Ensuring Highly Qualified Teachers for Georgia’s Students

1. Ensuring Highly Qualified Teachers for Georgia’s Students Georgia Professional Standards Commission An Update of NCLB and “Highly Qualified” Requirements What does it all mean for Alternative Education Programs? June 24, 2010

2. “Highly Qualified” Teachers Requirement • All teachers must be “highly qualified.” • Applies to all public P-12 teachers who teach core subjects: • English, Reading, or Language Arts • Mathematics • Broad Field Science (such as Physics, Biology, Chemistry) • Broad Field Social Studies (such as Civics and Government, History or Geography, and Economics) • Foreign Languages • Arts (visual arts, music, band, and chorus) Georgia Implementation Guidelines – 4.01

3. “Highly Qualified” Teachers • Certified to teach by the PSC • Bachelor’s degree • Passing Test Score on the PRAXIS/GACE • Assignment appropriate for the area of certification Georgia Implementation Guidelines – 3.01

4. HiQ Compliance Options • Pass the appropriate GACE • Complete the reading endorsement • HOUSSE • Defer HiQ to a HiQ teacher via consultation • Defer HiQ to a proven web based/tech program Georgia Implementation Guidelines

5. Notice to Parents • “LEA’s are required to notify parents in writing if a teacher who is not “highly qualified” has taught their child a core academic content subject for 20 consecutive days. LEAs are also required to notify parents at the beginning of each school year notice of the “Parent’s Right To Know”. Georgia Implementation Guidelines – 2.03

6. Parents Right To Know Parents have the right to request the following; • type of certificate • college major, degree(s) • years of teaching experience • if their child is served by a paraprofessional

7. “Highly Qualified” Paraprofessionals • All Georgia paraprofessionals must hold a valid state certificate issued by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission. • As of September 1, 2006, all paraprofessionals hired in Georgia must have an associate’s degree or two years of college work (60 semester hours), OR a passing score on a PSC approved paraprofessional assessment. Georgia Implementation Guidelines – 10.01

8. Recertification of Paraprofesional • All individuals holding a current paraprofessional certificate in Georgia must meet the new requirements (if not previously met) for certificate renewal effective June 30, 2009 or the effective renewal date thereafter. Georgia Implementation Guidelines – 10.02

9. So What Happens if I’m Not Highly Qualified? • Two Models: • Consultative Model • Two documented contacts per month • must address the academic core content areas of instruction in the alternative setting, • should ensure that students are receiving the same content as students in home school • must be maintained by the teacher and filed as directed by the LEA Georgia Implementation Guidelines – 9.01

10. Deferring HiQ to Tech Based Program • Technology based programs that are: • Computer-assisted, provide self-pacing and pre/post testing or delivered as a course through distance learning technologies and the quality and rigor is equitably alignment to the state curriculum and teachers with content expertise are made available as needed to support student learning do not require the alternative school teacher to be “highly qualified” if they are not responsible for delivering content instruction. • however….

11. Documentation for Deferring Required • Each computer based program and/or distance learning course must have scientifically based research to indicate that it is successful with student populations. • Student performance data must be available for monitoring of Title II, Part A compliance. Georgia Implementation Guidelines – 9.01

12. Title II-A Consultants