Pennsylvania Gifted Letter of Endorsement

Dr. Vicki Jones, Program Coordinator

This PDE-approved program provides the skills needed meet the academic, social and emotional needs of students who are gifted and talented. Courses align with guidelines provided by the Council for Exceptional Children, the National Association for Gifted Children and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The Gifted Letter of Endorsement program is completely online with 30 hours of embedded field experiences required. Satisfactory completion of the 12-creditletter of endorsement program, including all course and field experience requirements, will enable candidates to apply to the PDE for an endorsement on their existing Pennsylvania certificates. The four courses may also be taken as electives by other educational and clinical professionals who wish to gain additional knowledge in the areas addressed in each course.

Courses

The requirements for this 12-credit endorsement are:

ED 569 - Teaching Diverse Learners Using Inclusive Classroom Practices
EDSP 501 - Teaching Students With High Incidence Disabilities With Field Experience (with 10 hours of field experience)
EDSP 508 - Foundations of Gifted Education (with 10 hours of field experience)
EDSP 509 - Gifted Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction (with 10 hours of field experience)

Total Credits: 12

PA certification and endorsement candidates will be recommended for certification upon successful completion of the required certification coursework, fieldwork, and internship. Candidates must self-register and pass the certification test, if required. Some certifications require verification of experience. In those cases, the candidate will need to have input from their school district verifying that they have satisfactory met professional school experience required. Application for certification and Endorsement is made by the candidate through the PDE Teacher Information Management System (TIMS) found on the PDE portal.