Please note that only school leaders should be filling out this recommendation form on behalf of a currently enrolled Relay a Student. A Relay student should have sent you this link requesting your recommendation.

Students should not be filling out this form!

*To be eligible to transfer into the M.A.T. and Dual Certificate in General and Special Education major, teachers must be in a full-time K-12 teaching role. Teachers are eligible to continue teaching under their current NYS Transitional B teaching certification area. However, they must also hold a role as a special education teacher and teach at least one period a day as the special education teacher of record. Regardless of their teaching position, students must pursue your Transitional B certification in Students with Disabilities to ensure they are legally qualified to be recommended for their initial license at the conclusion of their program. Additional information regarding this process can be found in our SY22-23 Transfer Guide.*

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We hope that your school year is off to a great start. You are receiving this form because we have the privilege of working with a teacher at your school who is interested in changing their major to the Dual Certificate in Special Education program at the Relay Graduate School of Education. This form is to inform you of the impact of their change and to verify that you support this change.

To support your teacher in mastering the key skills of effective special educators, this program includes a year-long fieldwork requirement. Starting in the fall of their second year at Relay GSE, your teacher will be asked to deliver specialized instruction to an individual student with an identified disability, once a week, for one hour. This is a unique and valuable opportunity to drive outcomes for an individual learner.  

We know that there are infinite demands on our teachers’ time. We have also clearly seen the impact that this fieldwork experience has on teachers’ practice and self-efficacy. To ensure this is a meaningful experience, we ask that you support your teacher in:

• Identifying a protected block of time for the weekly intervention session
• Identifying a quiet instructional space to lead the weekly intervention session

In addition to the fieldwork requirement, there are additional certification requirements as teachers in this major are eligible for recommendations for two initial licenses, a general education and a special education license, upon completion of the program.

If you would like to learn more about this component of our program or the certification requirements, I encourage you to discuss the details with your teacher or reach out to your teacher’s advisor at Relay. 


Sincerely,

Lauren LeBental                
Assistant Dean of Special Education

Please Sign Below 

I have received and reviewed the fieldwork requirements for the Dual Certificate in Special Education program at Relay Graduate School of Education. I will work with my teacher to support their ability to meet their weekly fieldwork requirements. I verify that they can change their major by submitting the information below:

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