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The VI Consortium is the only academic program for preparing teachers of students with visual impairments in Virginia and is comprised of three universities: George Mason University, Â鶹´«Ã½, and Radford University. Its primary goal is to prepare teachers to be highly skilled at working with students with blindness and visual impairments. Completion of the VI program meets the Virginia Department of Education's required competencies for teachers of students with blindness and visual impairments. Classes are offered through a combination of video conferencing, asynchronous classes, and face-to-face meetings. Through video conferencing, students are able to experience real-time, interactive, multipoint instruction among the three universities.

George Mason University is the lead university for this consortium. More information on the consortium in general can be found at this .

Consortium goal: to provide the coursework and field experiences required for a Virginia teaching endorsement in blindness and visual impairments K-12 to individuals who hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited university.

Eligibility

Admission and tuition support is awarded preferentially in the following order:

1. Teachers holding Virginia provisional licenses with blindness and visual impairment, PreK-12 (BVI) endorsements and currently employed by a Virginia public school division or state-operated program.
2. Individuals with bachelor's degrees from regionally accredited universities who are working in Virginia public school divisions or state-operated programs and who wish to become endorsed in VI.
3. Individuals with bachelor's degrees from regionally accredited universities who wish to become endorsed in BVI.

Tuition Assistance

Funding of students admitted to the consortium will be dependent on available funding and contingent on the student's compliance with consortium requirements. Funding amounts will vary by semester.

Program Application Process

1. Complete the online ;
2. Complete the graduate non-degree application process with Â鶹´«Ã½, including reactivating a student record or changing student status with Â鶹´«Ã½ if necessary.
3. Submit the following to the CSEEP Office (scans to CSEEP@odu.edu):
   • official transcripts from any university attended but Â鶹´«Ã½;
   • copies of any other assessment scores for teacher licensure (e.g., VCLA, RVE);
   • copy of the face of the applicant's provisional license and all the pages that came with it (if applicable);
   • a current resume; and
   • ²¹²ÔÌýEmployer Verification Form.

Continuance Requirements

• VI Consortium students must attain a B or better in grant-funded course work; maintain 3.0 GPA; and meet .
• A clearance check must be on file with Office of Clinical Experiences before registering for any practicum coursework.
• All graduate students must complete the Responsible Conduct of Research modules before 12 graduate hours have been completed.

Exit Requirements

• scores as per the
• scores as per the
• Â鶹´«Ã½ Exit Requirements

Contact information for the VI Consortium:

Commonwealth Special Education Endorsement Program
217 Child Study Center
Â鶹´«Ã½
Norfolk, VA 23508

757-683-5372 (office)
757-683-4129 (fax)
cseep@odu.edu