Ruling on “highly qualified” teachers received
A recent ruling by the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) means that an estimated 90 percent of South Dakota’s existing teachers will be considered “highly qualified,” due to their prior teaching experience. An estimated 350 existing teachers may be impacted by the ruling. According to the No Child Left Behind Act, all teachers must be “highly qualified” by the end of the 2005-06 school year.
The ruling was the result of a federal review done in November 2004. South Dakota was one of the first states to be reviewed. USDOE released its review to the South Dakota Department of Education in mid-April. A summary appears below.
Existing elementary teachers
- USDOE approved South Dakota ’s rules for evaluating the content knowledge of existing elementary school teachers, saying that they satisfy the “highly qualified” requirements of No Child Left Behind.
What that means:
- Existing teachers who are certified and have three years of experience are considered “highly qualified.”
- Approximately 90 percent of existing teachers fall under this category.
- These teachers are not impacted by the findings of the review.
New elementary teachers
- USDOE found that South Dakota ’s rules regarding elementary teachers who are new to the profession do not meet the definition of “highly qualified” under No Child Left Behind.
What that means:
- Elementary teachers who will be new to the profession in the 2005-06 school year and hired to teach in a Title I school must pass a Praxis test to demonstrate their subject-matter competency.
- Current elementary teachers in Title I schools, who were hired after the first day of the 2002-03 school year and do not have three years of experience, also must pass a Praxis test to demonstrate their subject-matter competency. The Praxis test assesses their knowledge on core elementary subjects: language arts, math, science and social studies.
- These teachers have until the end of 2005-06 to pass the Praxis test.
- Many already have taken the test as part of their teacher preparation and will simply need to supply proof to the Department of Education
Existing middle school and high school teachers
Any middle or high school teacher who has a major in their content area is not impacted by the recent ruling. According to the federal definition, a major in the content area shows proof of competency. This applies only to the core content areas of language arts, math, science, social studies, foreign languages and the fine arts, which includes music and art.
However, if the individual is teaching outside his or her major content area, the individual would not be considered “highly qualified” in that content area. In order to become “highly qualified” (prove content-area competency) in the secondary subject, the individual could do one of three things:
- Pass a content-area Praxis test by the end of the 2005-06 school year.
- Have three years of experience teaching by the end of the 2005-06 school year.
- Hold a graduate degree.
Future plans for certification, “highly qualified” status
Prior to the U.S. Department of Education’s ruling, the South Dakota Department of Education had been working towards implementation of a content-area test as a requirement for state certification. That process will continue. As of July 1, 2005, the state will require all those seeking certification to pass a content-area Praxis test, unless there is not a test available. This step will help bring state certification and “highly qualified” requirements in line with one another.
In regards to the new federal ruling, the South Dakota Department of Education will continue working through the colleges and universities to inform their students and recent graduates of any changes in requirements. Many higher education institutions already require a Praxis test as part of their preparation.
The department also will work to contact all teachers hired from the beginning of the 2002-03 school year through the 2004-05 school year, to make sure they demonstrate competency.
Any questions regarding the new ruling on “highly qualified” status should be directed to Melody Schopp at (605) 773-5232.
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