2.  What funding is used to pay the LD Specialists and what are their job qualifications?
 
In order to begin training as a learning disability specialist, the following qualifications are required:
 

*	Master's degree in learning disabilities, special education, education, psychology, educational psychology , or rehabilitation counseling; AND 4 or more units of upper division or graduate study in assessment. Training/classes in learning disabilities preferred. 
*	Two years experience teaching adults or high school students 
*	Completion of Washington State LD Project Training - Intake, Screening, and Referral Model 
*	Completion of training in WAIS III and/or Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Ability 
*	Completion of Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement

Once these qualifications are met, a 3 day training is required to learn our assessment model. A certificate is issued upon completion of 2 complete written evaluations. Our model includes a sign off by a licensed psychologist.

The funding issue!

These positions are basically funded on a school by school basis where there are administrators who can round up necessary resources in a limited funding environment to support this cause!  There is no secure source of funding and many folks are performing this job with a stipend on top of their regualr positions as faculty or counselors.  

We are moving towards identifying this position as "learning specialist" instead of "ld specialist" as this job description better descirbes all aspects of what we do and is not soley focused on working with students with learning disabilities. We are a resource to both students and teachers who would like to be more successful in their learning and teaching.