1. ALIGNING STATE SYSTEMS TO IMPROVE TEACHER QUALITY FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

2. What is the importance of the current contexts for education reform? What is the importance of clear standards for educators?

3. How does the state system meet the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)?

4. How does the state system meet the mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)? Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act? Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? State special education and nondiscrimination law?

5. What is the importance of a systemic approach to reform of the education profession? What is the importance of clear goals and objectives for reform? What are the goals, objectives, or purpose of the program? Why is the state pursuing this goal? Is the state taking a systemic and coherent approach to education reform?

6. What do teachers/educators need to know and be able and disposed to do?  How do we define these?  How do we teach these?  How do we assess whether candidates have these?  How do we conduct program approvals to measure effectiveness of higher education and local schools in achieving these?

7. What is the relationship between teacher education and credentialing? What is the relationship between inservice and professional development and credentialing?

8. What other sources of information about a teacher exist? What is the relationship between state/local teacher evaluation laws and practices (both formative and summative) and assessment for certification or licensure? Are these sources of information consistent?

9. What might be the unintended consequences of your reform efforts?

10. What role do shortages and the response to shortages play? How do requirements for a credential impact hiring and tenure practices?

11. What is the role of public participation and disclosure requirements, like reports on teacher quality? Or, reports on student performance?

12. What is the relationship between teacher quality and “opportunity to learn”? Between teacher quality and a state-guaranteed right to an “adequate education”?

13. How does the reform impact the critical need for diversity in the teaching force?

14. What procedural protections are in place?

15. How does the state’s approach meet recent standards for the quality of evidence in public decision-making? Judicial rules of evidence Federal statutory requirements on the quality of educational evidence Professional and technical standards Scientifically-based evidence

17. References Pullin, D. (2001, July). Key questions in implementing teacher testing and licensing. Journal of Law and Education 30:3, 383-429. Thompson, S., S. Lazarus and M. Thurlow (2003,July). Preparing educators to teach students with disabilities in an era of standards-based reform and accountability. The Educational Policy Reform Research Institute, University of Maryland. See www.eprri.org.www.eprri.org U.S. Department of Education (2003, Sept. 12). Improving Teacher Quality: Nonregulatory Guidance.