You have the right to request and review information from your school district on the professional qualifications of your child’s teachers. The new federal “No Child Left Behind” law requires schools that receive federal education funds under Title I, Part A to provide this information to you if you request it. The information must be provided to you in a reasonable amount of time.
The information you may request includes the following:
Has the teacher met state qualifications and licensing requirements for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction?
Is the teacher providing instruction under emergency or another provisional status that means regular state qualifications or licensing criteria have been waived?
What college degree does the teacher have, as well as any other graduate degree or certification? In what academic subject area(s) were the degrees received?
Are paraprofessionals providing instructional services to my child? If so, what are their qualifications?
The district is also required to inform you if your child has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who does not meet the federal definition of being “highly qualified.” Highly qualified teachers are those who have met state qualifications and licensure requirements. If this is the case, you will be notified.
All teachers are required by the “No Child Left Behind” law to be highly qualified by the start of the 2005-2006 school year. One of the law’s intentions is to improve student achievement by focusing on improvements in teacher quality. For additional information about the requirements for teacher quality, visit the U.S. Department of Education’s Web site.
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