Letter of Authorization Requests Policy

Department of Special Education

Policy on Statements of Deficiency for Letter of Authorization Requests

Adopted 10/1/2004

1. Individuals seeking a statement of deficiency from the Department of Special Education to support a Letter of Authorization (LOA) request from a school district must meet in person with the program coordinator (or a designee) in the appropriate specialization area to determine if they are eligible under Department policy.
2. The eligibility criteria for a statement of deficiency are:
   1. The individual holds a Bachelor degree from an accredited institution of higher education.
   2. The individual has been admitted to, or can reasonably be expected to meet the requirements for admission to, the Department of Special Education as a post-bachelors or graduate student.
   3. The individual can reasonably fulfill all approved course, field study, and student teaching requirements of the specialization program in his or her assigned teaching position.
3. The program coordinator (or a designee) will write a statement of deficiency for eligible individuals. The statement must:
   1. Indicate whether the individual is a matriculated or a nonmatriculated student. In the case of a nonmatriculated student, the statement must indicate that it is only valid if the individual is admitted to the Department.
   2. List courses previously completed by the individual that will be applied to the requirements of the licensure program.
   3. List the courses and field experiences that the individual must complete to meet the requirements of the licensure program.
   4. List any additional study requirements established by the specialization area for individuals teaching on LOAs (e.g. , onsite observations in exemplary programs for students with disabilities).
4. The statement of deficiency must be mailed to the appropriate school district representative and the individual. A copy of the statement must be placed in the individual=s department file.
5. Individuals admitted to the Department under a LOA are expected to complete the teacher licensure program within three academic years from the date of their admission to the Department as per the Utah State Office of Education administrative rules.
6. The Department may elect at any time to bar an individual teaching on a LOA from registering for courses, field studies, and student teaching if:
   1. It becomes evident that the individual can not complete the requirements of the teacher licensure program in his or her assigned teaching position.
   2. It becomes evident that the individual is not making continuous progress toward completing the teacher licensure program.
   3. The amount of field supervision and support necessary for the individual to successfully complete the requirements of the program exceeds what is typically provided to students by Department Clinical Supervisors.
   4. The individual is not receiving adequate supervision and support from school district personnel to complete the requirements of the teacher licensure program.