No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title II – Teacher Quality

1. No Child Left Behind (NCLB)Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)Title II – Teacher Quality Janice Poda Division of Teacher Quality South Carolina Department of Education

2. Major Programs at a Glance

3. Combines funds formerly used for Eisenhower Professional Development and Class-size reduction Added approximately 35% new monies Teacher Quality (Title II)

4. A paraprofessional is an individual with instructional duties. Individuals who work solely in non-instructional roles, such as food service, cafeteria or playground supervision, personal care services, and non-instructional computer assistance are not considered to be paraprofessionals for Title I purposes. Instructional Paraprofessionals (Title I and Target Assistance Programs)

5. Newly hired instructional paraprofessionals in schoolwide or Title I funded targeted assistance schools hired after January 8, 2002, must meet one of the following requirements: Completed at least 2 years of study at an institution of higher education; or Obtained an associate’s (or higher) degree; or Met a rigorous standard of quality and can demonstrate through a formal State or local academic assessment Knowledge of, and the ability to assist in instructing reading, writing, and mathematics; or Knowledge of, and the ability to assist in instructing, reading readiness, writing readiness, and mathematics readiness, as appropriate. Instructional Paraprofessionals

6. All instructional paraprofessionals in Title I schools or targeted assistance programs hired prior to January 8, 2002, must meet the above requirements prior to the beginning of the 2006-07 school year. Instructional Paraprofessionals

7. Districts may use funds received under Title II to assist paraprofessionals in meeting these requirements. The SDE’s Adult Education Program is offering their services to help paraprofessionals prepare to enroll in college or take the test. The SDE is working with the technical colleges to develop programs that will lead to a career path for paraprofessionals. The SDE is piloting the ETS Para-Pro test and the ACT WorkKeys test. The SDE is applying for an Ameri-Corp grant to assist paraprofessionals with their preparation to become highly qualified. Instructional Paraprofessionals

8. Do paraprofessionals who work with profoundly mentally and physically disabled students have to be highly qualified?  Are they considered instructional? If the paraprofessional is providing instructional support, then the paraprofessional is required to meet on of these requirements.  If the paraprofessional is only providing personal care, then he/she is not considered an instructional paraprofessional. Clarification on Special Ed. Paraprofessionals

9. The teacher has obtained full state certification as a teacher; or passed the state teacher certification examination, and holds a certificate to teach in such state. In South Carolina, if a teacher holds one of the following certificates, he/she is considered highly qualified Initial Critical Need (PACE) Professional Highly Qualified Teachers

10. The teacher has not had certification requirements waived on an emergency, temporary, or provisional basis. In South Carolina, this includes out-of-state temporary certificates, transitional certificates, temporary provisos, out-of-field permits, permit provisos, interim certificates (those teachers in PACE that have not passed the Praxis content exam or attended the preservice institute), graded/regular certificates, warrants, and special subject certificates. Highly Qualified Teachers

11. Holds at least a bachelor’s degree; and Has demonstrated, by passing a rigorous test, subject matter knowledge and teaching skills in reading, writing, mathematics, and other areas of the basic elementary school curriculum Elementary Teachers

12. Passing a rigorous 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 Middle or Secondary Teachers

13. Current middle school teachers may meet the subject area requirement by completing one of the two options listed above, or may do so by demonstrating competence “in all the academic subjects in which the teacher teaches based on a high, objective uniform state standard of evaluation.” Current Middle School Teachers

14. This standard of evaluation must be: (1) Set by the State for both grade appropriate academic subject matter knowledge and teaching skills; (2) Aligned with challenging State academic content and student academic 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) Applied uniformly to all teachers in the same academic subject and the same grade level throughout the State; (5) Take into consideration, but not be based primarily on, the time the teacher has been teaching in the academic subject; (6) Made available to the public upon request; and (7) May involve multiple, objective measures of teacher competency. Current Middle School Teachers

15. Possible Solutions: Revise ADEPT Accept National Board Certification (middle level) Accept Elementary Praxis Exam Others??? Committee will begin meeting on October 31 to discuss middle school teachers Current Middle School Teachers

16. The definition of highly qualified teacher only applies to teachers who teach the following subjects: English Reading or language arts Mathematics Science Foreign languages Civics, government, economics, history, geography Arts Core Academic Subjects

17. Only vocational education teachers who teach core academic courses are required to meet the definition of a highly qualified teacher. For example, a vocational teacher who teaches a course in Applied Physics for which students receive a science credit must hold a 4-year degree, be certified, and demonstrate subject matter competence in order to be considered highly qualified. Vocational Teachers

18. South Carolina’s Goal for Highly Qualified Teachers

19. All new teachers of core academic subjects hired and teachers in a schoolwide or Title I funded targeted assistance schools must be highly qualified as of the first day of the 2002-03 school year. All teachers of core academic subjects must be highly qualified no later than the end of the 2005-06 school year. Deadlines

20. The Local Education Agency (LEA) must disseminate a blanket statement that any parent can request information about any teacher of their child. This is required to inform parents that they have the right to know: (i) whether the teacher has met state qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction; (ii) whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which state qualification or licensing criteria have been waived; (iii) 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; (iv) whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications. Parents’ Right to Know

21. In addition to the information that parents may request, a school that receives Title I funds must provide each individual parent a timely notice that the parent's child has been assigned, or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by, a teacher who is not highly qualified. The notice and information provided to parents must be in an understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, provided in a language that the parents can understand. This applies to all teachers teaching core academic subjects in a Title I school, regardless if the school has a schoolwide or targeted assistance program. Parent Notification

22. Determine what activities need to be conducted to give teachers the means to provide all students the opportunity to meet challenging state content and academic achievement standards Determine what activities need to be conducted to give principals the instructional leadership skills to help teachers provide all students with the opportunity to meet challenging state content and academic achievement standards Needs Assessment

23. The activities/professional development included in the plan must align with: State academic content standards Student academic achievement standards Curriculum and programs tied to those standards Title II, Teacher Quality Plan

24. The activities/professional development must be based on a review of scientifically based research. Scientifically based research means applying rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain valid knowledge relevant to improving student academic achievement. Title II, Teacher Quality Plan

25. Use of rigorous, systematic, and empirical methods Adequacy of data to justify the general conclusions drawn Reliance on methods that provide valid data across multiple measurements and observations Use of control groups Details allow for replication Acceptance by a peer-reviewed journal or approved by a panel of independent experts Scientifically Based Research

26. Suggested activities: Recruitment Preparation and professional development Support Ensuring quality Retention Accountability Title II, Teacher Quality Plan

27. After two years, if the state determines, based on reports submitted by school districts describing their performance under the Title I teacher qualification requirements, that the school district has failed to make progress toward meeting its measurable objectives, the school district must develop an improvement plan to describing how it will meet its objectives. The state must provide technical assistance to the school districts and, if applicable, to schools within the school district while the school district is developing the improvement plan. State Department’s Role in Monitoring School Districts

28. After an additional year (three years), if the state determines that a school district still has failed to make progress toward meeting its measurable objectives and has failed to make Title I adequate yearly progress for three consecutive years, the state must enter into an agreement with the school district on the use of the school district’s funds under this program, including developing professional development strategies and activities. The state may also prohibit the use of Title I, Part A funds for any paraprofessional hired after the determination is made. State Department’s Role in Monitoring School Districts

29. In addition, after 3 years of poor performance, states may provide funds directly to schools to enable teachers to choose, in consultation with the school principal, the professional development activities in which they would like to participate. State Department’s Role in Monitoring School Districts

30. The statute is silent on the amount of program funds that a school district may spend for administrative costs. All costs must be necessary, reasonable, and considered as an allowable cost to the program. A school district may receive funds for Title II, Teacher Quality for any fiscal year only if maintenance of effort has been met. Administrative Costs

31. School districts receive a subgrant for the amount they received in FY 2001 for the Eisenhower Professional Development State Grants and Class-Size Reduction programs. The remaining funds are allocated based on 20 percent on child population (ages 5 to 17) and 80 percent on child poverty. Allocations

32. School districts are no longer required to use funds to reduce class size in grades K-3 before using funds to reduce class size in other grades, including middle and high school grades. Teachers hired under the former class-size reduction program must be highly qualified and must still be teaching in positions that exist to reduce class size. Class Size Reduction

33. School districts must consult with appropriate private school officials (those that meet the requirements of the Office of Civil Rights) during the design, development, and implementation of the professional development program How needs of children and teachers will be identified What services will be offered How, where, and by whom the services will be provided How the services will be assessed How the results will be used to improve those services The size and scope of equitable services The amount of funds available for those services When the school district will make decisions about the delivery of services Private School Involvement

34. Barbara Weston bweston@scteachers.org 803-734-3454 Joellen Harris jharris@scteachers.org 803-734-3455 SDE Contacts for Title II, Teacher Quality