Oregon Teacher Requirements for Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists

The following information summarizes the requirements currently necessary to begin work in the public school system as an audiologist or speech-language pathologist.

The information below has been collected by researching individual state department of education regulations and policy documents, state administrative code provisions, and by contacting each state department of education. Please be advised that regulations and policy may change at any time, so always check with your state department of education for the most up-to-date information.

Audiologist

Audiologists in the public schools are contract employees and do not fall under specific teacher requirements of the State Department of Education. State licensure is typically required for practice in the schools.

Speech-Language Pathologist

Communication Disorders Endorsement

• Complete an approved communication disorders program consisting of 63 quarter hours in educating students with communication disorders and culminating in a master's degree or 45 quarter hours of upper-division or graduate study beyond the bachelor's degree, to include 15 graduate quarter hours in language, speech, and hearing. The program must include: anatomy and physiology of speech, language, and hearing; phonetics; normal language development; education of exceptional children; language and speech pathology; behavior management; audiology; aural rehabilitation and diagnostic and prescriptive techniques.
• A minimum of 275 clock hours of supervised teaching, internship and practicum.
  Note: One year of full-time public school or regionally accredited private school experience as a speech pathologist shall be substituted for this supervised teaching, internship, and practicum. 
  or
• ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence and passage of the Praxis specialty area test.

Continuing Education Requirement

A Standard Teaching License may be renewed upon verification of continuing professional development.

Emergency Certification

A Restricted Transitional Teaching License is available to anyone with a bachelor's degree who applies for the license with an employing Oregon school district and is valid for three years. The Oregon school district superintendent wishing to hire the applicant must submit a letter describing their particular needs in relation to the applicant's teacher qualifications as summarized on a submitted resume, agree to provide a mentor and attest that no suitable teacher holding an unrestricted full-time license appropriate to the assignment is available. A master's degree in communication disorders is required for further licensure upon expiration of a Restricted Transitional Teaching License.

Resources

The information contained herein was collected and summarized annually. For detailed information on teacher certification requirements, contact the state department of education and visit these websites:

Teacher Standards & Practices Commission

TSPC Rules

Questions regarding state advocacy issues? Call ASHA at 800-498-2071 and ask for the State Advocacy Team.