[Code of Federal Regulations] [Title 34, Volume 2] [Revised as of July 1, 2006] From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access [CITE: 34CFR300.136] [Page 24-26] TITLE 34--EDUCATION CHAPTER III--OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PART 300_ASSISTANCE TO STATES FOR THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES--Table of Contents Subpart B_State and Local Eligibility Sec. 300.136 Personnel standards. (a) Definitions. As used in this part-- (1) Appropriate professional requirements in the State means entry level requirements that-- (i) Are based on the highest requirements in the State applicable to the profession or discipline in which a person is providing special education or related services; and (ii) Establish suitable qualifications for personnel providing special education and related services under Part B of the Act to children with disabilities who are served by State, local, and private agencies (see Sec. 300.2); (2) Highest requirements in the State applicable to a specific profession or discipline means the highest entry-level academic degree needed for any State-approved or -recognized certification, licensing, registration, or other comparable requirements that apply to that profession or discipline; (3) Profession or discipline means a specific occupational category that-- (i) Provides special education and related services to children with disabilities under Part B of the Act; (ii) Has been established or designated by the State; (iii) Has a required scope of responsibility and degree of supervision; and (iv) Is not limited to traditional occupational categories; and (4) State-approved or -recognized certification, licensing, registration, or other comparable requirements means the requirements that a State legislature either has enacted or has authorized a State agency to promulgate through rules to establish the entry-level standards for employment in a specific profession or discipline in that State. (b) Policies and procedures. (1)(i) The State must have on file with the Secretary policies and procedures relating to the establishment and maintenance of standards to ensure that personnel necessary to carry out the purposes of this part are appropriately and adequately prepared and trained. [[Page 25]] (ii) The policies and procedures required in paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section must provide for the establishment and maintenance of standards that are consistent with any State-approved or -recognized certification, licensing, registration, or other comparable requirements that apply to the profession or discipline in which a person is providing special education or related services. (2) Each State may-- (i) Determine the specific occupational categories required to provide special education and related services within the State; and (ii) Revise or expand those categories as needed. (3) Nothing in this part requires a State to establish a specified training standard (e.g., a masters degree) for personnel who provide special education and related services under Part B of the Act. (4) A State with only one entry-level academic degree for employment of personnel in a specific profession or discipline may modify that standard as necessary to ensure the provision of FAPE to all children with disabilities in the State without violating the requirements of this section. (c) Steps for retraining or hiring personnel. To the extent that a State's standards for a profession or discipline, including standards for temporary or emergency certification, are not based on the highest requirements in the State applicable to a specific profession or discipline, the State must provide the steps the State is taking and the procedures for notifying public agencies and personnel of those steps and the timelines it has established for the retraining or hiring of personnel to meet appropriate professional requirements in the State. (d) Status of personnel standards in the State. (1) In meeting the requirements in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, a determination must be made about the status of personnel standards in the State. That determination must be based on current information that accurately describes, for each profession or discipline in which personnel are providing special education or related services, whether the applicable standards are consistent with the highest requirements in the State for that profession or discipline. (2) The information required in paragraph (d)(1) of this section must be on file in the SEA and available to the public. (e) Applicability of State statutes and agency rules. In identifying the highest requirements in the State for purposes of this section, the requirements of all State statutes and the rules of all State agencies applicable to serving children with disabilities must be considered. (f) Use of paraprofessionals and assistants. A State may allow paraprofessionals and assistants who are appropriately trained and supervised, in accordance with State law, regulations, or written policy, in meeting the requirements of this part to be used to assist in the provision of special education and related services to children with disabilities under Part B of the Act. (g) Policy to address shortage of personnel. (1) In implementing this section, a State may adopt a policy that includes a requirement that LEAs in the State make an ongoing good faith effort to recruit and hire appropriately and adequately trained personnel to provide special education and related services to children with disabilities, including, in a geographic area of the State where there is a shortage of personnel that meet these qualifications, the most qualified individuals available who are making satisfactory progress toward completing applicable course work necessary to meet the standards described in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, consistent with State law and the steps described in paragraph (c) of this section, within three years. (2) If a State has reached its established date under paragraph (c) of this section, the State may still exercise the option under paragraph (g)(1) of this section for training or hiring all personnel in a specific profession or discipline to meet appropriate professional requirements in the State. (3)(i) Each State must have a mechanism for serving children with disabilities if instructional needs exceed available personnel who meet appropriate professional requirements in the [[Page 26]] State for a specific profession or discipline. (ii) A State that continues to experience shortages of qualified personnel must address those shortages in its comprehensive system of personnel development under Sec. 300.135. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1412(a)(15))