Special Services Standard Certificate

The Standard Special Services Certificate is valid in all Nebraska schools unless someone applies for a nonpublic certificate only.  This certificate is valid only in the area of Special Services Endorsements for Audiologist and School Nurse. Once issued, a Special Services Standard Certificate expires August 31 in the fifth year following the year of issuance.

The requirements for a Special Services Standard Certificate include the following:

  1. Apply through TEACH portal.
  2. Submit official transcripts from colleges or universities attended that show completion Audiologist or Nursing program. These must come directly from the college itself. See submitting transcripts on our website.
  3. Pay application fee.
  4. Submit Fingerprints IF you have not been a resident of Nebraska for the past 5 years and/or have not previously held a NE special services certificate.
  5. Submit evidence of a Human Relations Training course through transcripts.

Create an account in TEACH.  

You will need to use your personal email address. This will be the address that your certificate gets emailed to as a PDF.

Start a new application

  1. What type of Certificate or Permit are you applying for today? = Select Special Services
  2. Ever held a Nebraska Teaching Certificate? = No
  3. Ever held an educator license in another state? = Yes/No
  4. Then select “First Time Applicant” and “Standard” from the dropdown box and complete the online application.

In the application

A checklist will appear on the left side of the application.  As you complete each section, the red X will change to a green check mark.  Each tab has instructions to complete each section.

Certificate Type Tab

Select “All School Certificate or Permit” or “Nonpublic School Certificate”.  Districts you add to the employment section will be able to monitor your application and status.

Personal Information Tab

Enter your information.  On this tab you can select the option “I hereby give my consent to the Nebraska Department of Education to use SMS messaging to send me notifications via text message and email.”

Academic Record Tab

Follow the instructions on this tab with information about any college or university you attended as a student.  Official transcripts must be sent directly from the college. Most colleges have a portal that will identify the service they use to send transcripts. A transcript from Parchment or National Student Clearinghouse can be sent directly to nde.tcertweb@nebraska.gov.

You can also mail a transcript to the following address: Nebraska Department of Education, Educator Certification, PO Box 94987, Lincoln, Nebraska 68509. Please note that if you mail a transcript yourself, it must be in a sealed envelope from the college.

Personal & Professional Fitness Tab

Answer the questions listed.  Any answer of “yes” will require explanation and documentation.

Testing Tab

Nothing needs to be done on this tab.  The certification analyst that works your application will look up your license with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

Fingerprint Tab

Select the option that accurately describes your residency for the last 5 years.  Please note, that attending an out of state college would require you to select option “C”, as this means you were not continuously living in the state of Nebraska.

Declaration, Authorization and Signature Tab

Your electronic signature will need to match the name on the application.  If you previously had started the application, be sure to update your signature to reflect today’s date.

Fee and Payment Tab

To move to the fee and payment, all of the tabs must be saved and have a green check mark next to them.

The Standard Special Services certificate expires August 31st in the fifth year of issuance or renewal. In order to renew, each applicant must fulfill the requirements of the initial Standard Special Services Certificate and apply for the renewal.

Updated February 12, 2024 11:46am