Can someone explain to me the requirements for teaching in Virginia?

Question

I have a friend who has a BA, she is now teaching special ed for autistic kids. She says she has to get her masters in 5 years, and meet her licensure, special ed, and district education reqmts annually and that its physically impossible to get it all done. I guess I just don't understand - does she have to get her Masters? I tried looking it up, but couldn't really understand the regulations from teh Virginia Dept of Ed.

Answer 1

She shouldn't have to get her Master's unless she signed her contract on special terms. Does she already have a degree in sped? If not, she may need to become qualified to keep her job. That may be why she needs her Master's.
In Virginia you need to have your teaching license to teach. It can be a collegiate professional (you trained to be a teacher in college) or provisional (you were hired with the understanding that you would earn your professional license in a certain amount of time). NCLB also says that a teacher must be "highly qualified" which basically means that they teach in a subject they were trained in. Find out what kind of license your friend has, and also if she has a degree in sped. If not, that may be why she needs to complete these requirements. Sorry if that's confusing.