Background
President Bush signed the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, into law on January 8, 2002. The law was designed to improve student achievement and change the culture of schools. NCLB is built on four ideals: accountability for results, use of proven methods based in scientific research, expanded parental options, and expanded local control and flexibility.
A significant provision of NCLB requires that all K-12 teachers of the core content areas must demonstrate that they are ‘highly qualified’ by the close of the 2005-06 school year. The law identifies the core content areas as English/language arts, mathematics, science, geography, civics, government, economics, foreign language and the arts (music, theatre, dance and visual arts). Teachers of English language learners, special education teachers and public school teachers in programs for neglected and delinquent students who provide core content instruction must also demonstrate that they meet the ‘highly qualified’ standard. It is recommended, but not required, that long-term substitute teachers also be ’highly qualified’.
Rhode Island’s HOUSSE
Each state is required by law to devise a “high objective uniform state system of evaluation” (HOUSSE) that will allow teachers of the core content curriculum to demonstrate competence in the subject matter for their teaching assignment(s). It is important to remember that ‘highly qualified’ in NCLB is a new interpretation of the term and means that all teachers of the core content curriculum have sufficient subject matter and skills to instruct effectively in their teaching assignments as defined in the federal statute. Meeting the federal requirement to be ‘highly qualified’ has nothing to do with Rhode Island certification requirements; however, in order to be ‘highly qualified, teachers must first 1) hold a bachelors degree, and 2) hold full state certification.
Rhode Island’s HOUSSE was created by the Department of Education under the direction of Commissioner McWalters and in consultation with the State Certification Policy Advisory Board. Rhode Island’s HOUSSE is based on the premise that the majority of Rhode Island’s teachers are already ‘highly qualified’. It provides two options and a variety of opportunities for teachers to demonstrate that they meet the federal standard.
Option #1 provides a means for teachers who have either 30 hours or a content major in the area that they teach to demonstrate that they are ‘highly qualified’. This option will meet the needs of most secondary teachers and many middle school teachers.
Option #2 is a rubric that enables teachers who cannot verify that they are ‘highly qualified’ through Option #1 may complete the Rhode Island HOUSSE Content Rubric which assigns points for experience and professional development activities that focus on content area expertise.
Districts that have not met the 100% target MUST complete an LEA Highly
Qualified Plan and submit it to the Rhode Island Department of Education for a
review by February 21, 2007. Select the link below to download the LEA
Highly Qualified Plan template in Word format
Local LEA Highly
Qualified Plan- due February 21, 2007