Add-on Certification Endorsement
in Hearing Impairment (Advanced)

Program Overview | Conceptual Framework | Program Highlights | Program Details
Program of Study | Curriculum Sheet | Sequence of Course Work | Field Experience
Candidate Assessment Information | Program Faculty

Program Overview

The certification program in hearing impairment (HI) allows individuals who hold initial teaching certification in another area (e.g., elementary education, mild/moderate disabilities), to add-on Louisiana state teachers’ certification in the area of Hearing Impairment.

Conceptual Framework

The coursework is aligned with state standards (Louisiana Components of Effective Teaching) and with the UNO College of Education and Human Development conceptual framework. Six professional roles are included in the conceptual framework for the teacher education program. These include:

1. Designing and delivering instruction
2. Managing time, tasks, and environments
3. Using inquiry to inform practice
4. Collaborating to support group practice
5. Advocating for students, services, and supports
6. Improving classroom and system practice.

Four themes run through the coursework in the teacher education program of study:

1. Diversity
2. Technology
3. Assessment
4. Communication

Program Highlights

The add-on endorsement program in hearing impairment:

• is nationally recognized
• is delivered through state-of-the-art distance education methods and face-to-face intensive summer institutes
• is grant supported through the LA Department of Education
• provides stipends to teacher candidates
• makes extensive use of out-of-state experts as adjunct faculty

Program Details

The Department of Special Education at the University of New Orleans offers course work leading toward Louisiana teacher certification in hearing impairment (HI). The program of study is offered only on the graduate level. Candidates enrolling in deaf education coursework must be certified teachers (in areas other than hearing impairment) and wish to also become certified in hearing impairment.

Students working on HI certification are encouraged to discuss the option of moving on to a Master’s degree program in special education with a concentration in deaf education as many, if not all, of the courses leading to certification can also be applied toward a master’s degree. Candidates interested in earning a Master’s degree in addition to add-on certification are strongly urged to officially enter the Master's degree program as soon as possible after their acceptance into the graduate add-on endorsement program in HI.  We advise this because transfer credits earned prior to acceptance into the Master's program (either at UNO or an outside university) are limited to 12 graduate hours.

Individuals completing UNO deaf education coursework who wish to obtain Louisiana certification in HI must apply for it themselves through the Louisiana State Department of Education. Students who wish to earn certification in states other than Louisiana are encouraged to obtain a listing of course requirements for that state so a program of study can be designed to meet those specific requirements. The Deaf Education program in Department of Special Education and Habilitative Services (SEHS) at the University of New Orleans holds NCATE, CEC, and SACS accreditation but is not a CED accredited program.

A few words about or courses in deaf education and the students taking those courses: The majority of individuals enrolled in our classes are certified teachers (either elementary or secondary) who are teaching on emergency certificates (OFAT) in classrooms and resource room environments with deaf and hard-of-hearing students (D/HH). In order to keep their jobs, these persons must complete 6 credit hours toward certification in HI each year. Recognizing this fact, our classes are offered primarily after the work day ends (usually at 4:30 pm). Additionally, since our program serves individuals across the state (and out of state too) our classes are delivered via the internet using state of the art interactive video methods and asynchronous internet delivery systems.  Students enrolled in our distance learning classes must have broadband internet access (cable or DSL) to participate. They also must be willing to attend week long classes during the summer, as there are some activities that can only be taught in a live, face-to-face environment.

Many activities in our coursework relate directly to the current teaching positions our candidates hold and we expect them to utilize their own classrooms to help them connect theory to practice and engage in the UNO roles listed in the conceptual framework. Outside field experience sites are located for those persons not currently teaching D/HH students. It is the philosophy of the department that our candidates must be afforded ample opportunities to practice those techniques and strategies they learn in our university classes, thus we consider ourselves to be a performance based program. The candidate’s responsibility is to be available during normal school hours in order to be involved in the mandatory and essential field experiences required in each of their courses.

As there are a variety of communication options currently used with D/HH students in Louisiana (i.e., SEE II, ASL, Cued Speech, Auditory-Oral) the department presents information and strategies appropriate to many different educational settings. While no longer required for certification in Louisiana, we do offer introductory and intermediate classes in Sign Language so that candidates can prepare themselves to pass the state mandated assessment in communication should they intend to teach students whose mode of communication is manual. Our sign language component presents ASL and Manually Coded English alternatives while using Pidgin (Contact) English as a base of study. We do so with a strong commitment to bilingual-bicultural education. We now also offer an additional course in “Advanced Methods in Auditory-Oral Education” for students who prefer to gain certification by focusing on teaching the growing number of non-signers with cochlear implants and thus bypass the sign proficiency test requirement.

( https://www.teachlouisiana.net/pdf/AddOnChart.pdf - see page 4 )

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Program of Study

All courses required by the Louisiana Department of Education for certification as a teacher of students with hearing impairments are offered sequentially in our program. Since UNO offers an add-on endorsement, candidates must hold initial certification in another area of education (e.g., elementary education, Physical Education). In addition, candidates may apply 12 credit hours of HI course work toward a Master's degree in Special Education with a concentration in Deaf/Hard of Hearing. It is advisible, therefore, for candidates who think they may want a Master's degree in addition to certification in HI, to apply early in their course of study. When a candidates complete all certification requirements, they must apply directly to the Louisiana Department of Education's Office of Teacher Certification to add-on the HI endorsement to their teaching certificates.

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Program of study (curriculum sheet)

Sequence of Course Work

Field Experience

Candidates are expected to complete a minimum of 160 hours of proformance-based field experience activities. These experiences may occur in a candidate's own classroom or in local classrooms with students with hearing impairments. The great majority of field experiences will occur during the school year from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, so candidates must be able to arrange their schedules to meet the field experience requirements of the program.

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Candidate Assessment Information

Four levels are included in the Add-On Program in HI:

• Level I admission and course work, & exit from Level 1
  
• Level II course work & exit from Level II
  
• Level III course work & exit from Level III (program completion)
  
• Exit follow-up

The HI Add-On Endorsement program includes both unit-wide assessments and unique assessments aligned with program standards and created specifically for the program in hearing impairment. These assessments are described below:

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Program Faculty

Kate E. Reynolds, Ph.D.
Program Coordinator

Areas of expertise:

• Auditory anatomy, physiology, and pathology, assessment, and amplification
• Technology use in instructional delivery
• Deaf and hard of hearing students with multiple disabilities
• Families and early intervention for children who are deaf and hard of hearing (SKI*HI certified http://www.skihi.org/SkihiMod.html)

Contact the Program Coordinator for more information.

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