Meeting the highly qualified teacher challenge

USDOE - Continued emphasis on equitable distribution OESE priority (of 3): Teacher quality, equity and effectiveness “ensuring that poor or minority children are not taught by inexperienced, unqualified or out-of- field teachers at higher rates than are other children”

Highly qualified teachers – the ‘floor’ – inputs 100% by end of Bachelor’s degree State certification Demonstration of content knowledge (exam, coursework, HOUSSE)

Highly effective teachers – the goal - outputs Available research says: Years of experience Contextual training Value-added: student results

New York State’s Plan to Enhance Teacher Quality State actions to reduce gap: –Focus resources and TA on high-need, low performing schools –Collect and widely disseminate HQT data –Engage teacher education institutions in preparing candidates for shortage fields –Strategies for certification, induction, ongoing professional development and teacher retention

New York State’s Plan to Enhance Teacher Quality State actions to reduce gap (con’t): –Collaborate with network providers for targeted, HQ PD –Advocate for additional fiscal resources for high need schools –Require (and monitor) LEA teacher quality plans

New York State’s Plan to Enhance Teacher Quality Impact on LEAs HQT lists – for LEAs/districts not meeting HQT AMO of: –90% in – data avail July 2006 –95% in – preliminary data now –100% in – BEDS surveys just completed

New York State’s Plan to Enhance Teacher Quality Impact on LEAs (con’t) Teacher quality plan required now for LEAs on lists Teacher quality plan, including equitable distribution of HQ and experienced teachers, will be required of all LEAs in consolidated application Continued use of HOUSSE to get eligible teachers HQ Board of Regents: limit incidental teaching?

NYS Equity Gap In , a large difference between the top and bottom quartiles (high poverty/high minority and low poverty/low minority) in classes with HQ teachers New York is second from the bottom in the size of the gap at the elementary level (16% difference – 82% vs. 98%) New York is sixth from the bottom in the size of the secondary gap (17% difference – 80% vs. 97%)

The equity gap exists at multiple levels: –State – large and small urban districts –District – high poverty/minority buildings State plan – to begin reporting on district gaps in 2008 –Classroom assignments – which teachers get the ‘difficult students’?

HQT gaps In , of the 42,143 core courses not taught by HQ teachers, 87% secondary level) were taught by teachers not certified for the subject areas to which they were assigned Statewide not-HQ courses –Science (14%) –English (13%) –Math (12%) Some regions: high % of foreign language courses not taught by HQ teachers (9% statewide, 25% in some regions) Secondary special classes are more likely to have not-HQ teaching of core courses than elementary special classes

Continuing challenges Accurate and timely data Full dissemination of data & implications Contractual barriers Proliferating requirements Limited resources – fiscal and human

Emerging Research - Strategies to Improve Effective Teaching Improving the working environment –Building school capacity to support teachers –Teacher career ladders and leadership –Induction/mentoring support –Placement practices

Emerging Research - Strategies to Improve Effective Teaching (con’t) Pipeline strategies –Preparation for teaching in high need schools –Expanding the teaching pool –Hiring practices –Recruiting minority teachers Monetary strategies –Performance-based pay –Financial incentives from

In your work with districts, how might you help them define teaching effectiveness? Base of “highly qualified” Experience – who gets assigned to what buildings and classrooms? What other factors highly impact teaching effectiveness – consider APPR, job-embedded PD, working conditions, mentoring & induction support, distributed leadership …?

Possible SCDN leadership roles? Examine local data related to the placement of experienced and highly qualified teachers –Dig deeply into multiple layers of teacher data –Help build the case (with teachers, administrators, other stakeholders) for equitable building and classroom placement of experienced and highly qualified, experienced, and effective teachers –Include teaching quality issues in school improvement planning, including resource allocation

Possible SCDN leadership roles? (con’t) How to help build learning environments that support recruitment and encourage retention? Assist in ensuring that eligible teachers are documented as highly qualified (HOUSSE & other routes) Help develop local plans and rubrics (including non-evaluative) that assess teaching quality

Guiding questions What roles related to teaching quality, experience and effectiveness might your region address? What roles related to the equitable distribution of highly effective teaching might your network address? What kinds of support might you need from SED? Questions, information or TA requests: Alysan Slighter