Special Education Alternate Route to Certification (SPARC)

You will learn the skills and knowledge needed to become a certified Special Education teacher, including evidence-based instructional practices, individualized education planning, and strategies for supporting students with diverse learning needs.

Graduates can become licensed Special Education teachers in Maine and pursue careers in K–12 schools, working with students across a range of disabilities and grade levels.

You will gain hands-on teaching experience while completing coursework, with mentoring and support from UMF faculty and school partners as you work toward certification.

This program allows working adults to transition into Special Education teaching without starting a full degree program, offering flexibility, professional support, and a pathway to licensure in a high-demand field.

Maine requires 24 credits of coursework for Special Education 282 Certification, including 3 credits in specially designed instruction, 3 credits in evaluation and assessment, and 3 credits in reading instruction. Participants in the Alternate Route to Certification pathway may take eight courses or only selected courses, depending on how many credits they need to reach the required 24 credits.

If you are planning to complete all of your 24 credits through the SPARC pathway, we suggest that you start by completing the following four courses because they are essential building blocks in the field of special education. The initial course you select will depend on the semester that you enter the program.

• SED 506 Assessment in Special Education
• SED 511 Mathematics Instruction for Students with Disabilities
• SED 514 Literacy Development for All Students
• SED 507 Curriculum and Instructional Programming for Students with Disabilities

At some point in your program (preferably after completing at least one of the above courses), we recommend that you take SED 508 Classroom and Behavior Management of Students with Disabilities and SED 518 Special Education Law.

Your remaining credits will vary based on your professional goals.

UMF’s Special Ed Alternate Route to Certification (SPARC) courses are open to all practicing Special Education educators holding a baccalaureate degree, including in-service educators, those working in Birth to Age 5 intervention settings, Ed Techs, and others.

The UMF SPARC pathway includes thirteen online graduate courses, which are offered on a rotating schedule. For this program, there is no need to apply for admission to UMF. Participants must have access to students with special needs in order to complete assignments for courses.

See the SPARC Course Selection Guidelines near the bottom of this page for guidance in selecting the courses you need if you are seeking your 282 certification in Maine.

The UMF professors know the state’s requirements very well and focus on student needs and practical, classroom-based issues that matter most to becoming a successful Special Education teacher.

“All of my professors had a wealth of Special Education teaching experience and they treated us like adult professionals, which I deeply appreciated. The SPARC program was the best bet, hands down, for becoming credentialed in the least amount of time.”

— Susan Hedrich,
Who Began the SPARC Program While Working
as an Ed-Tech in Special Education at
Maine’s Windham High School

• SED 503 Preparing Students for the Future: Transition Programming, Self-determination and Advocacy
• SED 504 Collaborative Partnerships Among Individuals with Disabilities, Families, and Professionals
• SED 505 Universal Design
• SED 506 Assessment in Special Education
• SED 507 Curriculum and Instructional Programming for Students with Disabilities
• SED 508 Classroom and Behavior Management of Students with Disabilities
• SED 511 Mathematics Instruction for Students with Disabilities
• SED 513 Early Childhood Speech and Language: Development, Disorders, and Interventions
• SED 514 Literacy Development for All Students
• SED 515 Early Intervention: Working with Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities and Their Families
• SED 517 Professional Ethics, Cultural Competence, and Evidence-based Practices in Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education
• SED 518 Special Education Law
• SED 519 Assistive Technology
• SED 529 Individualized Positive Behavior Support