What's a highly qualified teacher?

Montana certification is standard enough, says Supt. McCulloch

State Superintendent Linda McCulloch declares MT's certification system sets the standard; promises to "take it to the White House" if necessary.

According to Montana law and administrative rule, Montana teachers meet the definition of "highly qualified" if they are licensed and endorsed in the areas in which they teach.

That's the conclusion State Superintendent Linda McCulloch has drawn, after months of effort to interpret and implement requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act.

As amended by the Bush Administration, Title I of ESEA requires that teachers be "highly qualified" in the subjects they teach. School districts must publicly identify teachers who do not meet the federal "highly qualified" definition and notify parents that their child is being taught by a teacher who is "not highly qualified."

The new law defines a teacher as highly qualified if that teacher has a college major in his or her subject area, passes a content test, or meets some other "high objective uniform state standard of evaluation."

Rather than adopting an entirely new evaluation system for current teachers, as many states are now doing, Superintendent McCulloch and the Office of Public Instruction staff will continue to honor Montana's existing teacher preparation and licensure standards as Montana's "high objective uniform state standard of evaluation."

Montana licensing satisfies requirement
According to McCulloch's decision, educators who are currently licensed and endorsed in their teaching area by the state will satisfy the requirements of being "highly qualified."

McCulloch's decision is part of a plan that has been submitted to the United State Department of Education for approval.

"Developing an entirely new, expensive process to assess our teachers just does not make sense," said McCulloch.

"We already have a teacher licensure system that results in the best-prepared, most effective teachers in the country. Why would we want to create unnecessary bureaucratic hoops for our teachers to jump through when they already demonstrate their competence in Montana classrooms?"

Montana teachers and administrators agree. Since passage of the new federal law in January 2002, superintendents, principals, and teachers have all wondered what would be required to meet the new standards.

'A great step forward'
After learning of McCulloch's decision, Great Falls Education Association president Denny Haverlandt commented, "That's a great step forward. It will allow our district to focus needed resources and efforts on providing the best services for our students, not on more paperwork."

Although Montana's plan must still be approved by the U.S. Department of Education, McCulloch is adamant that her definition of highly qualified teachers must remain.

"If the No Child Left Behind law is going to have any chance of boosting student achievement, we need to worry a lot less about labeling teachers and schools, and a lot more about delivering programs that work," McCulloch said.

"I'll take this one to the White House if I have to. My priority is what works best for Montana's students."