Question & Answers
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Who is affected by this requirement?
Every teacher who teaches in a public school in a core academic
subject is affected.
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What subjects are considered core academic subjects by NCLB?
The term “core academic subjects” is defined as: English, reading or
language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and
government, economics, arts, history, and geography.
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How
are the “arts” defined in South Dakota?
Arts
in South Dakota are defined as music and visual arts.
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When does this requirement go into
effect?
The requirement is already in effect for newly hired
Title I teachers in targeted assistance and schoolwide programs.
Effective at the end of the school year 2005-2006, all public teachers in the state who are teaching core subjects must be
highly qualified. This requirement includes all Title I teachers.
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What are the requirements for
being highly qualified as a new teacher?
Elementary teachers who are new to the profession must
have full state certification, hold at least a bachelor’s degree and
must demonstrate, by passing a rigorous state test of subject
knowledge and teaching skill in reading, writing, mathematics, and
other areas of the basic elementary school curriculum.
Middle school and secondary teachers who are new to the profession
must have full state certification, hold at least a bachelor’s
degree, and must demonstrate a high level of competency in each of
the academic subjects in which they teach. This may be accomplished
by passing a rigorous state subject matter test or teachers may
complete an undergraduate major in a content area, or earn a
graduate degree.
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What are the
requirements for being highly qualified for current teachers?
Current elementary
teachers must have full state certification, hold a bachelor’s
degree, and demonstrate competency through passing the state test or
meeting the high objective State standard of evaluation, often
referred to as H.O.U.S.E. (HOUSE).
The HOUSE rules
for elementary teachers are:
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Being fully authorized by the State of South Dakota for
all teaching assignments in all core content areas AND have 3 prior
years of teaching experience OR
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Passes subject specific state test in content and
pedagogy (available September 2004) OR
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Hold a graduate degree OR
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Have a Reading specialist endorsement OR
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Hold National Board Certification in a specific
discipline or in a broad category.
Current middle
and secondary teachers who are not new to the profession must
have full state certification, hold a bachelor’s degree, and demonstrate competency by passing a state test, or hold a
major, or a graduate degree or have National Board Certification
in the content area. Current middle and high school teachers may
also demonstrate competency through the HOUSE rules for middle
and high school teachers.
The HOUSE rules
for middle and high school teachers are:
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Being fully authorized by the State of South Dakota for
all teaching assignments in all core content areas AND having 3 prior
years of teaching experience OR
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Passes subject specific state test in content and
pedagogy (available September 2004) OR
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Hold a graduate degree OR
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Have a Reading specialist endorsement OR
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Hold National Board Certification in a specific
discipline or in a broad category.
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What is the
source of these requirements?
No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) Title I, Part A, section 1119 requires all
public teachers in the state who teach core academic subjects to be
highly qualified by the end of the 2005-2006 school year. The HOUSE
rules were developed at the state level with a committee of partners
from SDEA and the Department of Education. The rules were reviewed
by the Committee of Practitioners. The rules were presented to the
Board of Education for consideration and approval.
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Doesn’t
this requirement affect only Title I programs?
No. The law
requires that states receiving Title I Part A funds must ensure
that all public school teachers who teach core academic content
subjects be highly qualified.
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In a targeted assistance Title I
program, which teachers would need to meet these requirements?
For targeted
assistance schools, newly hired teachers directly paid with
Title I funds are required to meet the requirements prior to being
hired.
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In a schoolwide Title I program,
which teachers would need to be “highly qualified”?
In a
schoolwide program, all teachers and programs are supported by
Title I funds. Therefore, all newly hired teachers teaching in
core academic subjects must be highly qualified prior to being
hired.
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Will every teacher have to take
a test to be “highly qualified”?
No. For some
teachers, a state exam will be necessary to meet the requirements.
Elementary teachers who are identified as “new to the profession” must
take the exam.
Middle and secondary
teachers who are new to the profession have the option of either
taking the state tests in each academic subject taught or provide
evidence of holding majors in the subject, or a graduate degree.
For teachers who are
not new to the profession, taking the state exam is one option to
achieving the status of being “highly qualified”. Consult the chart
to determine what options are available.
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Some pre-service teachers take
an entrance test to get into their teacher preparation program at
college; will those entrance tests be accepted for meeting the
requirements of highly-qualified?
No. Tests given by
colleges to assess student preparation for teacher training programs
will not be accepted as a measurement for being highly qualified. The
state test will be aligned to specific subject areas with teachers at
varying grade levels (elementary, middle, and secondary) taking tests
designed specifically for their content area.
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If teachers are highly qualified
for positions they currently hold, are they still considered highly
qualified if they transfer to another teaching position within the
district?
The status of being
highly qualified is not transferable from position to position. If
teachers are reassigned to new positions, they must verify they meet
the requirements of being highly qualified for the new positions.
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If
teachers from another state seek teaching positions in South Dakota,
how will they know if they are highly qualified in South Dakota?
An experienced teacher from another
state will need to meet the same requirements for being highly
qualified as South Dakota teachers. All out of state applicants must
provide documentation of completion of an approved state licensure
exam within the content area in which they will be certified effective
September 1, 2004. A teacher new to the profession must take the
state test in order to be highly qualified.
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If teachers do not meet the
requirements of being “highly qualified”, what can they do?
There
are options for teachers who do not meet the requirements of being
highly qualified. Teachers who do not possess the minimum of a
bachelor degree will not be able to meet the requirements of “highly
qualified”. Teachers working under the certification status of
“instructor” or “non-authorized” will not be considered as “highly
qualified”.
A teacher may pursue
certification and work under an “authority to act” until the end of
the 2005-2006 school year. Starting with the school year 2006-2007,
an “authority to act” will not be allowed. Only highly qualified
teachers may be hired for core content subjects in public schools.
The process is as
follows:
- Fill out initial application. The application can be downloaded at
www.doe.sd.gov/oatq/index.htm
- Send the application to the applicant’s University for verification
of a teaching degree.
- Return the completed application to the Department of Education,
Office of Policy and Accountability for transcript analysis for
authorizations outside the major(s).
Other options for
becoming “Highly Qualified”:
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The teacher may choose to pursue
the appropriate additional college coursework to meet the requirements
of being “highly qualified”.
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The teacher may take the state
test specific to the area in which they are teaching. If they pass
the test in both content and pedagogy, they will be considered “highly
qualified”. (available September 2004).
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The teacher may choose to pursue
National Board Certification (must have 3 years of teaching
experience).
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Successfully complete an
advanced degree or reading specialist endorsement.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
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How does the
requirement to be “highly qualified” impact special education
teachers?
The requirements
apply to elementary, middle and secondary special education teachers
when providing instruction in “core academic subjects”
Elementary special
educators must meet the same requirements of being highly qualified as
all elementary teachers by 2005-2006.
For middle school
and secondary special educators, the requirement will apply to any
special educator who teaches a “core academic subject”.
For special
educators in general, the field being taught is special education.
Special education teachers provide support, in consultation with
teachers of “core academic subjects”. Thus, the teacher of record who
awards the credit must hold the appropriate endorsement and be highly
qualified.
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Does this mean
special education teachers cannot teach classes that address
coursework such as “Math in the Work World” or other functional
classes that are based on the content standards?
Teachers of any of
the core academic subjects must hold the appropriate endorsements and
be highly qualified. A special educator who teaches any of the core
academic subjects, is the sole instructor of record, and awards a
grade must be highly qualified.
Special educators,
working in collaboration and consultation with general education
teachers who are highly qualified in the appropriate core areas, will
be able to provide special education to students taking these courses.
Thus, a special educator may address the special education needs of a
student taking a course in a core academic area, but must be either
highly qualified to be the teacher of record and award grades or
be in collaboration with a highly qualified teacher for that core
area.
PUBLIC REPORTING
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What information
must the State of South Dakota report regarding highly qualified
teachers?
The
State of South Dakota must collect and report on the percentage of
highly qualified staff statewide, including the number of teachers
teaching under “authority to act” or teaching “out of field.” The
state must also report the percentage of classes or teaching
assignments that are not taught by highly qualified teachers. The
information will indicate the percentage of teaching assignments
taught by teachers not highly qualified for high-poverty compared to
low-poverty schools. The state must also determine and report the
percentage of teachers receiving high quality professional development
each year as defined in Title IX of NCLB.
The data used to
determine the percent of highly qualified teachers is submitted
annually by each public school district to the State Department of
Education. Each fall all public school districts are required to
submit data regarding their teachers and administrators and their
current assignments using a program called the “personnel record
form”(PRF).
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What must schools
do to notify parents about the qualifications of the educational staff
working with their child?
At the beginning of
the school year, every district that receives Title I funds must
inform the parents that they may request information regarding the
professional qualifications of their children’s classroom teachers.
The district must provide a response to the parents’ request in a
timely manner.
Parents must be
provided timely notice that their children have been assigned or have
been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by teachers who are not
highly qualified.
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If a parent
requests this information, what does the district have to provide?
The information must
include, at a minimum, the following:
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Whether the teacher has met State qualification and licensing criteria
for the
grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides
instruction.
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Whether the teacher is teaching under “authority to act” status
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The baccalaureate degree major of the teacher and any other
graduate
certification or degree held by the teacher, and the field of
discipline of the
certification or degree.
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Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and,
if so, their qualifications.
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Is there a specific
format for the district parental notice?
No, there is not a specific format. The notice and information
provided to parents must be in an understandable and uniform format
and, to the extent practicable, provided in a language that the
parents can understand. A sample letter to parents is available under
Section 1119.
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When do the reports
on a school’s highly qualified teachers need to be completed?
The
state and each district must report the percentage of highly qualified
staff and those receiving high quality professional development by the
start of school each year. The notice to parents informing them of
the qualifications of teachers teaching their children must be
provided in the fall of each school year.
FUNDING
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What
sources of funding are there for districts to use to help teachers
meet the requirements for highly qualified?
There is a
requirement for all Title I districts to set aside 5% of their Title I
allocation to help staff meet the requirements for high quality.
These funds are to be used to help teachers meet the requirements of
being highly qualified and for paraprofessionals to meet the
qualifications of Section III9. These funds can only be used in Title
I schools. The priority use for these funds goes:
1st - to Title I teachers,
2nd - to Title I paraprofessionals, and
3rd
- to teachers of core academic content areas.
In a school
operating a schoolwide program, all core content area teachers and
paraprofessionals that provide instructional services are considered
Title I staff.
The
term “working in a program supported by Title I funds” will be used to
refer to teachers and paraprofessionals in both targeted assistance
and schoolwide programs.
Individual Titles
II, A & D., and V funds as well as funds under Title VI can also be
used to help teachers of core academic subjects meet the requirements
of being highly qualified.
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What activities may the Title funds be used to support?
Title II, Part A,
Teacher and Principal Training and Recruiting, provides funding for
professional development for public and private school teachers,
principals and paraprofessionals; teacher salaries and benefits under
class-size reduction; and recruitment and retention of highly
qualified teachers, principals and paraprofessionals
Title II, Part A,
funds can be used for:
- professional development activities for teachers, principals, and
paraprofessionals that are high quality, sustained, intensive,
and classroom focus
in order to have a positive and lasting impact on classroom
instruction and the teacher’s performance in the classroom;
- programs to recruit, train, and hire highly qualified teachers to
reduce class size, especially in early grades;
- technology activities related to professional development to assist
teachers and other school personnel regarding how to use technology effectively
in the
classrooms;
- programs to improve the academic achievement of educationally disadvantaged elementary and secondary school students, including
activities
to prevent students from dropping out of school;
- programs to provide for the educational needs of gifted and talented
children;
- school improvement programs;
- initiatives to generate, maintain, and strengthen parent and
community involvement; and
- programs that employ research-based cognitive and perceptual
development approaches and rely on a diagnostic-prescriptive model to improve
students’
learning of academic content at the preschool, elementary and
secondary
levels.
Title V, Part A
Innovative Programs funds may be used for professional development
activities carried out in accordance with Title II, that give
teachers, principals, and administrators the knowledge and skills to
provide students with the opportunity to meet challenging State or
local academic content standards and student academic achievement
standards.
The Alternative Uses
of Funds flexibility provision of the Rural Education Achievement
Program (REAP) includes local program activities under the Title II,
Part A and Title V, Part A programs.
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What is the State
of South Dakota doing to prepare schools and teachers for these
requirements?
In addition to providing this technical assistance document, the state
has made the information available on the
department’s website.
The Department of
Education will continue to provide information and training as needed
with regards to these requirements. The Department will be developing
tools and models for the collection and reporting of data as it
pertains to the requirements of being highly qualified.
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How will compliance
with these requirements be monitored?
In order to verify
compliance with the section 1119 teacher quality requirements, DOE
will require that the principal of each Title I targeted assistance or schoolwide school attest annually in writing that the school is in
compliance with the requirements of section 1119. The signed document
will be maintained at each Title I school site and at the main office
of the district. This document must also be available to any member of
the public upon request. The document must include supporting
documentation that teachers and paraprofessionals have met the high
quality standards established in NCLB.
The district will
submit an annual consolidated application that includes information
about the status of the district’s educational staff in meeting all
requirements and certification regulations.
DOE reviews all
federal programs on a rotating basis, visiting districts once during
each four-year cycle. Current state accountability requirements will
be reviewed to comply with NCLB.
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