 |
|
 |
![]() |
![]()
Meeting No Child Left Behind Professional Development Requirements
In the U.S. Department of Education's NCLB guidance, "high-quality professional development" includes the following attributes:- Improves and increases teachers' knowledge of academic subjects and enables teachers to become highly qualified,
- Gives teachers and principals the knowledge and skills to help students meet challenging State academic standards,
- Improves classroom management skills,
- Is sustained, intensive and classroom-focused, and
- Advances teacher understanding of effective instruction strategies.
Reading YES! incorporates these attributes to support a school or district's efforts to provide high-quality professional development and ensure that each teacher meets the requirements of being a highly-qualified teacher.
What federal funding is available to purchase Reading, YES!?
Title I: Grants to Districts
NCLB Title I law requires that Title I schools provide "high-quality and ongoing professional development." Each district that receives Title I funds must spend at least 5 percent of its Title I allocation on professional development activities to help teachers become highly qualified. Additionally, any school or district identified for School Improvement or District Improvement must spend at least 10 percent of its Title I funds for professional development.
Funding for Teacher Quality Initiatives
No Child Left Behind provides funds to states and districts to conduct a wide variety of activities aimed at improving teacher quality. Remember that districts can transfer up to 50 percent of federal formula grant funds they receive under different parts of the law (Title II-Improving Teacher Quality and Educational Technology, Title IV-Safe and Drug Free School Grants, Title V-Innovative Programs) to any one of these programs or to their Title I program (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged). This allows districts the opportunity to target resources as they see fit, without separate requests and approval.
Title II: Improving Teacher Quality State Grants
Specific funds are available to all states through Title II. States have already submitted an application describing their general annual measurable objectives for increasing the percentage of highly qualified teachers, how they will use funds to meet the teacher and paraprofessional requirements of the law, and how they will hold districts accountable for their progress in helping all teachers reach the highly qualified standard.
Each district must also conduct a needs assessment, outlining activities that need to be implemented to give teachers the subject matter knowledge and teaching skills they need, and to give principals the instructional leadership skills to help teachers. NCLB requires that teachers be able to participate in the needs assessment process.
States also must determine if districts are making progress on teacher quality goals, called annual measurable objectives. If the district does not make progress for two consecutive years, it must develop an improvement plan to address reasons for not making progress. After three years, if the district still does not make progress, the state must enter into an agreement about the use of its Title II funds. This agreement will include development strategies for the district to meet annual measurable objectives.
Title III, Part A: Funds
Districts that receive Title III, Part A funds may use those funds for professional development of teachers who provide instruction to students "needing English language acquisition and language enhancement." (U.S. Department of Education non-regulatory guidance on Teacher Quality, January 16, 2004) This can include both ELL teachers and classroom teachers.
Note: there are several other grant programs supported by the federal government for teachers, such as: Teaching American History, Math and Science Partnerships, Troops for Teachers, and Transition to Teaching, among others. To find more, go to www.ed.gov.
How states determine their highly qualified teacher provisions
Teacher must have:- A bachelor's degree
- Full state certification and licensure as determined by the state
- Demonstrated competency, as defined by the state, in each core academic subject he or she teaches.
How Reading, YES! supports highly qualified teachers
Courses are accredited at the university level to provide CEUs and graduate credit for teachers to use:- Towards a bachelor's degree
- To complete state certification requirements
- For district alternative certification programs
- To prepare teachers to show demonstrated competency in reading or language art
Note: There are several other grant programs supported by the federal government for teachers, such as: Teaching American History, Math and Science Partnerships, Troops for Teachers, and Transition to Teaching, among others. To find more, go to www.ed.gov.
|
|
![]()
|
![]() |
|
