TEACHER QUALIFICATIONS
All children deserve well-prepared teachers who know what to teach and how to teach. Well-prepared teachers have mastered the subject matter that they are teaching. Under NCLB, all school districts must make sure that all teachers in core academic subjects are highly qualified by the end of school year 2005-2006. For NCLB, care academic subjects are English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, and geography.
What highly qualified means.
"Highly qualified" means that your child's teacher must be fully certified by the State of North Dakota. In addition, your child's teacher must pass state tests for the grades and the subjects they are teaching or meet comparable requirements. Under NCLB, schools that receive Title I federal funds may only hire new teachers if they are highly qualified.
Even experienced teachers in your child's school may need professional training to meet to the highly qualified standard set by NCLB. School districts will be working to get professional development for teachers so that all districts meet this standard by school year 2005-2006.
You have the right to know if your child's teacher is highly qualified.
Once a year, the school district must tell you the percentage of core academic classes in your child's school that are taught by highly qualified teachers. This information will be part of your child's School Report Card. Under NCLB, parents of children whose teachers don't yet meet this standard must be notified by the school principal.
If your child has any teacher in a core academic subject for more than four weeks in a row, that teacher must be highly qualified for the assignment. If not, the principal must notify you.
Teachers providing instruction in ESL must be fully proficient in English, including reading, writing, and speaking. Bilingual teachers, those providing instruction in tow languages, must be fully proficient in both languages.
PARAPROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
All newly hired paraprofessionals in Title I programs must have a high school diploma or GED and have at least two years of college or pass a demanding test given by North Dakota State or their local school district. Paraprofessionals already working in Title I programs must meet this new standard by school year 2005-2006. School districts can help paraprofessionals meet this standard through on-the-job training or additional schooling.
Staff members working solely as translators or solely in programs to involve parents must have a high school diploma or GED, but they do not have to meet the rest of the paraprofessional requirements.
You can find out if your child's teacher is highly qualified.