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Frequently Asked Questions
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1. What is a highly qualified teacher?
NCLB defines a highly qualified teacher as a teacher who –
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Holds a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree.
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Has obtained full state certification or licensure.
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Has demonstrated competency:
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For a new elementary school teacher, "competency" is shown by passing a rigorous State test in reading, writing, and mathematics.
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For a new middle and secondary teacher, "competency" is shown by passing a rigorous State academic subject test in each of the academic subjects in which the teacher teaches; or successful completion, in each of the academic subjects in which the teacher teaches, of an academic major, a graduate degree, coursework equivalent to an undergraduate academic major, or advanced certification or credentialing.
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Title 1, Part A statute requires the LEA to reserve not less than five percent and no more than ten percent, unless a lesser amount is needed for assisting teachers to meet the highly qualified definition.
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Title II, Part A funds may be used for: recruiting, hiring, and retaining highly qualified teachers, principals, and core academic specialists; Title II, Part A funds may also be used for teacher professional development or assisting teachers to meet the teacher quality requirements under section 1119.
3. Whom does NCLB affect? Does the law affect only teachers? Who is exempt?
All professional staff must comply with the requirements of NCLB. The exceptions to the highly qualified mandate are teachers with certificates in vocational courses, physical education, counseling, and media specialists who are working 100 percent of their instructional day in the specific areas. Any of these individuals teaching a core academic course, even one class period, in addition to the areas cited above must be highly qualified in that core academic subject.
4. Do long-term substitutes have to meet the highly qualified definition?
It is strongly recommended that long-term substitutes meet the requirements for a highly qualified teacher. Since Title I of NCLB require that parents must be notified if their child has received instruction for 4 or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified, this would include long-term substitutes.
7. What are the "core academic subjects?
The term "core academic subjects" means English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, and geography.
12. What qualifications must "paraprofessional" meet under NCLB?
A paraprofessional in NCLB is an instructional aide in a Title 1 school wide or targeted assistance school who works directly with students.
After January 8, 2002, an LEA must only hire paraprofessionals who meet one of the following qualifications:
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Have completed at a least two years of study at an institution of higher education
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Have obtained an associate’s (or higher) degree
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Can demonstrate, through a formal state or local academic assessment:
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Have met a standard of quality and can demonstrate knowledge of and the ability to assist in instructing, reading writing and mathematics.
Refer to the Professional Standards Commission Web site for further information on Criteria for Highly qualified teachers as required by, NCLB, Title II, Part A
13. What happens if a school that is schoolwide drops below the initial 40 percent poverty threshold for eligibility in a subsequent year?
To promote effective, long-term planning, a school can maintain its schoolwide program eligibility even if it drops below the initial 40 percent poverty threshold, if the school continues to be a Title 1, Part A eligible school. There is no required predetermination of school wide program status as long as the school continues to operate a schoolwide program. Therefore, a school that became a schoolwide in 2002-2003 with 40 percent poverty can continue its schoolwide program even if its poverty level falls below 40 percent in following years, as long as the school meets the general Title1, Part A eligibility and selection requirements, continues to operate as a schoolwide program, and the LEA has sufficient funds to serve the school.
16. How does the LEA identify students for a Title I, Part A Targeted Assistance Program?
Students must be identified on the basis of multiple, educationally related, objective criteria established by the LEA and supplemented by the school. The LEA’s criteria for identifying students for Title I, Part A services must be clearly defined in the LEA’s district improvement plan and in the school improvement plan. Any supplemental criteria established at the school level must also be described in the school improvement plan. The LEA must have criteria for every grade that receives services under Title I, Part A Targeted Assistance programs.
Children from preschool ages through Grade 2 shall be selected solely on the basis of such criteria as:
18. How may Title I, Part A funds be used in a Targeted Assistance School?
Title I, Part A funds may only be used to supplement the amount of funds that would, in the absence of Title I, Part A funds, be made available from state and local sources. Title I, Part A funds may not supplant or replace state and local funds.
Title I, Part A funds cannot be used to provide services that are required by law to be provided to children with disabilities, migrant children, limited English proficient children, or economically disadvantaged children, but they may be used to coordinate or supplement those required services.
19. Is the LEA required to reserve any funds to implement the parental involvement requirements?
NCLB requires an LEA with a Title I, Part A entitlement of $500,000 or more to reserve at least 1 percent of that entitlement to carry out the Title I, Part A parent involvement activities, including family literacy and parenting skills.
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Achievement level of their child in each of the state’s academic assessments;
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Professional qualifications of their child’s teachers; and
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Timely notice that their child has been assigned to or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified as defined by NCLB.
In addition to these three areas, parents must be included in the planning processes for Title I, Part A Schoolwide and Targeted Assistance programs; the LEA’s and school’s written parent involvement policies; and school-parent compacts.
LEAs that have Title I, Part A schools identified for School Improvement must also provide parents with an explanation of what the identification means, why the school was so identified, what the school and LEA are doing to address the problem of low achievement, and what the parents’ options are related to school choice and transportation, and, if applicable, supplemental educational services.
22. What information must the LEA notify parents is available upon request?
At the beginning of each school year, an LEA that receives funds must notify the parents of each student attending any Title I, Part A school that the LEA will provide the parents in a timely manner upon request by the parent, information regarding the professional qualifications of the student’s classroom teachers.
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Whether the teacher has met state qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction.
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Whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which State qualification or licensing criteria have been waived.
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The baccalaureate degree major of the teacher and any other graduate certification or degree held by the teacher, and the field of discipline of the certification or degree.
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Whether paraprofessionals provide services to their child and, if so, their qualifications.
25. Are the requirements the same for private and charter schools regarding certification and NCLB?
No. Instructional staffs of private and charter schools do not have to meet the highly qualified standard.
26. May the LEA parent involvement policy also serve as the parent involvement policy for each of its schools?
No. According to NCLB, each Title I school must jointly develop with, and distribute to, parents of participating children a written parental involvement policy, agreed on by such parents. Parents shall be notified of the policy in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, provided in a language the parents can understand. Such policy must be made available to the local community and updated periodically to meet the changing needs of parents and the school.
27. What must be included in the school-parent compact?
One of the components of the school-level parental involvement policy is the school-parent compact that must be developed jointly with parents of children served under this part. This compact should outline how parents, the entire school staff, and students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership to help children achieve the State’s high standards. The compact shall-
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Describe that school’s responsibility to provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive ad effective learning environment that enables the children served under Title I, Part A to meet the State’s student academic achievement standards, and the ways in which each parent will be responsible for supporting their children’s learning, such as monitoring attendance, homework completion, and television watching; volunteering in their child’s classroom; and participating, as appropriate, in decisions relating to the education of their children and positive use of extracurricular time; and
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Address the importance of communication between teachers and parents on an ongoing basis through, at a minimum:
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Parent-teacher conferences in elementary schools, at least annually, during which the compact shall be discussed as the compact relates to the individual child’s achievement;
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Frequent reports to parents on their children’s progress; and
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Reasonable access to staff, opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class, and observation of classroom activities.
30. What is Scientifically Based Research (SBR)?
NCLB requires that federally funded education programs or practices must be based on evidence that validates their usefulness in achieving the stated outcome specified in law. As defined in section 9101(37) of NCLB, Scientifically Based Research is research that involves the application of rigorous, systemic, and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid knowledge relevant to education activities and programs. In other words this is simply the careful search or examination of evidence about any theory, practice, or method. The application of the findings of SBR, as defined in NCLB, can be found in the new Reading First program (Subpart 1 of Title I, Part B).
31. Do the provisions of NCLB, such as assessments for grades 3-8, affect home schools?
No. Nothing in NCLB affects a home school or permits any federal control over any aspect of a home school, whether that home school is treated as a home school or a private school under state law. Students who are home schooled are not required to take any assessment referenced in NCLB. Home schools may participate in NCLB programs and services, however.
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| Glynn County Schools: 1313 Egmont Street, Brunswick, GA 31520.....Phone: 912-267-4100
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