Mission of the Project

CREATE’s mission is to grow a highly qualified and effective special education teacher and related services work force in South Carolina. Through a collaborative partnership with local school districts and 13 leading colleges and universities in South Carolina, all with NCATE/State-approved teacher preparation programs, the project assists qualified individuals in obtaining (a) add-on, alternative, or initial certification in special education, (b) advanced certification in speech-language pathology, or (c) national certification as a board certified behavior analyst, by underwriting course tuition and textbooks costs. CREATE is funded largely by the South Carolina Department of Education’s Office of Exceptional Children, Cathy Boshamer, Director, with supplemental funding provided by SCDE’s Office of Teacher Effectiveness, Dr. Briana Timmerman, Director.

News for 2012-2013

• CREATE begins Year 10 operation with the 2012-2013 school year.
• Public and charter school employees holding full-time instructional or non-instructional positions are eligible for CREATE.
• Coastal Carolina University rejoins 13-member CREATE college consortium.
• CREATE-sponsored certifications, both add-on and initial, include Emotional Disabilities (ED), Hearing Impairments (HI), Learning Disabilities (LD), Mental Disabilities (MD), Multi-categorical SpEd (MC), Severe Disabilities (SEV), and Visual Impairments (VI).
• Applicants may also obtain add-on certification in Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE), recently approved by SCDE.
• CREATE now supports advanced-level preparation in Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) through master’s programs at 2 centers – SC State University and USC Columbia; USCC offers a 100% online program (Master’s in Communication Disorders, MCD) in SLP to a State-wide audience.
• CREATE assistance is available to individuals seeking the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) national credential through USC Columbia; only on-campus courses are available.

Success: 2003-2012

• Course scholarships awarded: 2,675
• Participants enrolled: 1,053
• Program Completers: 680
• School districts represented: 80 (of 85)