Become a Certified Inclusion Education Specialist

Inclusion education means that all students with disabilities are welcomed and educated along with age-appropriate regular education peers in the same classroom. These students are supported to learn, contribute, and participate in all aspects of the life of the school.

Inclusion education is a philosophy about how we develop and design our schools, classrooms, programs, and activities so that all students learn and participate together.

Inclusion education is about ensuring access to quality education for all students. This is done through an awareness and training on diversity and meeting their diverse needs in a way that is responsive, accepting, respectful, and supportive. Students who participate in inclusive education share a common learning environment with support to diminish and remove barriers and obstacles that may lead to exclusion.

Inclusion education:

• enables each student to fully participate in the learning environment that is designed for all students and is shared with peers in the chosen educational setting;
• provides a positive climate, promote a sense of belonging and ensure student progress toward appropriate personal, social, emotional and academic goals;
• enables staff to be responsive to individual learning needs by providing sufficient levels of support and applying student-centered teaching practices and principles.
• provides a common learning environment: an inclusive environment where instruction is designed to be delivered to students with a variety of abilities and with their peer group in the local school, while teachers and trained staff are responsive to their individual needs as a learner.

Inclusion education programs provide educational services for all students including those with special needs. These programs serve all children in the regular classroom on a full-time basis. If a student requires extra services such as speech therapy, these services are brought into the classroom. This program allows the student to remain in the regular education classroom setting at all times. This program is intended to meet the objectives of IDEA by educating students in the regular classroom while still providing for their unique needs.

There are variables in inclusion education programs, which make a standard definition of inclusion misleading. Full inclusion is described as placing all students, regardless of disabilities and severity, in the regular classroom on a full-time basis. Depending on the severity of the disability, some of these students may not leave the regular classroom for services specified in their IEP while others will go to services outside the classroom. Partial inclusion places students with high incidence disabilities in the inclusive setting along with age appropriate peers. Inclusion or mainstreaming refers to students being educated with peers without disabilities for most of their school day. A special education teacher collaborates with a general education teacher to provide services for students though a variety of techniques. The general education teacher is responsible for instructing all children, even those with an IEP. The special education teacher collaborates with the general teacher on strategies, may teach lessons, and provides assistance to children with IEPs.

Another placement option called Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) places students with disabilities in the general classroom with the special education teacher providing support and assisting the general education teacher in instructing the students. The special education teacher brings materials into the classroom and works with the special student during math or reading instruction. The special education teacher aids the general education teacher in planning different strategies for students with various abilities.

When the IEP team meets to determine the best placement for a child with disabilities, it must consider which placement constitutes the least restrictive environment for the child based on individual needs. The team must determine which setting will provide the child with the appropriate placement. The primary objective of inclusion education is to educate students with disabilities in the regular classroom and still meet their individual needs. Inclusion education allows children with special needs to receive a free and appropriate education along with students without disabilities in the regular classroom.

With the increasing demands on the special education community, the goal for children and their parents to receive the best educational experience by the highest qualified teachers are crucial. The growth of inclusion educational programs across the country is on the rise and expertly trained teacher specialists in this area are greatly needed. Bringing children with all types of special needs back to the district and educating them in an inclusive setting requires a level of expertise that can only be provided by someone with extensive training in that area. As a result, an Inclusion Education Specialist would be an incredible asset to any district and provide expertise not available to others in a crucial educational area. Furthermore:

• Most Master’s degree programs only provide limited courses in the program that focus on inclusion education. That by itself does not provide all the necessary information and training to be an expert in this field. Completing this program elevates you far above most candidates in the level and training in inclusion education that will provide the credentials of expertise.
• Document your academic achievement in an area of specialized expertise to assist you in advancing your career and possibly moving up the salary schedule
• Certificates earned are valuable to add to your resume as well as awarded a Certificate Document suitable for framing
• Develop and update your professional skills and knowledge to make you more effective in your field with in-depth learning
• Provide expertise in a specific area of study and provide value-added benefits that are highly visible in your organization

Teachers who have met this criteria may want to elevate their expertise in this area of education since today, all schools provide inclusive education and even more schools will be increasing these programs in order to bring students with disabilities back to the home district. Furthermore, completion of this Board Certification program will provide you with a potential advantage when applying for a job in an inclusive setting with specified knowledge skills and abilities.

The Inclusion Education Specialist’s essential duties and responsibilities may include the following:

• Having the extensive and comprehensive knowledge in the area of inclusion education allows you to offer workshops, training, and guidance to general education teachers, paraprofessional, staff and parents.
• Coordinating the development, monitoring, and implementation of Individual Education Programs (IEP) for students in inclusion classrooms.
• Maintaining accurate and confidential records of all assigned students.
• Assisting the classroom teacher in "including" the student into the regular education classroom (inclusion model for special education).
• Working with paraprofessionals to collaborate in the implementation of lesson plans and educational approaches.
• Providing expert knowledge to train paraprofessionals on teaching methodologies specific for their students in inclusive classrooms.
• Assisting with the development of accommodations and modifications and strategies for students in inclusive classrooms.
• Providing expert information, support, and communication with parents and families.
• Providing the necessary expert guidance and training to assist staff, parents and students through the transition process from secondary school to adulthood

To enroll in this Board Certification in Inclusion in Special Education Program, a candidate must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in education and be certified or licensed as a teacher. Proof of the qualifications can be legible copies of transcripts, certificate or license sent to NASET.

That would depend upon many factors. Primary amongst them is the credit requirements for acceptance of by your school, district or governmental agency. All Modules have been rated by NASET/AASEP in study hours. The number of study hours is indicated on each Module certificate which also contain your name, the Module title, and the date of completion. 

The cost for NASET members is $950.00 in one payment or you can choose to pay for each of the 5 modules at $225.00/each. (Non-members pay $1,100 in one payment or $260/module).

No. Although NASET or AASEP membership does provide a discount, we do not require you to be a member of NASET or AASEP to apply.

No. There is no application fee to apply for the program.

Since the modules and examinations are available online 24/7, the time it takes is totally up to you. The only limitations are that you complete the 5 Modules within 2 years of your application acceptance. If you start with the NASET member’s discounted fees, your membership must remain active throughout the period, during which you are completing the requirements.

Once you have completed the Module requirements, your credentials are presented to the Board for approval. The time from program completion to attaining certification documentation is approximately 10 business days.

Yes. All candidates who complete the Board Certification program must renew their certification annually with the National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET). The annual BCISE certification renewal fee for NASET Members is $125.00. Non-members renewal fee is $165.00.

No. Our Units, Modules and examinations are all online. There is no need to travel to access anything. The entire program, from start to finish, can be done in the comfort of your home, office or wherever you choose.

No, you can begin to start a Module whenever you choose. You work and study at your own pace. As soon as you are notified of your access via email, your access has been “turned on” so that you may begin at your convenience.

That is also completely up to you. You work and study for an examination at your own pace. There is no specific examination date. You set the pace of the program based on your availability.

Yes. You are allowed 3 attempts to complete each of the 5 Module examinations.

Once you receive a score of 80% or higher on a Module Examination, the next module will be automatically available to you. 

Contact the NASET Career Center at careercenter@naset.org or call us at 800-754-4421 ext 102

Contact the NASET Career Center at careercenter@naset.org or call us at 800-754-4421 ext 102