Elementary Implementation of NCLB’s Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements Presented by Kate Fenton September 2004

“Highly Qualified” Teachers NCLB requires that all school districts must ensure that all students are taught by Highly Qualified teachers in the core academic subjects by the end of the school year. The Highly Qualified teacher requirements apply to all core academic teachers employed by the school district, regardless of funding source.

Core Academic Subjects –English, Reading or Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Foreign Languages, Civics and Government, Economics, the Arts, History, and Geography

Highly Qualified Requirements In order to be considered “Highly Qualified,” teachers of the core academic subjects must: –possess a Bachelor’s Degree, and –possess a Massachusetts teaching license. License can be at the Preliminary, Initial, or Professional level (Equivalent to Provisional, Provisional w/ Advanced Standing, and Standard certificates)

Demonstration of Subject Matter Competency –Teachers must demonstrate Subject Matter Competency in each of the core academic subjects that the teacher is teaching.

Highly Qualified Status of Teachers All teachers that currently hold Highly Qualified status must fully document Subject Matter Competency in the core academic subjects they teach by 2006 to maintain their status.

Options for Demonstrating Subject Matter Competency Option 1: –Passing the MTEL Elementary General Curriculum Test Option 2: –Completion of an appropriate academic major, graduate degree, or coursework equivalent to an undergraduate academic major Option 3: –Completion of the Massachusetts HOUSSE (an approved Individual Professional Development Plan aligned with HOUSSE requirements)

Two Categories of Teachers GeneralistNon-Generalist

Generalist Teacher Generalist teachers: licensed in a specific area, but are teaching more than one core academic subject (Elementary, Middle School Generalist, K-8 Generalist, ELL, & Special Education Teachers).

Non-Generalist Teachers Non-generalist teachers: –teachers who are licensed to teach a core academic subject or subjects and who are teaching those subjects.

H igh Objective U niform S tate S tandard of E valuation NCLB allows states to define a High Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE) to provide educators with an additional option to demonstrate subject matter competency.

HOUSSE A teacher at any level of licensure can use the HOUSSE IPDP to meet the Highly Qualified requirements.

HOUSSE LOG To meet HOUSSE requirements teachers must: –Create a supplemental “log” that documents how they are meeting their HOUSSE requirements. –“Log” will allow teachers to draw PDPs from multiple rounds of license renewal dating back to 1999 through the end of 2006 to meet HOUSSE requirements.

HOUSSE Requirements HOUSSE IPDPs must contain 120 PDPs in total. 80% of 120 PDPs (96 PDPs) must focus on the content or pedagogy related to the core academic subject(s) that the teacher teaches.

Out-of-Field Teaching Massachusetts allows teachers to teach out-of-field for up to 20% of their time. –NCLB requires a teacher to demonstrate “a high level of competency in each of the [core] academic subjects” in which he or she teaches. A teacher who is teaching out-of-field will not be considered Highly Qualified in the out-of-field subject area until he/she has demonstrated subject matter competency in that area.

Scenario A non-generalist Art, Foreign Language, or Science elementary teacher who is teaching another subject for 20% of the day must demonstrate subject matter competency to be Highly Qualified in that subject.

Demonstration of Out-Of-Field Subject Matter Competency A non-generalist teacher who is teaching 20% Out-of-Field in a core academic subject must document on the HOUSSE Log 30 PDPs in that area by 2006 to be considered Highly Qualified.

HOUSSE Log for Generalist Teachers Must distribute 80% of the 120 PDPs across the core academic subjects that they teach. Distribution should ensure that teachers have at least 10 PDPs in each core academic subject that they teach.

Elementary Teachers Core Content Knowledge Most classroom teachers have the majority of their PDPs in Reading and Math due to the design of the Professional Development Program. Classroom teachers who teach Science and Social Studies need at least 10 PDPs in Science and 10 PDPs in Social Studies by 2006 to be Highly Qualified.

For Your Information

Are Licensure Renewal and Highly Qualified the Same? No Completion of the 2004 licensure renewal requirements does not mean you are Highly Qualified.

Generalist Teachers Teaching ELL Students If you are a generalist teacher having ELL students in your class and you are the primary instructor, you must hold an ESL, ELL, TBE, or ESOL license as well as demonstrate subject matter competency in the areas you teach.

Generalist Teachers in a Self Contained Classroom If you are a generalist teacher and the primary teacher in a special education self contained class, you must be Highly Qualified in each subject area you teach.

Inclusion Model If you are a special education teacher and are in an inclusion model, you must have a SPED license, but you do not have to be designated as Highly Qualified in that content area. If you are a generalist teacher in a Bilingual or ELL inclusion model, you do not have to hold a license in ELL, TBE or ESOL, but you must be Highly Qualified in all subject areas you teach

Verification of Compliance Principals must sign each teacher’s log attesting that the NCLB/DOE requirements for Highly Qualified status have been met.

Parent Notification Districts that receive Title I, Part A funds are required to notify the parents of students attending any school that receives funds under Title I, Part A that a parent may request, and the district will provide the parent on request, information regarding the professional qualifications of the student’s classroom teacher(s).

For More Information This Power Point presentation will be available on the SPS Intranet. A “Frequently Asked Questions” document will also be available on the SPS Intranet. The Professional Development Department and the Human Resources Department are available to answer your questions.