Michigan’s Special Education
Teacher Consultants
Teach Consultants play a leading role in PAR by working with the teachers in their caseload to help them meet the district’s performance standards. They do this primarily through frequent scheduled and unscheduled visits as well as ongoing email contact with each teacher.
Associations to Support You
Become a Special Education Teacher Consultant
Full Approval Policy and CriteriaÂ
- The candidate must possess a master’s degree in education or a field of study related to special education.
- The candidate must meet all of the requirements of R. 340.1782 of the Michigan Administrative Rules for Special Education (MARSE).
- Approval is specific to the category of endorsement. A request for Teacher Consultant approval may be made for each area of special education endorsement.
- A request for approval must be received by the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education (MDE, OSE) during the school year (July 1 to June 30) in which the effective date applies.
- The candidate must show evidence of a minimum of three years of satisfactory teaching experience, not less than two years of which shall be teaching in a special education classroom. Substitute teaching in general or special education classrooms is acceptable in meeting this requirement.
- Private school teaching experience is recognized by the MDE, OSE as meeting the one year of teaching experience that candidates are not required to spend in a special education classroom. Private school teaching experience, however, does NOT meet the two years of required special education classroom teaching experience.Â
- Teacher Consultant approval is granted from the beginning of the school year in which the request was initiated or the date that all requirements for the approval are met, whichever is later.Â
- Teacher Consultant approval does not expire as long as the teacher maintains a valid Michigan teaching certificate.
- Teacher Consultant approval is transferable from one school district to the next.
Find a Master's Program
Click a point on the map to find degree programs, scholarships, grants, and organizations to join!
Special Education Teacher Educational Funding
State Scholarships & Grants
Amount: up to $800
Federal Scholarships & Grants
Colleges and career schools use the FAFSA form to determine how much financial aid you’re eligible to receive, which could include grants, scholarships, work-study funds, and loans.You must apply for aid every year.
The Federal Student Aid Estimator provides an estimate of how much federal student aid the student may be eligible to receive. These estimates are based on the Student Aid Index (SAI), an index to determine federal student aid eligibility.
Direct Subsidized Loans and Direct Unsubsidized Loans are federal student loans offered by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to help eligible students cover the cost of higher education at a four-year college or university, community college, or trade, career, or technical school.
Direct PLUS loans can help pay for education expenses not covered by other financial aid. The U.S. Department of Education makes Direct PLUS Loans to eligible graduate or professional students through schools participating in the Direct Loan Program.
Amount: up to $4,000/year
Amount: up to $17,500
If you’re employed by a government or not-for-profit organization, you might be eligible for the PSLF Program. The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans
*Borrowers can’t receive credit toward TLF and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) for the same period of service. That means, if you seek and receive TLF, the five-year period of service that supported your eligibility will NOT count toward PSLF. We recommend that you consider whether you’re interested in PSLF before deciding to pursue TLF, because we can’t make changes once you receive forgiveness.
Special Education Story Tellers
Below are videos highlighting special education teacher consultants throughout Michigan. Watch to find out why they love the profession!
