1. No Child Left Behind Teacher Qualification

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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)

5. NCLB: Core Subjects English Reading/Language Arts Math Science Foreign Languages Civics & Government Economics Arts History Geography

6. 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 Degree 2. Grade Level Certificate 3. For core subjects: Endorsement OR College Major OR Pass State Subject-Matter Knowledge Test OR coursework equivalent to major

7. 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

8. 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

9. NCLB: State vs. Federal Reading 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

10. NCLB: State vs. Federal Type 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

11. NCLB: State vs. Federal Special 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

12. NCLB: State vs. Federal Provisional 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. NCLB: School Data

18. NCLB: Local Analysis

19. 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