Are You Highly Qualified?

Presented by: Ami Taylor

And Brandi Mendham
Educational Law 725, Spring 2009
What are the mandates and who
has imposed them?
Provisions of the federal legislation known
as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act
require that all teachers of core academic
subjects be "highly qualified" by the end of
the 2005-06 school year with teachers
newly hired after the first day of instruction
for the 2002-03 school year required to be
"highly qualified" when hired.

Click to view a video describing the

importance of Teacher Quality
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOJBnjlYeU0
NCLB Definition of Core
Academic Subject Areas
English, Reading, Language Arts,
Mathematics, Science, Foreign Languages,
Civics and Government, Economics, Arts,
History, and Geography (The arts in
Michigan include visual arts, vocal and
instrumental music, dance and theatre.)
What does “Highly Qualified”
Mean?
The teacher holds at least a bachelor’s
degree and is certified, endorsed, or
authorized to teach the subject, and has
one of the following:
Major in the content/subject (or equivalent
of 30 semester credit hours); or
Passed a rigorous state test in the
content/subject; or
Completed a state approved High Objective
Uniform State Standards of Evaluation
(HOUSSE); or
Holds National Board Certification in the
The following slide
presentation will walk you
through the process of
determining if you meet the
highly qualified standard.

Enjoy the Show!

 Highly Qualified Teachers
Worksheet

Do you have full Do you have at

state certification? least a bachelor’s
Yes degree?
No Yes
If you answered yes to both
Noof these questions,
go on to section II
If you answered no to either of these questions,
you do not meet the requirements for being
highly qualified, consult with Michigan
Department of Education.
Section II
Are you currently assigned to teach a core
academic subject for which you have an
academic major? Yes No

If you answered yes, Congratulations, you

meet the Michigan Highly Qualified Teacher
Definition! Proceed to slide 18.

If you answered no, continue on the next

slide.
 Section III – Question A
Did you take and pass the Michigan Test for
Teacher Certification in your teaching
assignment and receive your initial
certification/license in Michigan in 1992 or later?
Yes No yes, Congratulations, you meet
If you answered
the Michigan Highly Qualified Teacher
Definition! Proceed to slide18.

If you answered no, continue on the next slide.

 Section III Question B
Do you have a Master’s Degree in the content of
your teaching assignment or a
related/appropriate area (i.e.. Master’s in
Education or Curriculum and Instruction etc.)?
If Yes
you answeredNoyes, Congratulations, you meet
the Michigan Highly Qualified Teacher Definition!
Proceed to slide18.

If you answered no, continue on the next slide.

Almost Done Jumping Through Hoops
We
Promise!!!!
 Do you have coursework that is equivalent to
an undergraduate major (30 hours—or 36
hours for a group major) in the core
academic subject area? Yes No

If you answered yes, Congratulations, you meet

the Michigan Highly Qualified Teacher
Definition! Proceed to slide18.

If you answered no, continue on the next slide.

Do you have a passing score on the Michigan
Test or Teacher Certification in the core
academic subject area? Yes No
If you answered yes, Congratulations, you meet
the Michigan Highly Qualified Teacher Definition!
Proceed to slide18.

If you answered no, continue on the next slide.

Do you have National Board Certification at an
appropriate developmental level? Yes
No
If you answered yes, Congratulations, you meet
the Michigan Highly Qualified Teacher Definition!
Proceed to slide 18.

If you answered no, continue on the next slide.

If you have not met the Highly Qualified
Standard through the above options, you have
the three following choices to obtain your
Highly Qualified Status.
Option 1
1. 3 years of teaching experience plus,
since the issuance of your Michigan
Provisional teaching certificate, a minimum
of 18 semester hours in a planned
standards-based State Board of Education
approved program in the core academic
subject area or master’s or higher degree
in an area appropriate to elementary
education.
Option 2
3 years of teaching experience and by the
end of 2005-2006 school year, you will
have completed an individual professional
development plan, approved by the local
school improvement team of at least 90
contact hours or 6 semester hours of
coursework which are standards based,
subject/content program related to the core
academic subject are and documented with
the local district on a form approved by the
MDE.
Option 3
You can demonstrate competence of
subject matter knowledge and teaching
skills, as outlined in a local performance
assessment of your employing district, as
per Michigan’s definition of highly qualified
teacher, otherwise known as the high
objective uniform state-standard of
evaluation (HOUSE) .
Congratulations You are Highly
Qualified!
Michigan Department of Education at
www.michigan.gov/mde-hq provides the
proper documentation you are responsible
for supplying to your district.
Frequently Asked Questions
The link below will assist you with any
additional questions you may have. Good
Luck!
http://www.michigan.gov/
Resources
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/nclb/PDF/hq_guidanc
http://www.tcta.org/nclb/highlyqualified.htm
http://www.aftmichigan.org/files/highlyqualified
http://www.michigan.gov/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOJBnjlYeU0