Dr. Mary M. Jones Consultant California Dept. of Education, Educational Options Office 1430 N Street, Ste. 4503 Sacramento, CA 95814 916-323-5034 Fax: 916-323-2039 Email: mjones@cde.ca.gov

NCLB TEACHER REQUIREMENTS

The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requires all teachers to be "highly qualified" by the end of the 2005-06 school year (teachers in Title I schools must already meet these requirements). The California Department of Education (CDE) released its "NCLB Teacher Requirements Resource Guide" on March 1. Please see the Guide at http://www.cde.ca.gov/nclb/sr/tq/ for detailed information about the NCLB teacher requirements.

The main challenge that these requirements present for independent study is the requirement that teachers must demonstrate subject matter competence in all the core academic subjects they teach. This is especially a challenge for high school teachers (and some middle school teachers) who teach most, if not all, academic subjects. The core academic subjects are defined as: English, Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Foreign Languages, Civics/Government, Economics, Arts, History, and Geography.

As outlined in the Guide, there are different options available for demonstrating subject matter competence depending on whether or not a teacher is "new to the profession" and whether a teacher teaches at the elementary level or the middle school/high school level. Of particular interest to teachers who are "not new" to the profession is the HOUSSE (High Objective Uniform State Standard or Evaluation) option for demonstrating subject matter competence.

It is important to note that this Guide is a "work in progress," and that additional guidance is expected for teachers in alternative settings. In Section 2.3 the Guide states:

The California Department of Education (CDE) and State Board of Education (SBE) recognize that meeting the NCLB teacher requirements may be a particular challenge for small schools and schools that offer educational options. It is important to recognize that these issues are not unique to California, but are being raised by other states across the country. For this reason, it is particularly critical that school districts NOT react to the new NCLB requirements by eliminating appropriate options for students. California will continue to work with United States Department of Education and other state agencies to develop viable solutions to implementing the requirements of NCLB within the full range of settings and options that are necessary to serve the diverse needs of all students.

CCIS also will continue to address the impact of these teachers requirements for independent study.

INDEPENDENT STUDY OPERATIONS MANUAL

CDE’s Independent Study Operations Manual, 2000 is available through the CDE Press. It can be ordered on-line at http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/eo/is/ or by calling the CDE Press at 800-995-4099 (it is ITEM #1500).

AUDIT GUIDE ISSUED FOR 2006-2007

The California Education Audit Appeals Panel (EAAP) has issued the K-12 Audit Guide for 2006-07 as administrative regulations.  These regulations serve as the basis for the 2006-07 annual audits of K-12 local educational agencies, and are posted on the EAAP's Web site at http://www.eaap.ca.gov/NewWebSite0804/AuditGuide.htm  The provisions related to independent study are in Section 19819, on pages 20 - 26.  Note that these regulations replace the K-12 Audit Guide formerly published by the State Controller's Office.

Also see CCIS Legislative Advocate - Birdsall Wasco and Associates

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