ANGOLA -- Trine University's Franks School of Education will begin offering special education licensure programs for preschool through 12th grade in the spring 2019 semester, after receiving approval from the Indiana Department of Education to expand from grades K-6.

Anthony Kline, Ph.D., dean of the Franks School of Education, said the expansion will help provide more teachers for an area many school districts are struggling to fill. Kline said. "Special education is one of the biggest needs in education across the country".

The new licensure option also will open up more opportunities for Trine's secondary education graduates, Kline said. For the first time, some secondary education programs can add special education licensure to an existing content area within their four-year degree program at Trine.

One of the fastest-growing teacher education programs in Indiana, the school has a 100 percent employment rate for its licensed graduates over the past six years, with recent graduates achieving a 100 percent pass rate on the Core Academic Skills Assessment, Content Area Assessment and Developmental Assessment tests.