ANSWERS TO FAQS REGARDING "HIGHLY QUALIFIED" TEACHERS

How are teachers affected by the legislation in terms of qualification requirements?

By June 30, 2006, all teachers of core academic subjects were to be "Highly Qualified." As of March 2009, 97.8 percent of North Carolina's public school classes were taught by "Highly Qualified" teachers.

What does "Highly Qualified" mean?

The federal definition of a "Highly Qualified" teacher is one who is: fully certified and/or licensed by the state; holds at least a bachelor's degree from a four-year institution; and demonstrates competence in each core academic subject area in which the teacher teaches.

Does the "Highly Qualified" criteria apply to all teachers?

No. The "Highly Qualified" criteria applies to all teachers - in Title I and non-Title I public schools - who teach in core academic subject areas. The federal regulations do not apply to non-core academic subject area teachers such as those in most vocational (workforce development/career-technical education) programs or physical education.

What are the core academic subject areas?

Those areas include: English, reading, language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, social studies, economics, arts, history, geography, and kindergarten through Grade 6 (K-6).

Did licensing options remain the same?

No. The following licensing options were eliminated as of July 1, 2006, (or before for Title I teachers) for teachers at the elementary grade levels or at the middle and high school levels in license areas required for teaching the core academic subjects:

emergency permits;
provisional licenses (for teaching out-of-field);
temporary licenses (for teachers who have not satisfied state testing requirements [currently PRAXIS II]); and
endorsements (for teaching out-of-field 50 percent of the time or less).

Did lateral entry options changed?

Yes. Meeting the federal definition of "Highly Qualified" effectively eliminated lateral entry at the elementary grade levels and for special education as the candidates must pass the required state tests (currently PRAXIS II) before being issued a lateral entry license. Lateral entry candidates have three years, instead of the previous five, to obtain full state licensure status.

What are the requirements for teachers of multiple subjects?

Teachers must be "Highly Qualified" in each of their core subject teaching areas.

What were the deadlines for teachers in becoming "Highly Qualified?"

Deadlines varied. NCLB required that all teachers of core academic subjects working in Title I schools or programs hired after the first day of the 2002-03 school year be "Highly Qualified" now. As an Ed-Flex state, school districts and charter schools could have applied for and been granted a waiver of this requirement through the end of the 2004-05 school year. Because the teacher quality waiver did not extend through the 2005-06 school year, all new teachers hired for Title I schools and programs for the 2005-06 school year had to be "Highly Qualified."

Veteran teachers of core academic subjects working in Title I schools and programs and all core academic subject non-Title I teachers had until June 30, 2006, to become "Highly Qualified."

Were there any exceptions beyond the June 30, 2006 deadline?

The only exception beyond the June 30, 2006, deadline was for teachers hired after the first day of the 2002-03 school year who taught multiple subjects in schools qualifying for rural flexibility. Many of North Carolina's charter schools and schools in Tyrrell and Hyde counties were eligible for rural flexibility because they met the federal definition for the Small, Rural School Achievement Program. This flexibility allowed eligible teachers to have until June 30, 2007, to meet "Highly Qualified" requirements in all the subject areas in which they taught.

How are teachers designated "Highly Qualified?"

To be designated “Highly Qualified,” new elementary and new special education teachers must pass a rigorous state test (currently PRAXIS II). Middle school, high school, and special subject teachers (e.g., art, music, second languages, etc.) can be designated “Highly Qualified” by passing a rigorous state test (currently PRAXIS II), or by having an academic major or the equivalent in the content area, or by having a graduate degree in the content area, or by having National Board Certification in the area.

Up until April 2007, teachers who were not new to the profession could be designated "Highly Qualified" through the NC HOUSSE (High, Objective, Uniform, State-Standard of Evaluation).

Teachers who have been designated "Highly Qualified" in other states are designated "Highly Qualified" in North Carolina.

Who is eligible to use the NC HOUSSE?

The NC HOUSSE was available up until April 2007. To be eligible to use the NC HOUSSE to become "Highly Qualified," teachers had to be licensed to teach in their core subject area and to have taught in their core subject area with a full N.C. or equivalent license from another state, full time for not less than six successive calendar months in one district, charter school or non-public institution.

Veteran teachers who did not have a full N.C. license to teach in their core subject area must have held a full NC license in another teaching area and have successfully taught for a minimum of three years (at least one of which had to have been in a NC school system, charter school, or non-public institution) in the subject area in which they were seeking licensure to be eligible to have used the NC HOUSSE. Upon successful completion of the NC HOUSSE, teachers were designated "Highly Qualified" in the area and were issued a full NC license in the area.

In what areas did the NC HOUSSE offer certification?

Certification was available in the following areas:

elementary education;
6-9 language arts;
9-12 English;
6-9, 9-12 mathematics;
6-9, 9-12 science;
6-9, 9-12 social studies;
K-12 visual arts;
K-12 music;
K-12 foreign languages;
K-12 reading;
Exceptional Children: General Curriculum;
Exceptional Children: Adapted Curriculum; and
Exceptional Children: Multisubjects.

Must all core academic subject area charter school teachers be "Highly Qualified?"

Yes, but North Carolina law does not require all charter school teachers to be certified in order to meet "Highly Qualified" teacher criteria. According to state law, 75 percent of the teachers in grades K-5 charter schools and 50 percent of the teachers in grades 6-12 charter schools must be licensed. The other 25 percent of the teachers in grades K-5 schools and 50 percent in grades 6-12 schools who teach in core academic subject areas must be "Highly Qualified," but need not be licensed.

What parent notifications must Title I schools make regarding "Highly Qualified" teachers?

NCLB requires Title I schools to notify each parent in the school whose child is being taught for four or more weeks by a teacher who is not “Highly Qualified” regardless of whether or not the teacher is being paid with Title I funds.

Districts must notify the parents of students attending Title I schools that they may request and the district must provide (in a timely manner) information regarding the professional qualifications of students’ classroom teachers including, at a minimum, the following:

Whether the teacher has met North Carolina qualifications 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 qualifications or licensing criteria have been waived.
The bachelor's 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.