What Can I Do With an Online Endorsement in Special Education?

Adding an EISE endorsement to your teaching license gives you new skills and new career opportunities

“One of the problems for employers who want to hire early intervention special education [EISE] teachers,” says Hollie Hix, “is that there’s a gap between training and actual job duties. Our EISE endorsement program provides training that’s closely aligned with EIES jobs.”

Dr. Hix, the faculty coordinator for Portland State University’s EISE endorsement program, explains that an initial teacher’s license typically qualifies someone to work with children anywhere from pre-K to grade 12. By adding an EISE endorsement to their license, teachers can work with much younger children, from ages 0 through 3 years.

“Very few teachers receive training that’s focused on children in that age range,” says Hix. “With an EISE endorsement, you’re adding a specialized credential for that specific age group.”

Moreover, she says, an EISE endorsement offers teachers the opportunity to pursue advanced careers with higher income potential, greater professional satisfaction, and deeper benefits for children who are experiencing developmental delays and disabilities

Apply to PSU's Special Education Program

Compete for Better Jobs, Higher Salaries with an EISE Endorsement

The goal of early intervention special education is to achieve (or approach) school readiness for children with special needs before they start kindergarten. By helping children narrow or close development gaps before they reach school age, EISE teachers reduce or eliminate the need for intervention during the K-12 years.

From a career standpoint, an EISE endorsement has enormous value in the job market. “There’s been an increase in EISE caseloads and a corresponding increase in funding,” says Hix, “but the supply of EISE teachers hasn’t caught up yet. There’s a nationwide shortage, so an EISE endorsement typically gives you a lot of job options and strong salary leverage.”

To earn an endorsement in early intervention special education from Portland State University, you’ll complete a program that trains you to:

Develop individualized service plans for each child, tailored to the child’s particular strengths and needs.
Sets appropriate, measurable goals for each child.
Provide direct instruction using advanced special education techniques, such as Positive Behavior Interventions.
Communicate effectively with the child’s parents, family members, and other caregivers.
Train parents to reinforce EISE messaging in the home environment.
Collaborate with other special educators, and specialists such as speech therapists, child psychologists, and occupational therapists.
Maintain ongoing records of each child’s progress, and document the outcomes.

Keep Your Current Job While You Train for an EISE Career

Designed for teachers who already hold an active license, Portland State University’s EISE endorsement program helps you take advantage of the robust career opportunities and job market for early intervention special education.

PSU offers one of the few online EISE endorsement programs in the Pacific Northwest. You can complete it in 5 terms (about 15 months), doing all your coursework online while you continue to work in your current job.

In addition, says Hix, PSU provides students with exceptionally deep preparation to work with infants and toddlers—the specific population you’ll work within an EISE career.

“One of the unique things about our program is the intense focus on the ages from 0 to 3,” Hix says. “That’s extremely rare. There’s no other online program like ours in Oregon, and very few nationwide.”

The EISE endorsement program is led by top faculty from PSU’s nationally ranked Graduate School of Education, which is widely recognized for its innovative approaches to special education. That’s one of many reasons employers go out of their way to hire PSU graduates for EISE jobs.