Teaching on a Waiver 

In the state of Kansas, you can be hired to teach special education if you hold a valid initial teaching license, but do not yet hold a valid special education endorsement. To do so, you will need to: (1) apply for a Quality Performance Accreditation (QPA) Waiver to teach with until you qualify for a Provisional Endorsement (see Step 1 below), (2) complete the required coursework to earn a Provisional Endorsement and apply for it (see Steps 2 and 3 below), (3) complete the required coursework to earn the Full Endorsement, and apply for your Full Endorsement (see Steps 4 and 5 below). Each step of the process has strict timelines in which the step must be completed.

If you plan to apply for the endorsement in a non-Kansas state, you will likely need to obtain an Institutional Verification Form from your state department of education.  That form will need to be sent to Kerry Schuckman (kschuckm@fhsu.edu or fax 785-628-4447), FHSU Licensure Officer, for completion.

Step 1: Quality Performance Accreditation (QPA) Waiver - Kansas

If you are hired as a special education teacher in Kansas but do not have an endorsement to teach special education and have not taken enough coursework to qualify for a Provisional Endorsement (see Provisional Endorsement Required Coursework below), then you should apply for the QPA Waiver. A QPA Waiver is valid for 1 academic year in which it is issued. One-year renewals of the waiver may be requested by the school district for two succeeding years (up to 3 years total) providing additional coursework in the program has been completed each year. 

Waiver applications should be received in the office of Advanced Education Programs and Licensure, Kansas State Department of Education by November 1.  If a district hires or reassigns a person requiring a waiver after the start of the school year, and the individual cannot meet the current enrollment requirement until the second semester, the completed waiver request must be submitted by February 1 of the current academic year. A summer class counts for progress in the next school year’s Waiver (e.g., a Summer 2018 class counts for the Waiver applied for in Fall 2018).

To Qualify for a QPA Waiver, You:

1.  Must hold a currently valid teaching license in Kansas.

2.  Must have a QPA Waiver Plan of Study on file for the program (see To apply for a QPA waiver below).

3.  Be enrolled in at least one course from the QPA Waiver Plan of Study per academic year.

To Apply for a QPA Waiver: 

1.  Request a QPA Waiver Plan of Study from the FHSU licensure officer,  Mrs. Kerry Schuckman kdschuckman@fhsu.edu.  

2.  Obtain a copy of your unofficial transcript showing current enrollment.  

3.  Submit your QPA Waiver Plan of Study and unofficial transcript to your employer.

To Renew your QPA Waiver:

Renewals of QPA Waivers are conducted through your district.  You do not need an updated Plan of Study from FHSU. You update your own QPA Waiver at the end of each semester by filling in each course that you have completed. Submit your updated QPA Waiver Plan of Study and a recent unofficial transcript to your school district.

Step 2: Complete the Required Coursework to Earn a Provisional Endorsement

While on the waiver, you must take the following courses first, which will earn you a Provisional Endorsement. The Provisional Endorsement allows you to continue teaching special education in Kansas without a full endorsement, but you must be making progress on your Plan of Study each semester.

Keep a copy of the QPA Waiver Plan of Study form,  update it with grades and dates of course completion each semester, and give a copy to your district/employer. FHSU does not send updates to Waiver QPA Plans of study. 

High Incidence Program
If you started the program AFTER July 1, 2018, complete these courses first (check courses indicated as Provisional Endorsement on your QPA Waiver Plan of Study).

• SPED 804: Behavior Management in Schools/Practicum (3 hours)

• SPED 805: Assessment and Lab in Special Education (3 hours)

• SPED 806: Methods and Materials for Exceptional Students (3 hours)

If you started the program BEFORE July 1, 2018, complete these courses first  (check courses indicated as Provisional Endorsement on your QPA Waiver Plan of Study).

• SPED 802: Theories of Exceptionalities and Diversity (3 hours)

• SPED 805: Assessment and Lab in Special Education (3 hours)

• SPED 822: Strategies in High Incidence Special Education/Practicum (3 hours)

• SPED 867: Consultation and Collaboration in High Incidence (3 hours)

Low  Incidence Program

• SPED 842: Methods and Strategies in Low Incidence Special Education

• SPED 808: Assessment in Low Incidence Special Educaiton

• SPED 804 Behavior Management in Schools/Practicum

Gifted Program
If you started the program in Fall 2020 or after, complete these courses first (check courses indicated as Provisional Endorsement on your QPA Waiver Plan of Study).

• SPED 851 Theories/Models in Gifted Education (3 hours - summer)

• SPED 852 Strategies in Gifted Education (3 hours - fall)

• SPED 853 Curriculum/Instruction for Gifted Education (3 hours - spring)

If you started the program prior to Fall 2020, complete these courses first (check courses indicated as Provisional Endorsement on your QPA Waiver Plan of Study).

• SPED 802: Theories of Exceptionalities and Diversity (3 hours)

• SPED 805: Assessment and Lab in Special Education (3 hours)

• SPED 852: Strategies in Gifted Special Education (3 hours)

• SPED 859: Consultation and Collaboration in Gifted (3 hours)

Step 3: Apply for your Provisional Endorsement

A Provisional Endorsement is a temporary endorsement added to an existing teaching license. You must complete all required coursework and pass the Praxis to earn the Full Endorsement if you wish to continue teaching special education in the state of Kansas. Once you have completed the above required courses, you must apply for your Provisional Endorsement. 

To apply for the Provisional License:

Complete #1 - KLAS "Provisional license". When you fill out and submit the online application, the hiring school district or Local Education Agency (LEA) will receive an email notification to fill out a district portion of the application verifying your assignment. The email notification will go to the district official at the LEA designated by you on the application.  The district portion of the application is accessed through the KSDE KLAS system. 

 The district portion of the application must be filled out by the LEA administrator and then submitted.  Once the district portion is completed and submitted, the application proceeds to FHSU.  FHSU verifies the required information and forwards it to KSDE for final processing.  You will be notified when KSDE is sent the application so that you can submit payment.

The Provisional Endorsement is valid for two years and may be renewed for an additional two years providing additional coursework has been taken since the issuance of the first provisional (a total of 50% of the Plan of Study has been completed). You are not eligible to apply for a license if all of the coursework in the program has not been completed. You MUST complete the full program and successfully pass the required Praxis exam in order to be fully endorsed.

For more information about licensure, visit the FHSU Licensure website.

Step 4: Complete the Required Coursework to Earn a Full Endorsement

Once you have received your Provisional Endorsement, you must complete the remaining required coursework on your Plan of Study within 4 years, and successfully pass the Praxis exam (see Praxis for more information) to earn a Full Endorsement to continue teaching special education in Kansas.

Step 5: Apply for your Full Endorsement

Once you have completed all of your required coursework for your program (High Incidence, Low Incidence , or Gifted) and successfully passed the correct Praxis exam for your program, you are ready to apply for your Full Endorsement in Kansas. A master's degree is not required for the endorsement.

Apply for your full endorsement by completing #1 - KLAS "Adding an endorsement to an existing license". When you fill out and submit the online application, it proceeds to FHSU.  FHSU verifies the required information (coursework completion and passing Praxis II score) and forwards it to KSDE for final processing.  You will be notified when KSDE is sent the application so that you can submit payment.  The master’s degree does not need to be conferred in order to obtain the full endorsement.

Apply for your full endorsement by completing #1 - KLAS "Adding an endorsement to an existing license.