NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements September 2004
Small, Rural School Districts
The Department is seeking further clarification from the USDE for the definition of eligible small,
rural districts to determine if there are districts in Florida to which the definition will apply. For a
district that meets the definition of an eligible small, rural district, additional flexibility may be
provided through extended timelines for meeting the highly qualified designation. The flexibility
provides current teachers in eligible small, rural districts who are highly qualified in at least one
subject until the end of the 2006-2007 school year to become highly qualified in the additional
core academic subjects they teach via one of the appropriate options. Newly hired teachers in
an eligible small, rural district who are highly qualified in one subject would have three years
from hiring to meet the highly qualified requirements for all core subjects taught. These
teachers must be provided professional development, close supervision, and mentoring to
assist them in becoming highly qualified in all subjects they teach.
Dance Courses Clarification:
Dance courses are not to be designated core academic courses. Therefore, the requirements
for highly qualified do not apply to teachers of dance courses.
Reading Certification in Sixth Grade:
It has been determined that a teacher who has certification in Elementary Education (K-6 or 1-6)
and is teaching reading in grades 1-6, or in kindergarten if certified in K-6, is not required to
have the Reading Endorsement or Reading certification. This includes sixth grade in an
elementary or middle school. Please reference the memorandum dated May 7, 2004, from the
Just Read, Florida! Office at http://info.fldoe.org/dscgi/ds.py/Get/File-2043/Endorsement
Update.pdf for more information relating to the Reading Endorsement.
Reading Certification Requirements for Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Teachers:
It has been determined that a teacher who has certification in an appropriate Exceptional
Student Education (K-12) area to match the ESE table in the Course Code Directory and is
teaching reading to ESE students in grades K-6 is not required to have the Reading
Endorsement or Reading certification. This includes sixth grade in an elementary or middle
school.
Additional i
nformation relating to the required certification for teaching reading to
exceptional education students was provided in a memorandum dated June 15, 2004, and may
be viewed at http://info.fldoe.org/dscgi/ds.py/Get/File-2132/04-129.pdf.
Core Academic Courses in Middle School Sixth Grade:
A teacher who has certification in Elementary Education (K-6 or 1-6) and is teaching a core
academic course in mathematics, science, social science, and English/language arts in sixth
grade in an elementary or middle school is not required to have the separate subject area
content certifications or the middle grades integrated curriculum certification. Of course, if a
teacher meets requirements and chooses to add the additional subject(s) to a valid certificate,
that is encouraged and is appropriate.
Note:
The Course Code Directory will be revised to reflect that Elementary Education (K-6 or 1-
6) certification will continue to be appropriate at the sixth grade level in middle school for core
academic courses.
Core Academic Courses for ESE Students in Sixth Grade:
A teacher who has certification in an appropriate exceptional student education (K-12) area to
match the ESE table in the Course Code Directory and is teaching a core academic course in
mathematics, science, social science, and English/language arts to ESE students in an
elementary or middle school sixth grade is not required to have the separate subject area
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements September 2004
content certifications or the middle grades integrated curriculum certification. Of course, if a
teacher meets requirements and chooses to add the additional subject(s) to a valid certificate,
that is encouraged and is appropriate.
Note: The Course Code Directory will be revised to reflect that specified exceptional student
education (K-12) certification areas are appropriate at the sixth grade level for core academic
courses for ESE students.
Updated Charts for Highly Qualified (HQ) Teacher Requirements:
Four new charts: an elementary level, a middle/secondary level, a K-12 level, and a chart for
ESE assignments have been developed to display the basic HQ requirements and the various
options for Florida teachers within the current certification structure to satisfy the HQ
requirements. These new charts supersede and replace any and all other charts that were
provided earlier. The three basic NCLB requirements for the highly qualified designation are:
1. An acceptable bachelor’s or higher degree,
2. State licensure/certification (no requirements waived), and
3. Demonstration of subject competency for the subject(s) and grade level(s) taught.
In Florida, subject requirements for
certification
are met on the basis of an undergraduate or
graduate academic major, subject content courses equivalent to a major as specified in State
Board of Education rule, a passing score on the appropriate Florida subject area test, a valid
standard certificate in the subject area issued by another state, or a valid advanced national
certificate in the subject area issued by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
(NBPTS) or American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE).
The new charts display the various options by which subject competency may be documented
for new and experienced teachers and for the grade level(s) taught to meet the subject
competency requirement of NCLB. It is hoped that these charts simplify the information.
Documentation of the basis for establishing a highly qualified status such as a copy of a
certificate, passing test score verification, etc. should be included in the teacher’s personnel file
for audit purposes.
High, Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE) Revised Plan for
Experienced Teachers:
HOUSSE is a method other than certification or subject testing by which
experienced
teachers
can document subject content competency and knowledge in a core academic subject(s) the
teacher is teaching. A HOUSSE plan uses multiple components that in total document
competency in the subject content to meet requirements for the NCLB highly qualified
designation.
•
Model HOUSSE forms incorporating the required components and points for designation of
highly qualified teacher status are included for school districts to use to establish and
document a teacher’s highly qualified status in a core academic subject pursuant to the
requirements of NCLB. A copy of the HOUSSE form bearing the teacher’s signature and
the signature of the designated school district official and the documentation of the basis for
establishing a highly qualified status is to be included in the teacher’s personnel file. The
HOUSSE form may be used for an experienced teacher who is teaching a core academic
subject content course for which they have not yet completed certification requirements but
who can document the required number of components and points to earn the highly
qualified designation.
•
The HOUSSE option is not appropriate for and
shall not be used for teachers of reading
and English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
.
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements September 2004
•
The HOUSSE plan is not limited to, but may be especially applicable, to the following types
of teaching assignments:
a) Teachers certified in an exceptional student education area and who teach one or
more academic core content subjects.
b) Teachers of a foreign language. This plan is available for all foreign languages in
which certification is offered but will be especially beneficial for a foreign language
teacher who is a highly qualified native speaker in one of the foreign languages for
which there is no subject area exam available for adding the foreign language to a
valid certificate such as Italian, Greek, Hebrew, etc.
c) Teachers of multiple core academic subjects to hospital or homebound students.
d) Teachers of multiple core academic subjects in alternative school settings.
e) Teachers in Project Child programs.
f) Exchange teachers who hold the equivalent of an acceptable bachelor’s or higher
degree and a valid Exchange Teacher Certificate may combine the Exchange
Certificate with the documented requirements of a HOUSSE plan for the subject(s)
being taught to meet the highly qualified teacher designation requirements as an
experienced international teacher.
•
The initial preliminary Florida HOUSSE plan was available only to experienced, not new
elementary teachers and was based on the criteria of the performance evaluation system
pursuant to Section 1012.43 (formerly 231.29), F. S. The initial limited plan has been
replaced by this expanded HOUSSE option for all experienced teachers of core academic
subjects. An experienced elementary teacher who established highly qualified status
through the use of the initial plan of a successful performance evaluation will retain the
highly qualified designation. However, effective with the date of this memorandum, the
performance evaluation initial plan shall no longer be used and is replaced with the revised
HOUSSE form requiring the documentation of at least 100 points appropriate to the subject
area.
•
Notification to Parents Pursuant to Section 1012.42, Florida Statutes:
This section of statute offers a provision for school boards to adopt a policy for a teacher
to demonstrate sufficient subject area expertise other than holding certification in the
subject to be taught. If the board adopts such a subject expertise policy, the board is not
required to notify parents of the students taught by such teachers that the teacher does
not have certification in the subject. It is encouraged that school boards adopt a policy or
amend an existing policy for subject area expertise demonstration to include the HOUSSE
plan for experienced teachers.
•
Florida Out-of field Designation:
It has been determined that an amendment to Rule 6A-1.0503, FAC. will be proposed to
the Florida State Board of Education that will add documentation of meeting requirements
for the NCLB highly qualified designation via the HOUSSE plan as a method for being
defined as a qualified, infield teacher pursuant to Florida law and rule. This amendment, if
adopted, would mean the teacher would not have to earn additional college credit, pass
the subject test, or add the subject to the certificate. This option for designation as
qualified per state requirements would not be applicable to teachers of English to
Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and reading.