NCLB Highly Qualified Requirements

According to federal legislation as specified by No Child Left Behind, all teachers in the nation who teach in core academic areas must be"highly qualified" by June 30, 2006.

REQUIREMENTS:

Teachers must prove that they are "highly qualified" in accordance with No Child Left Behind legislation by meeting certain requirements. These include:

• Having a Bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or approved institution,
• Having a valid Florida three-year Temporary or five-year Professional certificate,
• Demonstrating subject matter competency by:
  • passing a subject area exam for the core academic content area and grade level in which they teach, OR
  •  verifying competency to teach a core academic content area by documenting their experience and expertise through the High, Objective, Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE) plan, OR
  • National Board Certification in the area/grade in which they teach, OR
  • For secondary teachers, having a valid Florida Temporary or Professional certificate appropriate for the subject(s) and grade level(s) assigned, OR
  • For ESE teachers, appropriate exceptional student education certification as indicated by the Course Code Directory and documentation of subject matter competency as indicated above for the core academic content area and grade level taugh

HOUSSE PLAN:

In efforts to increase the supply of highly effective teachers and meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), Florida approved the acceptance of a High, Objective, Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE) plan. This plan provides an option in addition to passing the subject area exam for experienced teachers to become highly qualified. The School District of Indian River County is currently in the process of implementing the HOUSSE plan for the 2005-06 school year. Forms for documenting a teacher's successful completion of the plan are available by clicking on the NCLB Downloads link above. . 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. Core academic subjects include:

• Art
• Elementary Education
• Civics
• Drama
• Economics
• English
• Foreign Languages
• Geography
• Journalism
• Language Arts
• Mathematics
• Music
• Reading*
• Sciences
• ESE regular diploma courses

The HOUSSE plan uses multiple components that in total document competency in the subject content to meet requirements for the NCLB 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). A total of 100 points must be documented to satisfy the requirements of the HOUSSE plan. The points may be earned in the following areas: 1. Prior experience in the assigned content area . Successful full-time teaching experience in the core subject area within the last 5 years. A teacher earns 10 points per school year up to a maximum of 50 points total. 2. Classroom observations and performance evaluations . Classroom observation and performance evaluation of the core course assigned, conducted by the supervisor within the past year using the state-approved district performance assessment system. A teacher may earn 30 points for a satisfactory or higher evaluation. 3. Approved professional development in the subject content area . Professional development training must be training that increases the teacher's knowledge of the core academic subject, is aligned to state standards, and is intensive and classroom-focused, not short-term or workshops. The courses must be completed within the last 5 years. A teacher can earn a maximum of 60 points, 20 points for each 60 in-service hours completed in the core subject area. 4. College level courses in the subject content area . A teacher may earn a maximum of 60 points, 20 points for each 3 semester hours completed in the core subject area. There is no statute of limitations on college courses. A teacher must submit a copy of his/her transcript with the HOUSSE plan for verification of acceptable courses. 5. School, District, State or National level activities or service related to the teaching of the subject content area . A teacher may earn 10 points for each activity up to a maximum of 50 points total. Appropriate professional activities related to teaching core subject area(s), include but are not limited to:

• Content standards development, selection, or evaluation committee
• Content curriculum development, selection, or evaluation committee
• Presentation at a regional, state, or nation conference, seminar, workshop or training activity related to teaching the core content area.
• Department chair or team leader in the core content area.  
• Lead or mentor teacher for the core content area.
• Supervising teacher for an intern in teaching the core content area.
• Recipient of school, district, state, or national teacher of the year award.
• Presentations at the district, state or national level in the teaching of the core content area.
• Officer of a regional, state, or national professional teacher's organization in the core content area.
• Contributor to the publication of an article, materials, or a chapter, section, or book on the teaching of the core content area.

6. Student achievement learning gains for English/language arts and mathematics teachers, grades 4-10 (FCAT) . Gains for a full year; minimum student group of 15; minimum of 90% of student group makes gains; gains are totaled for the most recent 3 years of teaching. A teacher may earn 15 points for 1 year; 30 points for 2 years; and 50 points for 3 years with a maximum of 50 points.

DETERMINING YOUR STATUS:

If you teach any of the core academic content areas listed above, you are required to be "highly qualified" by June 30, 2006. You should discuss your specific situation with your principal and determine if you will meet the requirements through a subject area exam, the HOUSSE Plan, or through your certification. Remember that being certified and being "highly qualified" are not the same. There are some requirements in addition to certification for many teachers to prove that you are "highly qualified." Please see any of the documents in the left column menu at the top of the page.