The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), recognizes that
teacher quality is one of the most important factors in improving student
achievement and eliminating achievement gaps. NCLB dictates that all students
be taught by a "highly qualified teacher" (HQT) who holds at least a
bachelor's degree, has obtained full State certification, and has demonstrated
knowledge in the core academic subjects he or she teaches.
NCLB requires teachers in K-12 schools to meet the definition
of Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT) through the following criteria:
- minimum of a bachelor's degree
- full state teacher certification
- demonstrated subject matter knowledge in each
core academic subject assigned to teach, including Bilingual, English as a
Second Language, and Special Education.
Under the High, Objective, Uniform State
Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE), NCLB
allows states to develop an additional way for current teachers to demonstrate
subject-matter competency and meet highly qualified teacher requirements. Proof
may consist of a combination of teaching experience, professional development,
and knowledge in the subject obtained from previous years of teaching
experience.
The Office of Professional Development is
committed to helping M-DCPS teachers meet the Highly Qualified Teacher
Requirement by providing high-quality professional development activities and
subject area test preparation sessions instructed by subject matter experts in
the following certification areas:
- Middle Grades English (grades 5-9)
- Middle Grades General Science (grades 5-9)
- Middle Grades Integrated Curriculum (grades 5-9)
- Middle Grades Mathematics (grades 5-9)
- Middle Grades Social Science (grades 5-9)
- English (grades 6-12)
- Mathematics (grades 6-12)
- Social Science (grades 6-12)
- Biology (grades 6-12)
- Chemistry (grades 6-12)
- Earth-Space
Science (grades 6-12)
- Physics
(grades 6-12)
- Reading
K-12
- Exceptional
Student Education (ESE) K-12
- English
as a Second Language (ESOL) K-12
