Archived Information

Assessment/Accountability No Child Left Behind
Highly Qualified Teachers and Paraprofessionals

NCLB Policy Document Highly Qualified Teachers

This memorandum, which was originally presented in "working draft" form, has now been finalized. It has been developed to provide you with important general information about the highly qualified teacher requirements included in the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. For additional detailed guidance about the implementation of the highly qualified provisions in Massachusetts, please refer to the additional resources listed at the end of this document.

I. Highly Qualified Requirements for Massachusetts Teachers

NCLB requires all States and school districts to ensure that all students are taught by highly qualified teachers in the core academic subjects by the end of the 2005-2006 school year. (The term "core academic subjects" means English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, and geography.) This requirement applies to all core academic teachers employed by the school district, regardless of funding source.

More immediately, NCLB requires districts that receive Title I, Part A funds to ensure that all teachers who teach core academic subjects in a targeted assistance program or school-wide program and who were hired after January 8, 2002 meet the highly qualified requirements.

In order to meet the highly qualified definition as described in NCLB, Massachusetts teachers must possess a valid Massachusetts teaching license at either the preliminary, initial, or professional level (formerly known as the provisional, provisional with advanced standing, and standard level) AND demonstrate subject matter competency in the areas they teach. NCLB subject matter competence requirements are applied differently to those who teach at different levels.

Elementary teachers may demonstrate competence in reading, writing, mathematics, and other areas of the basic elementary school curriculum through one of the following:

• Passing the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL) Elementary Subject Matter Test, or

• Massachusetts High Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE) - (an approved Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP) aligned with HOUSSE requirements.)

Middle and secondary school teachers may demonstrate subject matter competence in each of the areas they are teaching through one of the following:

• Passing the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL) appropriate Subject Matter Test;

• Completion of an appropriate academic major;

• Completion of an appropriate graduate degree;

• Completion of comparable coursework equivalent to an undergraduate academic major;

• Advanced certification or credentialing; or,

• Massachusetts High Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE) - (an approved Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP) aligned with HOUSSE requirements.)

Massachusetts High Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (MA HOUSSE)

NCLB allows states to define a high objective uniform state standard of evaluation to provide educators with an additional option to demonstrate subject matter competency. Veteran educators, who have not demonstrated subject matter competency through the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL) or other options defined in NCLB, may demonstrate subject matter competency through an approved Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP). Educators must align their IPDP with school and district improvement goals, complete eligible professional development programs and activities designed to support and increase student learning, and demonstrate proficiency through an end-of-course assessment or product.

Teachers who want to use the HOUSSE option need to have an approved individual professional development plan that has a total of 120 PDPs in it; 80% of those PDPs (96 PDPs) need to be focused on the content or pedagogy related to the content of the core academic subject or subjects that the teacher is teaching.

Please refer to the "Implementation of NCLB's Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements in Massachusetts: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)" document for additional information about how the requirements are applied to different groups of teachers including elementary, middle school generalists, special education, and ESL teachers.

II. Clarification of Highly Qualified Requirements

Certification/Licensure Waivers:
The law states that to be considered highly qualified, the teacher must not have "had certification or licensure requirements waived on an emergency or temporary basis." Massachusetts teachers who are on waivers should not be considered as having met the highly qualified requirements for purposes of federal goal setting and reporting.

Out-of-Field Teaching
Though the Department allows teachers to spend 20% of their time teaching out-of-field, NCLB requires a teacher to demonstrate "a high level of competency in each of the [core] academic subjects" in which he or she teaches. Hence, a teacher who is certified but teaching out-of-field will not be considered highly qualified in the out-of-field subject area until he or she has demonstrated subject matter competency in that area.

Long- and Short-term Substitute Teachers
It is strongly recommended that a long-term substitute teacher meet the requirements for a highly qualified teacher. However, in establishing a definition for a long-term substitute, school districts should bear in mind that the law requires that parents must be notified if their child has received instruction for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified.

Charter School Teachers
In order to meet the highly qualified requirement, Massachusetts charter school teachers who teach core academic subjects do not need a Massachusetts license, but must hold a Bachelor's degree and demonstrate competence in the subject area in which they teach. Charter school teachers may demonstrate subject matter competence through any one of the options available to elementary and middle/secondary teachers.

Teachers in Vocational Schools
Teachers in vocational schools who teach core academic courses are required to meet the definition of a highly qualified teacher. A vocational school teacher who teaches a core academic subject must hold a Bachelor's degree, be licensed or certified by the state, and demonstrate subject matter competence in order to be considered highly qualified.

III. Accountability Requirements

The law requires states and districts to develop plans to ensure that by 2005-2006 all students will be taught by "highly qualified" teachers. The Department is required, as part of this plan, to establish annual, measurable objectives for the state and each local school district and school that address the following educator quality indicators:

1. an annual increase in the percentage of classes taught by highly qualified teachers in the aggregate and in "high-poverty" schools;

2. an annual increase in the percentage of teachers who are receiving "high-quality" professional development; and

3. an annual increase in the percentage of instructional paraprofessionals in Title I targeted assistance and school-wide programs (excluding those with sole duties as translators and parental involvement assistants) who are qualified.

Each district receiving Title I, Part A funds is required to develop a plan for ensuring that it is working toward meeting these educator quality indicators. The details of this plan will be included as part of the district's Title I, Part A stand-alone grant proposal, or if a district is participating in the consolidated district planning process, should be included as part of its 3 year consolidated strategic plan.

Each district that receives Title I, Part A funds must use not less than 5% or more than 10% of those funds for 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 school years for professional development activities to ensure that all teachers meet the highly qualified definition by 2005-2006. In subsequent years it must not use less than 5% of the funds to ensure that teachers meet the highly qualified definition.

State and District Reporting
Under NCLB, states and school districts are required to report annually their progress in meeting the annual measurable objectives for the indicators outlined above. Massachusetts will report its progress to the Secretary of Education while each school district will report its progress to the public as well as submit this information to the Department through the District and School Staffing Report. For additional information about the District and School Staffing Report, please refer to http://www.doe.mass.edu/infoservices/data/schedule.html.

Annual Measurable Objectives
NCLB requires that the Department determine if a district has made progress toward meeting the state's measurable objectives for increasing teacher quality within the district and its schools. If the district fails for two consecutive years to make progress toward meeting the annual objectives, then the district must develop an "improvement plan." The improvement plan must be designed to help the district meet the state's annual measurable objectives for increasing the percentage of highly qualified teachers and must address issues that prevented the district from meeting those objectives.

During the development of the improvement plan and throughout its implementation, the Department will provide technical assistance to the district, as well as to schools within the district that need assistance to enable the district to meet the objectives.

If the district has failed to meet its annual measurable objectives and AYP for three consecutive years under section 1111(b)(2)(B) of Title I, Part A, the Department must enter into an agreement with the district on its use of Title II program funds under which the Department will:

• Develop (in conjunction with the district, teachers, and principals) professional development strategies and activities based on scientifically based research that the district will use to meet the State's annual measurable objectives for improving teacher quality;

• Require the district to use these professional development strategies and activities; and

• Prohibit the district from using Title I, Part A funds to fund any new paraprofessionals, except under certain limited instances.

While the Department works to create professional development strategies and activities that will assist the district that failed to meet its performance goals, the Department must (in conjunction with the district) provide funds directly to one or more schools served by the district.

The funds for these professional development activities at individual schools are to be taken from the district's Title II grant allocation. These funds must be used to enable teachers at these schools to choose professional development activities that are coordinated with other reform efforts at the schools.

District and School Report Cards
School districts must prepare and disseminate an annual report card that includes, among other things: the professional qualifications of teachers in the district, the percentage of such teachers teaching with emergency or provisional credentials, and the percentage of classes in the district not taught by highly qualified teachers, in the aggregate and disaggregated by high-poverty compared to low-poverty schools which, for the purpose of this clause, means schools in the top quartile of poverty and the bottom quartile of poverty in the state.

Parent Notification
Districts that receive Title I, Part A funds are required to notify the parents of students attending any school that receives funds under Title I, Part A that a they may request, and the district will provide the parent on request (and in a timely manner), information regarding the professional qualifications of the student's classroom teacher(s), including, at a minimum the following:

• Whether the teacher has met state qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction.

• Whether the teacher is teaching under an emergency license or waiver through which the state qualification or licensing criteria has been waived.

• The baccalaureate degree major of the teacher and any other graduate certification or degree held by the teacher, and the field or discipline of the certification or degree.

• Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.

In addition, schools that receive Title I funding shall provide each individual parent timely notice that the parent's child has been assigned or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified.

For additional information about these requirements as well as sample letters, please refer to http://www.doe.mass.edu/nclb/hq/samples.html.

IV. Additional Resources

These additional links will help you ensure that all students are taught by highly qualified teachers in the core academic subjects by the end of the 2005-2006 school year:

• Implementation of NCLB's Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements in Massachusetts: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): http://www.doe.mass.edu/hq/faq.html

• Options for Demonstrating Subject Matter Competency in Massachusetts: http://www.doe.mass.edu/nclb/hq/smc.pdf

• NEA Highly Qualified Teacher Chart: http://www.doe.mass.edu/nclb/reportcard/NEAChart.pdf

Please refer to the Department's "No Child Left Behind" webpage for additional resources.

I trust you will find these materials helpful. Please contact the HQT help desk at HQTHelp@doe.mass.edu if you have any questions. I appreciate all the continuing work you are providing on behalf of students in your districts.