Highly Qualified Teacher Resources

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act (2001), which is the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), was signed into law by President Bush on January 8, 2002. NCLB requires all elementary, middle school (grades 6-8) and secondary teachers (grades 7-12) to be highly qualified. Middle school (grades 6-8) in a departmentalized setting, and secondary teachers (grades 7-12), must be highly qualified in each of the core academic subjects to which they are assigned to teach. NCLB requires each state and local education agency (LEA) to take necessary actions to ensure that all core academic teachers are highly qualified for their teaching assignment by the end of the 2005-2006 school year.

A committee of Washtenaw County educators developed resources for districts and public school academies in Washtenaw County. Teachers and local administrators are not required to use any of these documents. We recommend that districts assemble a local team to review the available documents and resources and decide which may help teachers determine if they are highly qualified and which may help districts to assemble a comprehensive documentation and verification system. Districts can modify all documents for local use, including embedding a district logo. Any major deviations from MDE policies and guidelines will need approval from the Michigan Department of Education.