Teacher Qualifications

All teachers of core academic subjects (English, reading, language arts, math, science, foreign languages, social studies, and the arts) must meet the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act definition for a highly (fully) qualified teacher by the 2005-06 school year. That means teachers must be fully licensed by the state, hold at least a bachelor’s degree, and meet state requirements to demonstrate mastery of subject knowledge, either by exam or a major in the core academic area.

It is possible for a teacher to meet all these qualifications and still not meet the highly qualified definition if a class assignment is outside the teacher’s academic license.

Schools that receive funds from the federal government because of their high poverty levels must send letters to parents each fall if a teacher who is not highly qualified is teaching students in one of the core academic areas.

Under this provision of the law, by the 2005-06 school year, all of a district’s teachers in nine core curriculum subjects must meet NCLB requirements for being highly qualified.

In addition, by the 2005-2006 school year, all paraprofessionals who work in an instructional capacity in programs supported by federal Title I also must be highly qualified.

In Oregon, small and rural districts will find it especially difficult to meet the “highly qualified” requirements for all teachers and paraprofessionals. There is no additional funding available for increased costs for the professional development, recruitment, retention or higher compensation that districts may incur in meeting this mandate.

For information about NCLB requirements for highly (fully) qualified teachers, see the U.S. Department of Education Web site, or the ODE Web site, under Teacher Quality or Report Card – Statewide Annual or Report Cards – School and District.

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