The N.C. Department of Public Instruction recently released its update on federal teacher quality measures. Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, teaching professionals must meet specific criteria for their credentials. North Carolina hasn’t met its own targets for 2003-04 yet, but it has made substantial progress in some areas.
The three most critical areas for teaching personnel within the federal law are classroom teachers of core curriculum subjects, paraprofessional requirements for teachers’ aides, and requirements for meaningful professional development for teachers and other educators, including administration personnel.
The DPI released information in December that showed 83 percent of the state’s public school classes were taught by “highly qualified” teachers. In high- poverty schools, 78 percent of the classes were taught by highly qualified teachers. According to preliminary information, North Carolina is among 33 states that have an average of 80 percent or more of classes taught by highly qualified teachers. Missing the final benchmark will involve state intervention into the teacher and school personnel preparedness process.
No Child Left Behind places a 2005-06 deadline on reaching 100 percent coverage of core subjects with highly qualified teachers. Although the state hasn’t reached its own goal of 90 percent for the 2003-04 school year, press releases from the DPI are upbeat, and the department says results actually are higher than expected.
“We are pleased to see numbers that are this positive,” State Superintendent of Schools Mike Ward said in the press announcement. “The NCLB standards are very rigorous especially for teachers in middle and high schools… At the same time, I recognize that ‘Highly Qualified’ is not the same as highly effective.”
Unlike “adequate yearly progress” and other standards under NCLB, the definition of a “highly qualified” teacher is determined by the federal law. There are flexible provisions that allow states to delay implementation of some timelines and requirements, but every state is supposed to arrive at the “highly qualified” goal by 2005-06.
Specific, visible elements make up the federal criteria for “highly qualified” under the law. The highly qualified teacher must hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, hold full state licensure or certification, and have “demonstrated subject area competence in each of the academic subjects in which the teacher teaches,” according to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act’s No Child Left Behind website.
Core subjects are English, reading and language arts, math, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, and geography. To demonstrate competence, new elementary teachers must take the Praxis II exam, which covers all areas of the basic elementary curriculum.
Because they often teach multiple subjects, the requirements for new middle and high school teachers are more rigorous. These teachers must pass a Praxis II in each subject area, or meet one of the following requirements for every core area in which they teach: They must hold an undergraduate degree in each subject, have the equivalent of a college major (in terms of credit hours), hold a graduate degree, a master’s level or above licensure in the area, or hold National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification in each subject taught.
Experienced teachers can establish their “highly qualified” credentials using an alternative means, the North Carolina High Objective Uniform State Standard for Evaluation (HOUSSE). To do this they must have taught full-time in a single school system, private, or charter school for a minimum of six consecutive months, and hold a valid reciprocal state license.
The current timetable to reach 100 percent standard of highly qualified teachers by 2005-06 has the state at 90 percent by the end of the 2003-04 school year, and at 95 percent in 2004-05.
Highly qualified school personnel include more than just the classroom teacher, under No Child Left Behind. Teacher’s aides, or paraprofessionals, are under mandate to meet new standards as well. This will means that aides in Title I high-poverty schools must have completed two years of study in an education school, or undergo formal assessment in math, reading, and writing instruction. The 2003-04 goal is 55 percent, rising to 75 percent in 2004-05, and 100 percent by 2005-05. North Carolina’s current 35 percent level is significantly under the 2003-04 goal.
Professional teacher development is being revamped under the No Child Left Behind law. One-day conferences and short meetings no longer count, according to the law. The requirements specify that development be “scientifically based ” and “focused on improving student academic achievement.” At 69 percent, the state is still short of the 80 percent goal for 2003-4. The state is scheduled to step up activity to reach the 90 percent mark by next year, hoping to reach the federal target of 100 percent by the 2005-06 deadline.
Dr. Karen Palasek is assistant editor of Carolina Journal and a policy analyst for the North Carolina Education Alliance.