No Child Left Behind

Teacher Qualification

NCLB: Three Main Parts

• All teachers to meet new federal standards– New hires to meet standards now– Existing teachers to meet standards by 2005-2006

• Schools to measure whether students make progress toward state standards

• Schools that fail to meet state standards must offer choice and supplementary services

NCLB: Teacher Qualifications

• This presentation focuses only on new federal standards regarding teacher qualifications, one important part of NCLB

• This aspect of the new law is important because it directly affects you as a parent

NCLB: Information for Parents

• Parents can request credential information for child’s teacher (April ’03)

• Parents to receive notice in mail if child taught core subject by teacher not yet meeting new NCLB federal standards (April ’03)

NCLB: Core Subjects

• English• Reading/Language Arts • Math• Science • Foreign Languages

• Civics & Government • Economics• Arts• History• Geography

NCLB: What are new teacher standards?

Grades 1-4(all)

Grades 5-8(self contained)

Grades 5-12(departmentalized)

1. Bachelor’s Degree

2. Grade Level Certificate

3. Passed Test of Basic Skills if certificate obtained after 1988

1. Bachelor’s Degree

2. Grade Level Certificate

3. Passed Test of Basic Skills if certificate obtained after 1988

1. Bachelor’s Degree2. Grade Level Certificate3. For core subjects:

Endorsement OR College Major OR Pass State Subject-Matter Knowledge Test OR coursework equivalent to major

NCLB: New Standards

• There are important differences between new federal standards and existing state standards– Teachers Must Teach Majority of Classes on

Certificate vs. Endorsed for all Classes Taught– Reading– Type 29 Bilingual Certificates– Special Education– Provisional Certificates

NCLB: State vs. Federal Teachers Must Teach Majority of Classes on Certificate vs. Endorsed for all Classes Taught

State• High school and subject

specialists in middle schools (5-8 grades) need grade level certificate and endorsements only in subjects taught 3/5 of time (remaining 2/5 off certificate is OK)

Federal• High school and

departmentalized middle school teachers (5-8 grades) need endorsement, a major or pass state subject area test for each subject taught

NCLB: State vs. FederalReading in departmental settings

State• Teachers need reading

endorsement if they teach reading over 50% of time

Federal• Reading is considered a

subject that requires endorsements if the teacher teaches even one reading class

NCLB: State vs. FederalType 29 Bilingual Certificates

State• Teachers with Type 29

(bilingual) certificate can teach all subjects for 8 year life of certificate

Federal• Type 29 (bilingual)

certificates do not meet the NCLB standard unless the teacher has also passed the basic skills and subject area tests

NCLB: State vs. FederalSpecial Education

State• Special Education

teachers need grade level certificate and special education endorsements for disabilities served

Federal• Special education

endorsements are not used to make NCLB determinations

• It is unclear what content requirements special education teachers must meet

• Special education requirements will likely change for next year

NCLB: State vs. FederalProvisional Certificates

State• Teachers with provisional

certificates are qualified to teach for full year on those certificates

• Most provisional certificates are recent graduates from out of state who have not yet completed state certification tests

Federal• Teachers with provisional

certificates do not meet NCLB standard

NLCB: CPS Response

• Conduct teacher qualification audit– Enable teachers to review and update teacher

credential files online– Enable principals to determine staff assignments that

meet new NCLB standards– Enable principals to notify parents if staff assignments

do not meet new NCLB standards

NLCB: CPS Response

• Notify Parents– CPS to notify parents in April regarding most teachers

who do not yet meet NCLB standards– CPS to allow parents to request teacher credential

information beginning in mid-April for most teachers

NLCB: CPS Response

• Recruitment/Training– CPS will continue efforts to recruit, train and retain the

best teachers available– CPS will focus training resources on existing teachers

in order to help them meet the new NCLB standards

NCLB: Important Points

• New standards higher than many state standards• New standards require reading teachers to have specific

new qualifications, so many teachers delivering valuable services under new reading initiative will not meet new standard

• New standards measure qualifications and not quality of instruction

• New standards raised at time of shortage of qualified teachers

NCLB: School Data

NCLB: Local Analysis

NCLB: Summary

• No Child Left Behind creates new standard for teacher qualifications at CPS and across country

• Starting in April:– Parents will be notified by mail if child is taught core

subject by teacher who does not yet meet new NCLB standard

– Parents can request credential information for child’s teacher

• Teachers have until 2005-06 to meet new standard• Not meeting new standard does not mean teacher is

not qualified to teach or is not a good teacher• CPS is committed to goal that every teacher will meet

the new federal standards by 2005-2006