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Education

Elementary, Middle, or High School Special Education Teacher

Teach school subjects to students with identified educational, cognitive, medical and/or physical challenges. Includes teachers who specialize and work with students with various levels of deafness or visual impairments, as well as those who teach basic academic and life processes skills to students with cognitive disabilities.

Annual openings

718

Median wage

n/a

Typical education

A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college/university, including completion of an approved program for the preparation of special education generalists, is required. Completion of an appropriate Master’s degree is required for the specialist licenses/endorsements.

Growth 2024–2034

+12%

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Career requirements

What does this career require?

Explore education, required qualifications, voluntary credentials and employer preferences for this role. Check the details to see which apply.

Typical education

A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college/university, including completion of an approved program for the preparation of special education generalists, is required. Completion of an appropriate Master’s degree is required for the specialist licenses/endorsements.

Credential requirement

Credential requirements not reported

Credential detail

An initial Teacher license is required as well as a Special Education Generalist (ages 5-21) endorsement or a Special Education Specialist (ages 5-21) endorsement.

Experience detail

No previous work experience is required. Completion of a student teaching/practicum/internship is required to obtain an initial Teacher license.

Employer competency information

  • ● Communication - Be perceptive and responsive listeners, able to communicate with students in a variety of ways; help students to articulate their thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively ● Instruction - Know and demonstrate knowledge of the content being taught, making the instruction and content relevant to students while fostering a positive learning environment and adjusting instructional approaches as needed ● Teamwork - Working collaboratively with other educators, the students, and the families to achieve learning outcomes ● Psychology - Engage students with different learning styles and abilities by using a variety of models of inclusive and effective practices ● Reading - Able to develop reading skills in students while also utilizing these skills to facilitate their own lifelong learning
Special Education Teachers can choose to remain a Generalist or can continue their education and experience to specialize in areas such as working with students that are visually impaired, deaf, or hard of hearing
As of 2019, there are many unfilled Special Education Teacher jobs throughout Colorado. These jobs exist across elementary, middle school, and high school settings. Education, credentials, skills, openings, and salary information is similar across each of these settings.
TEACH Colorado guides you into the profession of teaching, providing customized guidance, and allows you to create a career roadmap, get one-on-one expert advice, follow a how-to guide for getting licensed, access teacher prep program application checklists, and claim fee reimbursements toward application and testing expenses. Start your journey today by talking to a TEACH Colorado coach.

Is this work a fit?

What the work actually feels like

How people in this career tend to spend their time, the interests it draws on, and a look at a typical day.

Work style

The type of work can vary by job and employer.

  • With childrenYes
  • On a computerNo
  • OutdoorsNo
  • With your handsYes

Interests it draws on

  • Education
  • Teaching

Automation exposure

Low exposure

Tasks here lean on judgement and people skills that are hard to automate.

A typical day

  1. Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities.
  2. Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
  3. Modify the general elementary education curriculum for students with disabilities.
  4. Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, or administrative regulations.
  5. Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play.
  6. Coordinate placement of students with special needs into mainstream classes.
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