The Montana Office of Public Instruction Special Education Endorsement Project is an alternative certification program for special educators. Begun in 1988 by the Montana Comprehensive System of Personnel Development Council in answer to severe personnel shortages in rural schools, the project has continued to serve the needs of students with disabilities in the rural areas of the state. Similar to alternative certification programs in other states in many ways, the Montana project is strengthened by collaboration among the state's institutions of higher education and through two years of mentoring. An initial evaluation attempt in 1993 demonstrated the project's value to rural schools, and a follow-up study in 1997 demonstrated continued project viability. This article briefly describes the project, reports evaluation results, and suggests future project directions.
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