Highly Qualified Special Education Teachers

1. Highly Qualified Special Education Teachers Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services Michigan Department of Education 2005

2. NCLB and IDEIA • All teachers of core academic subjects must be “highly qualified” (HQ) by the end of the 2005-2006 school year. • This requirement appears in both NCLB and IDEIA. • Each LEA, ISD, or PSA must provide an assurance and documentation that all teachers are highly qualified by the end of the 2005-2006 school year.

3. What does this mean? • All teachers of core academic subjects must meet both Michigan certification standards and federal HQ requirements. • Michigan certification requires all teachers to have a Michigan teaching certificate and all required endorsements appropriate for their assignment. • The federal HQ requirements are additional to the Michigan standards.

4. HQ and Special Education Teachers • Only special education teachers who teach core academic subjects must meet HQ requirements. • Who does not need to meet HQ requirements? • Teacher consultants; • Resource room teachers who do not teach core academic subjects for a grade or credit.

5. Core Academic Subjects • English • Reading or Language Arts • Mathematics • Science • Foreign Languages • Civics and Government • Economics • Arts • History • Geography

6. A Special Provision in IDEIA • In the reauthorized IDEIA ’04 • Special education teachers teaching to alternate achievement standards need only to meet the HQ elementary requirements. • Alternate Achievement Standards • Students who exclusively take the MI-Access Assessments are taught to alternate achievement standards.

7. Team Teaching • If a special education teacher is team teaching in a general education classroom, the special education teacher does not have to meet the HQ requirements. • This holds true whether the special education teacher gives the grade or not for that team taught class.

8. Elementary CertificateTeachers Not New To The Profession • If you teach at the elementary level you are highly qualified. • If you teach at the secondary level, and have not previously taken the MTTC test, your options are: • HOUSSE – “Portfolio” Options • MTTC Elementary Education Test • MTTC Secondary Subject Area Test for Each Core Academic Subject Taught

9. Secondary CertificateTeachers Not New To The Profession • If you teach at the elementary level your options are: • HOUSSE – “Portfolio” Options • MTTC Elementary Education Test

10. Secondary CertificateTeachers Not New To The Profession • If you teach at the secondary level your options are: • HOUSSE – “Portfolio” Options • MTTC Elementary Education Test • MTTC Secondary Subject Area Test for Each Core Academic Subject Taught

11. Michigan Teacher Certification Status – Institution field only displays last university attended. Person Information Name A.K.A. Name Birth Year JOANNE WINKELMAN Certificate Information Cert #: CC-688BA0328424 Cert Type: PROVISIONAL CERTIFICATE (Elementary K-8 All Subjects) Record Type: Original Expiration Date: 5/25/1988 By: WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY Subject / Grade Level Issued Cognitive (Mntl) Impairment (SA) K-124/11/1989 Learning Disabilities (SM) K-12 4/11/1989

12. Michigan Teacher Certification Status – Institution field only displays last university attended. Person Information Name A.K.A. Name Birth Year SHERYL ANN DIAMOND Certificate Information Cert #: IF0000000004318 Cert Type: PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE (Elementary K-5 All Subjects (K-8 Self CC)) Record Type: Original Expiration Date: 6/30/2007 By: EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY Subject / Grade Level Issued Social Science (CX) 6-8 3/20/2002 Language Arts (BX) 6-8 3/20/2002 Emotional Impairment (SE) K-12 3/20/2002 Early Childhood Education Pre K-K 3/20/2002

13. Michigan Teacher Certification Status – Institution field only displays last university attended. Person Information Name A.K.A. Name Birth Year JOHN SMITH Certificate Information Cert #: CC-0000000000000 Cert Type: PROVISIONAL CERTIFICATE (Secondary 7-8 All Subjects) Record Type: Original Expiration Date: 6/30/2007 By: LIPTON STATE UNIVERSITY Subject / Grade Level Issued Business Education (GX) 9-12 2/10/1975 Learning Disabilities (SM) K-12 2/10/1975

14. Michigan Teacher Certification Status – Institution field only displays last university attended. Person Information Name A.K.A. Name Birth Year MARY DOE Certificate Information Cert #: CC-00000000000 Cert Type: PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE (Secondary) Record Type: Original Expiration Date: 6/30/2008 By: MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Subject / Grade Level Issued Emotional Impairment (SA) K-125/27/2003 Learning Disabilities (SM) K-12 5/27/2003

15. Teacher Verification Website • www.michigan.gov/mde • Click on Administrators • Click on Staffing and Personnel • Click on Teacher Certification box • Click on Teacher Verification

16. HOUSSE • High Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation • Standards are verified by the employing district. • More information regarding HOUSSE may be found at: • www.michigan.gov/mde • Click on Educators • Click on Professional Preparation

17. How does the MA fit into HOUSSE? • A Master’s Degree in and of itself does not document HQ. • However, courses taken toward a Master’s Degree may be used to meet the HOUSSE standards if those courses can be shown to reflect knowledge in the core academic subjects being taught.

18. Q & A

19. “Why doesn't my K-12 special education endorsement mean anything”? It does mean something. Michigan requires all special education teachers to have an endorsement appropriate to their assignment to be fully approved. NCLB and IDEIA add on to those requirements.

20. Test taken after 1992? • How do I know? • Each teacher who has taken any of the MTTC tests should have received a copy of each test result. • If these are lost, the teacher may contact the National Evaluation Systems for a copy of their test results at www.nesinc.com • The MDE does not have these results on file. • MI specific test information may be found at www.mttc.nesinc.com

21. Approvals? • An option in NCLB allows a teacher to be highly qualified if he/she is participating in an alternative route to certification. • This would apply to persons under Special Education Personnel Approval as defined under Rule 340.1783 • Persons who have been hired through the special education personnel approvals process in Michigan are considered to be highly qualified (fora maximum ofthree years) through their participation in an alternative route to certification.

22. Individuals who are employed by a local district under an alternative route to certification program must: • Participate in a program of intensive supervision that consists of structured guidance and regular ongoing support for teachers, or a teacher mentoring program; • Receive high-quality professional development that is sustained, intensive, and classroom-focused in order to have a positive and lasting impact on classroom instruction, before and while teaching; • Cont…

23. Individuals who are employed by a local district under an alternative route to certification program must: • Assume functions as a teacher only for a specified period of time not to exceed three years; and • Demonstrate satisfactory progress toward full certification as prescribed by the state. • Meet the HQ federal requirements.

24. Timeline • The timeline for meeting this requirement is contingent upon the date of employment. If hired prior to the first day of school in the 2003-04 school year, and working under temporary or continuing temporary approval, the teacher must meet the requirements by the end of the 2005-06 school year. • All other candidates may only function under a temporary or continuing temporary approval for three years effective on the date of hire for that position within the school district to be considered “Highly Qualified.”