/01/10, Laura wrote: >> In fact, my son is a spec ed student in CPS, so we >> would be better off elsewhere -- anywhere, perhaps. > > You're son's a special ed student in a CPS school? > Yeah, you're right, he would be better off. Almost to a > tee, the lowest LD students I've ever seen transfer > from CPS, and many times they start to learn. It's not > unheard of to see a CPS transfer 7th grader with an IEP > come into my district at a 1st grade reading level. > After a couple of years in a sane district, they may be > at a 5th grade reading level and moving into resource > out of self-contained. Remarkable what CPS does to > these kids..., or doesn't do, as the case may be. > >> I want to continue teaching, but I am wondering what >> other industries could possibly be doing better, >> other than nursing. > > You watch the same news I do. Not that many industries > doing well these days. Health care is decent with > decent job prospects. Maybe a few other highly > technical fields. Heck, speech and language paths still > can write their own ticket in education, for the most > part, but that's a minimum 3-year, full-time program. > >> Also, I do not favor the tax increase, but only >> because Illinois already has such a regressive tax. I >> am assumming that home-owners/mortgage holders can >> deduct the real estate taxes they pay. > > You would be wrong. On IL state taxes, you claim your > AGI from your federal 1040, which is calculated before > the deduction for mortgage interest and real-estate > taxes. After a $2000 deduction per adult, and some > amount per child (I don't have kids), you calculate a > straight percentage of that AGI. So, no break for > housing costs. > > While no one likes a tax increase, Governor Quinn wants > to target that to education and towards saving and > restoring teacher jobs. In your situation, I would > rather pay a higher tax rate on a teacher's salary, > than a lower rate on that of a store clerk. > >> As a renter, I cannot deduct the taxes my landlord >> pays and passes on. This means that I am actually >> paying a higher rate than somebody living in a >> McMansion. > > On the federal side, that's true. As someone who owns > rental properties, let me tell you, the only reason > some are in that business is for the deductions. > Without those deductions, taken as a business expense > because we're incorporated, I would be losing money > renting to people. While you may shrug and not care, > keep this in mind: If I let my company descend into > bankruptcy, and the houses go into foreclosure, then > they aren't on the rental market, and that means less > supply for you to chose from and ultimately higher > rates and lower selection for you to choose from. I've > already lost a lot of capital I had in the value of > those homes, so continuing to pay the mortgages and > taxes at a loss wouldn't make sense. Plus, walking away > it doesn't hurt my credit, because my company holds the > mortgages, not me. > > Ending the mortgage and property tax deduction would > mean many landlords like me would no longer find it > profitable to rent to tenants like you. The tenants, > maybe you, get evicted by a bank that doesn't want to > run a rental company, and you find it hard to find an > affordable place to live because everyone is walking > away from the rental biz. This causes another housing > price collapse, and the cycle repeats. > > I dont >> see any other opportunities for deductions, except >> private schooling and EIC. > > If you're getting the EIC, then you... don't make much > money. Probably not news to you. You would be much > better off paying a slightly higher state tax rate > because that tax increase, if it happens, gets funneled > into education. Money goes to IL schools, which are > bracing for another wave of cuts and lay-offs (which > means you likely don't get hired), and maybe those > lay-offs don't happen and maybe, just maybe we can hire > some badly needed teachers, like you. > > However, keep in mind that the EIC isn't actually a > deduction, but a credit the government gives people > with kids who don't make much money. While you see an > issue with people who own property deducting their > housing costs, others see an issue with the government > basically giving you money for having a child and not > earning money. In fact, because it's a credit, some > people actually get more money back in their > "refund" than they pay into the federal > government in taxes. I don't necessarily have an issue > with the EIC, because I know being low-income and > having kids is very hard, but some do. There are many > sides to this particular coin... >

Dec 12, 2010

report post

sped On 12/12/10, Laura wrote: > As for federal taxes, > the standard deduction is generous enough that it was not > worth it for me to itemize when I owned a home in Florida. I > did rent it out for a couple of years at a loss, before the > bubble allowed me to sell.

It's surprising that you couldn't itemize with a rental proper...See MoreOn 12/12/10, Laura wrote: > As for federal taxes, > the standard deduction is generous enough that it was not > worth it for me to itemize when I owned a home in Florida. I > did rent it out for a couple of years at a loss, before the > bubble allowed me to sell.

It's surprising that you couldn't itemize with a rental property which was losing money. I probably could have found enough deductions to itemize and save some money. Probably not a fortune, though.

>Last year, I did have to file due process to get > him into a better school. The last advice from our former > lawyer: "Leave Chicago." I managed to mediate with the BOE > on my own, saving at least 10,000 and securing a much better > placement.

And, you're aware that you will never, ever, ever be hired back by CPS. If you were non-tenured, and employed by CPS, this is why you were not rehired. If CPS didn't cut one position, you would have not been rehired.

I am not defending the practice at all, mind you, but I am very aware of it both in CPS and suburban districts. It is best, whenever possible, to not live in the district where you teach, and certainly to not be a parent in said district. Much harder when you're in CPS, I know, but it's rough when you have to essentially sue your employer to get services for your child. With tenure, you have some protection, but without..., you're done.

> Heck, I've had seniors who were never identified for IEPs, > yet could barely read.

And they might not even need an IEP. Putting on my RTI-focused, IEP meeting chair hat, they may have not been given access to proper instruction at CPS.

Not that I want to seem like I'm bashing CPS. I worked there for 1 year when I first moved to Illinois. I was from out-of-state, and CPS was willing to hire me as a sped teacher with one interview and an out-of-state license at the time (probably wouldn't do that now, but it's a different market). I had crack-head parents. Literally, high on crack, wandering in the school, looking for little Jimmy (their kid's name is Jerome, but whatever...) I put a lot of time and hours into my kids and their education that year, but there's only so much you can do. I punched out and ran for the 'burbs at the end of one year. I was a sped teacher with the opportunity to do that. They won't make a movie about me, and I'm OK with that.

A lot of these kids don't have much of a chance, and even though their school sucks, a great, well-funded school wouldn't change all the issues they face in life.

CPS does somethings well. Their gifted academies are some of the best in the country, as are their magnet high schools, but they don't serve every kid, not by a long shot.

Good luck with the job hunt.

Dec 13, 2010

report post

Laura On 12/13/10, sped wrote: >It's surprising that you couldn't itemize with a rental property > which was losing money. I probably could have found enough > deductions to itemize and save some money. Probably not a > fortune, though.

I think I did OK with the taxes. I recall claiming it as a capital gains loss one year right on my...See MoreOn 12/13/10, sped wrote: >It's surprising that you couldn't itemize with a rental property > which was losing money. I probably could have found enough > deductions to itemize and save some money. Probably not a > fortune, though.

I think I did OK with the taxes. I recall claiming it as a capital gains loss one year right on my 1040. It worked. While living in Florida, I worked out of my home, some of it freelance journalism, so I deducted on my Schedule C. I just couldnt deduct donations.

I've always been a little worried about suing my employer. I technically am tenured, but displaced. When my position was cut in 2009, everybody urged me to file a grievance because I had some seniority. We didnt know why my number was picked, even suspected that it might have been because of the spec ed issue, but this was before the due process. My school had disintegrated into chaos the previous year, so I accepted the layoff as a gift from God. CPS teachers cannot bump teachers from other schools, so tenured teachers get a year of pay for subbing four days a week. This year, I get a livable daily wage and full medical benefits, but I cannot even use the sick days I banked. Last year, when I filed the due process,I had one foot out the door and my middle finger in the air, which is why our attorney advised us not to invest the money. Rumor has it that tenured teachers are not being hired. I do not believe that is entirely true, but I am not worried about being on the alleged "do not hire list." I have not sent out many resumes, just enjoying the sub gigs, and updating my credentials. I suspect, however, that my online app was rated "recommended" because I got two calls out of the blue, one from a CPS school nobody ever heard of. > school, looking for little Jimmy (their kid's name is Jerome, but > whatever...) lol

I actually was subbing at a turnaround today, and am disgusted by the pointless test prep required. It's December, and the teacher was drilling "75 questions in 45 minutes" like it was MC-squared or the rules for semicolons. I told a second-year physics teacher that most schools, cps or not, would not be as bad as where she is. Thanks, again, and happy holidays.

> On 12/12/10, Laura wrote: >> As for federal taxes, >> the standard deduction is generous enough that it was not >> worth it for me to itemize when I owned a home in Florida. I >> did rent it out for a couple of years at a loss, before the >> bubble allowed me to sell. > > It's surprising that you couldn't itemize with a rental property > which was losing money. I probably could have found enough > deductions to itemize and save some money. Probably not a > fortune, though. > >>Last year, I did have to file due process to get >> him into a better school. The last advice from our former >> lawyer: "Leave Chicago." I managed to mediate with the BOE >> on my own, saving at least 10,000 and securing a much better >> placement. > > And, you're aware that you will never, ever, ever be hired back > by CPS. If you were non-tenured, and employed by CPS, this is > why you were not rehired. If CPS didn't cut one position, you > would have not been rehired. > > I am not defending the practice at all, mind you, but I am very > aware of it both in CPS and suburban districts. It is best, > whenever possible, to not live in the district where you teach, > and certainly to not be a parent in said district. Much harder > when you're in CPS, I know, but it's rough when you have to > essentially sue your employer to get services for your child. > With tenure, you have some protection, but without..., you're > done. > >> Heck, I've had seniors who were never identified for IEPs, >> yet could barely read. > > And they might not even need an IEP. Putting on my RTI-focused, > IEP meeting chair hat, they may have not been given access to > proper instruction at CPS. > > Not that I want to seem like I'm bashing CPS. I worked there for > 1 year when I first moved to Illinois. I was from out-of-state, > and CPS was willing to hire me as a sped teacher with one > interview and an out-of-state license at the time (probably > wouldn't do that now, but it's a different market). I had > crack-head parents. Literally, high on crack, wandering in the > school, looking for little Jimmy (their kid's name is Jerome, but > whatever...) I put a lot of time and hours into my kids and > their education that year, but there's only so much you can do. > I punched out and ran for the 'burbs at the end of one year. I > was a sped teacher with the opportunity to do that. They won't > make a movie about me, and I'm OK with that. > > A lot of these kids don't have much of a chance, and even though > their school sucks, a great, well-funded school wouldn't change > all the issues they face in life. > > CPS does somethings well. Their gifted academies are some of the > best in the country, as are their magnet high schools, but they > don't serve every kid, not by a long shot. > > Good luck with the job hunt.

Dec 14, 2010

report post