REQUIREMENTS FOR THE HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHER

A highly qualified teacher must have:

A bachelor’s degree, full state certification and licensure as defined by the state, demonstrated competency, as defined by the state, in each core academic subject he or she teaches.

NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS-Elementary school teachers who are new to the profession must demonstrate competency by passing a rigorous state test on subject knowledge and teaching skills in reading or language arts, writing, mathematics and other areas of the basic elementary school curriculum.

NEW MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS-At the middle and high school levels, new teachers must demonstrate competency either by passing a rigorous state test in each subject they teach, or by holding an academic major or course work equivalent to an academic major, an advanced degree or advanced certification or credentials.

ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS W/EXPERIENCE- Teachers with experience must either met the requirements for new teachers, or they may demonstrate competency based on a system designed by each state.  NCLB recognizes that many teachers who have experience may already have the qualifications necessary to be deemed highly qualified.  Therefore the law allows states to create a high, objective, uniform state standard of evaluation (HOUSSE) based on the following criteria:

1. Are set by the state for grade-appropriate academic subject matter knowledge and teaching skills, 2. Are aligned with challenging state academic content and student achievement standards and developed in consultation with core content specialists, teachers, principals and school administrators. 3. Provide objective, coherent information about the teacher’s attainment of core content knowledge in the academic subjects in which a teacher teaches. 4. Are applied uniformly to all teachers in the same academic subject and the same grade level throughout the state. 5. Take into consideration, but are not based primarily on, the time a teacher has been teaching the academic subject. 6. Are made available to the public upon request.