Cleveland
Municipal School
District
Educating Cleveland’s Children
Renaissance
Project
Fostering Highly Qualified Teachers
Disclaimer

Use of the term "highly qualified"
should not be construed as an
evaluation of the professional
teaching abilities of the teacher.
The No Child Left Behind
Act

What is it?


As one of the federal government’s most
sweeping changes to education in a generation,
the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, legislation
which took effect in 2002, requires that all
teachers meet the highly qualified standards in
the core academic area(s) they teach.
The act’s overall purpose is to ensure that
children in every classroom enjoy the benefits of
well-prepared teachers, research-based
curriculum, and safe learning environments.
The No Child Left Behind
Act (continued)

Why do I have to do it?


Research shows that a teacher’s mastery of the
academic content he/she teaches is a significant
factor in raising levels of student achievement.
The law requires that teachers be held to the
highest academic standards.
What does this mean to me?

All teachers who are the “teacher of record” of a
core academic subject must meet the federal
definition of Highly Qualified Teacher before July
1, 2006.
What Are the “Core
Academic Subjects”?
English
 Language arts
 Reading
 Science
 Mathematics
 Arts

– Music
– Visual arts
– Dance
– Drama





Foreign language
Government and
Civics
History
Economics
Geography
What Do I Have to Do?

A teacher of one or more core academic
subjects must :
– Have at least a Baccalaureate Degree
– Have full state certification/licensure

Temporary, conditional, or substitute
licenses/certificates do not meet this requirement
– Have demonstrated subject matter
competence in EVERY subject he/she
teaches
What If I Am a Special Ed
Teacher?

Special educators who are the
teacher of record are required to
meet the same requirements as
general education teachers.
How Do I Know I Have Met
the Content Requirements?

A teacher in grades K-6
must have:
– Passed the Praxis II/NTE
in area of licensure and
be teaching in that area
– Earned a Master’s
degree in Education,
Curriculum and
Instruction, OR Reading
– Have an eight-year or
permanent certificate in
teaching assignment
– Have National Board
Certification in teaching
assignment

A teacher in grades 7-12
must have:
– Passed the Praxis II/NTE
in area of licensure and
be teaching in that area
– Have an academic major
or the equivalent (30
semester hours) in
teaching assignment
– Have an eight-year or
permanent certificate in
teaching assignment
with at least 30
semester hours in
content, methods, and
theory
– Have National Board
Certification in teaching
assignment
What If I Don’t Yet Meet
the Requirements?

You can complete any of the
methods already discussed:
– Take the Praxis II/NTE in teaching
area(s)
– Earn a Master’s Degree or equivalent
in teaching area(s)
– Earn National Board Certification in
teaching area(s)
-OR-
What If I Don’t Yet Meet
the Requirements?
(continued)
Use one of Ohio’s HOUSSE methods
to meet the HQT requirements:
– Complete 90 clock hours of district
approved professional development
appropriate to each teaching area(s)


At least 45 hours pedagogy (teaching & methods)
At least 45 hours content (subject area
knowledge)
By converting these hours to CEU’s, you will be
able to apply them licensure renewal
requirements
– Score at least 100 points on the HQT rubric
Points to Remember…

A teacher of record must meet the HQT
requirements in EVERY subject he/she
teaches.
– If you provide instruction in multiple
subjects, it is possible to meet the HQT
definition in one subject, but not all of
them.

Note that secondary Social Studies
teachers are not “generalists”. Social
Studies teachers must be HQT in
History, Geography, Economics, and/or
Government and Civics.
Points to Remember…
(continued)

The deadline to meet the HQT
requirement is July 1, 2006.
Teachers must meet the
requirements on or before this
date. There is no grace period!
FAQ 1

If I am a Physical Education teacher, am
I required to meet the HQT definition?
– Phys. Ed. teachers, library media, guidance
counselors, etc. do not have to meet the
HQT definition because they do not give
grades in core academic subjects.

There have been discussions of HQT requirements
for physical education teachers that may be
implemented in the future.
FAQ 2

Why do I keep hearing about being HQT
in grades K-6 OR grades 7-12 when my
Ohio certificate/license overlaps both of
those levels?
– The federal No Child Left Behind Act
requires generalist knowledge for teachers
in grades PreK-6, because they are
providing “introductory” instruction in
multiple subjects.
– The act views instruction at the 7-12 level
as being very content specific; Thus the
specific content requirements for teachers
of subjects in these grades.
FAQ 3

Then what good is my Ohio teaching
certificate/license?
– Meeting the HQT definition is a Federal
requirement.
– Your teaching certificate/license is a State
requirement.
– You must now meet the requirements at
both the state and federal levels in order to
educate children in a public school.
FAQ 4

I am certified/licensed elementary K-8/1-8,
I am teaching in a grade appropriate to my
licensure, and I have taken and passed the
Elementary Praxis II/NTE. Am I a highly
qualified teacher?
– YES! By passing the Praxis II/NTE in your area
of licensure, you are considered Highly Qualified
in every subject in grades K-8 or 1-8.
FAQ 5

I am an Elementary
certified/licensed teacher who has
earned a Master’s Degree in
Curriculum & Instruction. Am I a
highly qualified teacher?
– Yes! You are a highly qualified
teacher through 6th grade.
FAQ 6

What about 7th and 8th grade?
– Although your state license may allow
you to teach in grades 7 and 8, you
would not meet the federal definition
of highly qualified teacher in those
grades unless you have demonstrated
subject specific content knowledge in
the subject(s) you are teaching.
FAQ 7

I am an Elementary certified teacher,
and I have earned a Master’s Degree in
Educational Administration. Am I a
highly qualified teacher?
– No! Only a Master’s Degree in Education,
Curriculum and Instruction, or Reading
would be acceptable. Coursework for an
Educational Administration degree does not
focus on instructional improvement; rather,
it focuses on a larger study of school
operations.
FAQ 8

I am a Social Studies teacher. I am
certified in History, I have taken and
passed the Praxis II/NTE in my subject
area, and I am teaching History and
Political Science. Am I a highly
qualified teacher?
– No! You are HQT in History, but unless you
meet the content requirements for Political
Science, you would not currently be
considered HQT for Political Science.
FAQ 9

I am a Science teacher, certified in
Biology with at least 30 semester
hours in Biology and I am teaching
Chemistry? Am I a highly qualified
teacher?
– Yes! Currently, a teacher who meets
the HQT definition in an area of
science can provide instruction in all
areas of science.
FAQ 10

Then why can’t a History teacher teach
Geography?
– The No Child Left Behind Act subdivided the
category of “social studies”. Social
Studies teachers are not generalists,
but should be providing instruction in the
specific areas of History, Geography,
Government and Civics, and Economics.
– The act did not subdivide Science; hence a
science teacher can teach any area of
science. However, there have been
discussions that the subdividing of science
may be on the agenda for the future.
FAQ 11

I am a Special Ed teacher certified
K-12, I have taken and passed the
special ed Praxis II/NTE, and I am
teaching in a 9th grade, selfcontained classroom. Am I a
highly qualified teacher?
– No! The Praxis II exam for Special Ed
teachers only allows them to meet
the HQT definition in grades K-6.
FAQ 12

But my Ohio Special Education license
says I can teach in grades K-12…
– Unfortunately, the Praxis II exam for
Special Ed teachers does not include core
content test questions and, therefore, does
not test an educator’s subject matter
competence. A special educator in grades
7-12 is required to meet same requirements
as a general education high school teacher.
FAQ 13

What if I am a K-12 certified Special
Education teacher and I am already
HQT in grades K-6, but not in grades 712? Do I need to do anything?
– Because the District can transfer a teacher
into any position for which they are
certified, we encourage all Special
Education teachers to make sure that they
meet the HQT definition in at least one
subject at the 7-12 level.
FAQ 14

I am in a self-contained Special Ed
classroom. What do I need to do to
meet the requirements?
– Teachers of record in self-contained
classrooms at the 7-12 level, are required
to meet the HQT definition in all subject
areas. For example, if you are teaching
Math, Science, History, and Art, you need to
meet the HQT content definition for the
subjects of Math, Science, History, and Art.
How Does the Professional
Development Path Apply
to Teachers of Multiple
Subjects?

Complete SIRI or Foundations in
Reading and Content Area Reading
professional development courses
– These courses meet your pedagogy
requirements

Complete Content Knowledge
professional development for each
subject you teach
– Complete one Content Knowledge series for
each subject
Let’s Choose a Path!