June 24, 2005

HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS AND

IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY STATE GRANTS (ESEA TITLE II, PART A)

MONITORING REPORT

**New Jersey Department of Education**

**April 11-12, 2005**

**U.S. Department of Education Monitoring Team:**

Julie Coplin

Miriam Lund

Allison Henderson (Westat)

**New Jersey Department of Education**

Richard C. Ten Eyck, Assistant Commissioner, Educational Programs and
Assessment

Jay Doolan, Director, Academic and Professional Standards

Iris Nagler, Title II, Part A and SAHE Coordinator, Office of Standards
and Professional Development

Eileen Aviss-Spedding, Manager, Professional Standards

Anne Cornwell, Director, Office of Grants Management

Suzanne Ochse, Director, Office of Title I Program Planning and
Accountability

Jan Niedermaier, Coordinator, Office of Academic and Professional
Standards

Patricia Shay, Coordinator of Discretionary Grants

**Overview of New Jersey:**

Number of Districts: 672

Number of Teachers: 101,156

Total State Allocation (FY 2004): \$65,482,566

Allocation for local educational agencies (LEAs): \$61,586,353

State Educational Agency (SEA) State Activities Allocation: \$1,620,694

State Agency for Higher Education (SAHE) Allocation: \$570,021, plus
\$84,804 in administration.

**Scope of Review:**

Like all State educational agencies (SEAs), the New Jersey Department of
Education (NJDOE), as a condition of receiving funds under Title I, Part
A and Title II, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), provided an
assurance to the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) that it
would administer these programs in accordance with all applicable
statutory and regulatory requirements, including those in Title I, Part
A that concern "Highly Qualified Teachers" and those that govern the use
of Title II, Part A funds. See **§**9304(a)(1) of the ESEA. One of the
specific requirements the Department established for an SEA's receipt of
program funds under its consolidated state application (§9302(b)) was
submission to the Department of annual data on how well the State has
been meeting its performance target for Performance Indicator 3.1: "The
percentage of classes being taught by 'highly qualified' teachers (as
the term is defined in §9101(23) of the ESEA), in the aggregate and in
'high-poverty' schools (as the term is defined in
**§**1111(h)(1)(C)(viii) of the ESEA)."

The Department's monitoring visit to New Jersey had two purposes. One
was to review the progress of the State in meeting the ESEA's highly
qualified teacher (HQT) requirements. The second was to review the use
of ESEA Title II, Part A funds by the SEA, selected districts, and the
State agency for higher education (SAHE), to ensure that the funds are
being used to prepare, retain, and recruit high-quality teachers and
principals so that all children will achieve to a high academic
achievement standards and to their full potential.

The monitoring review was conducted April 11-12, at the offices of the
NJDOE. As part of the review, the Department monitoring team met with
Jay Doolan, Director, Academic and Professional Standards and Iris
Nagler, Title II, Part A SEA and SAHE coordinator. The review team
conducted telephone interviews with the Elizabeth, Jersey City,
Hackettstown, and Woodstown-Pilesgrove Public School Districts.

#### Summary of Monitoring Indicators

+----------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------+
| #        |                               |                |        |
| Monitori |                               |                |        |
| ng Area  |                               |                |        |
| 1: Highl |                               |                |        |
| y Qualif |                               |                |        |
| ied Teac |                               |                |        |
| her Syst |                               |                |        |
| ems & Pr |                               |                |        |
| ocedures |                               |                |        |
+----------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------+
| *        | **Description**               | # Status       | # Page |
| *Element |                               |                |        |
| Number** |                               |                |        |
+----------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------+
| Critical | Has the State developed and   | Commendation   | 7      |
| Element  | implemented procedures,       |                |        |
| 1.1.     | consistent with the statutory |                |        |
|          | definition of highly          |                |        |
|          | qualified, to determine       |                |        |
|          | whether *all* teachers of     |                |        |
|          | core academic subjects are    |                |        |
|          | highly qualified (§9101(23))? |                |        |
+----------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------+
| Critical | Are all new elementary school | Met            | NA     |
| Element  | teachers (including special   | requirements   |        |
| 1.2.     | education teachers, as        |                |        |
|          | appropriate) required to pass |                |        |
|          | a rigorous State test in      |                |        |
|          | reading, writing,             |                |        |
|          | mathematics, and the other    |                |        |
|          | areas of the elementary       |                |        |
|          | school curriculum to          |                |        |
|          | demonstrate subject-matter    |                |        |
|          | competency                    |                |        |
|          | (§9101(23)(B)(II))?           |                |        |
+----------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------+
| Critical | Are all new middle and        | Finding        | 7      |
| Element  | secondary school teachers     |                |        |
| 1.3.     | (including special education  |                |        |
|          | teachers, as appropriate)     |                |        |
|          | required to demonstrate       |                |        |
|          | subject-matter competency, in |                |        |
|          | each core academic subject    |                |        |
|          | they teach, consistent with   |                |        |
|          | §9101(23)(B)(II)(ii)?         |                |        |
+----------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------+
| Critical | Are all veteran (i.e., those  | > Met          | NA     |
| Element  | who are not new to the        | > Requirements |        |
| 1.4.     | profession) elementary school |                |        |
|          | teachers (including special   |                |        |
|          | education teachers, as        |                |        |
|          | appropriate) required to      |                |        |
|          | demonstrate subject-matter    |                |        |
|          | competency by passing a       |                |        |
|          | rigorous State test or by     |                |        |
|          | completing the State's "High  |                |        |
|          | Objective Uniform State       |                |        |
|          | Standard of Evaluation"       |                |        |
|          | (HOUSSE) procedures           |                |        |
|          | (§9101(23)(C))?               |                |        |
+----------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------+
| Critical | Are all veteran middle and    | Finding        | 8      |
| Element  | secondary teachers (including |                |        |
| 1.5.     | special education teachers,   |                |        |
|          | as appropriate) required to   |                |        |
|          | demonstrate subject-matter    |                |        |
|          | competency in each core       |                |        |
|          | academic subject they teach,  |                |        |
|          | consistent with               |                |        |
|          | §9101(23)(B)(II)(ii)?         |                |        |
+----------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------+
| Critical | For each set of HOUSSE        | Met            | NA     |
| Element  | procedures the State has      | Requirements   |        |
| 1.6.     | developed, can the State      |                |        |
|          | describe how it meets each of |                |        |
|          | the statutory requirements in |                |        |
|          | §9101(23)(C)(ii)?             |                |        |
+----------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------+
| Critical | Does the SEA ensure that,     | Finding        | 8      |
| Element  | since the beginning of the    |                |        |
| 1.7.     | 2002-03 school year,          |                |        |
|          | districts only hire highly    |                |        |
|          | qualified teachers (including |                |        |
|          | special education teachers,   |                |        |
|          | as appropriate) to teach in   |                |        |
|          | Title I programs?             |                |        |
+----------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------+
| Critical | Has the SEA ensured, since    | Met            | NA     |
| Element  | the beginning of the 2002-03  | Requirements   |        |
| 1.8.     | school year, that districts   |                |        |
|          | that use ESEA Title II funds  |                |        |
|          | to reduce class size hire     |                |        |
|          | only highly qualified         |                |        |
|          | teachers for such positions?  |                |        |
+----------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------+
| Critical | Does the SEA's plan establish | Met            | 9      |
| Element  | annual measurable objectives  | Requirements   |        |
| 1.9.     | for each LEA and school to    |                |        |
|          | ensure that annual increases  | Commendation   |        |
|          | occur:                        |                |        |
|          |                               |                |        |
|          | -   in the percentage of      |                |        |
|          |     highly qualified teachers |                |        |
|          |     at each LEA and school;   |                |        |
|          |     and                       |                |        |
|          |                               |                |        |
|          | -   in the percentage of      |                |        |
|          |     teachers who are          |                |        |
|          |     receiving high-quality    |                |        |
|          |     professional development  |                |        |
|          |     to enable such teachers   |                |        |
|          |     to become highly          |                |        |
|          |     qualified and successful  |                |        |
|          |     classroom teachers        |                |        |
|          |     (§1119(a)(2)(A))?         |                |        |
+----------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------+
| Critical | Does the SEA also have a plan | Met            | NA     |
| Element  | with specific steps to ensure | Requirements   |        |
| 1.10.    | that poor and minority        |                |        |
|          | children are not taught at    |                |        |
|          | higher rates than other       |                |        |
|          | children by inexperienced,    |                |        |
|          | unqualified and out-of-field  |                |        |
|          | teachers? Does the plan       |                |        |
|          | include measures to evaluate  |                |        |
|          | and publicly report the       |                |        |
|          | progress of such steps        |                |        |
|          | (§1111(b)(8)(C))?             |                |        |
+----------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------+
| Critical | Has the State reported to the | Met            | NA     |
| Element  | Secretary in its Consolidated | Requirements   |        |
| 1.11.    | State Performance Report      |                |        |
|          | (CSPR) the number and         |                |        |
|          | percentage of core academic   |                |        |
|          | classes taught by highly      |                |        |
|          | qualified teachers, in the    |                |        |
|          | aggregate and in high-poverty |                |        |
|          | schools, consistent with the  |                |        |
|          | statutory definition of       |                |        |
|          | highly qualified              |                |        |
|          | (§1111(h)(4)(G); §9101(23))?  |                |        |
+----------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------+
| Critical | Does the State prepare and    | Finding        | 9      |
| Element  | disseminate to the public an  |                |        |
| 1.12.    | Annual State Report Card      |                |        |
|          | (§1111(h)(1)(C)(viii))? If    |                |        |
|          | so, how is it disseminated?   |                |        |
+----------+-------------------------------+----------------+--------+

+----------+------------------------------+-----------------+--------+
| # Mo     |                              |                 |        |
| nitoring |                              |                 |        |
|  Area 2: |                              |                 |        |
|  Adminis |                              |                 |        |
| tration  |                              |                 |        |
| of ESEA  |                              |                 |        |
| Title II |                              |                 |        |
| , Part A |                              |                 |        |
+----------+------------------------------+-----------------+--------+
| *        | # Description                | ### Status      | #      |
| *Element |                              |                 | # Page |
| Number** |                              |                 |        |
+----------+------------------------------+-----------------+--------+
| Critical | Does the SEA allocate funds  | Finding         | 9      |
| Element  | according to the statute,    |                 |        |
| 2.1.     | using the most recent Census |                 |        |
|          | Bureau data as described in  |                 |        |
|          | the Non-Regulatory Guidance  |                 |        |
|          | (§2121(a))?                  |                 |        |
+----------+------------------------------+-----------------+--------+
| Critical | Does the SEA require an      | Met             | NA     |
| Element  | application from each LEA    | Requirements    |        |
| 2.2.     | before providing Title II,   |                 |        |
|          | Part A funding? If yes, what |                 |        |
|          | information does the SEA     |                 |        |
|          | require in the LEA           |                 |        |
|          | application (§2122(b))?      |                 |        |
+----------+------------------------------+-----------------+--------+
| Critical | Does the SEA require each    | Met             | NA     |
| Element  | LEA to describe how the      | Requirements    |        |
| 2.3.     | activities to be carried out |                 |        |
|          | are based on the required    |                 |        |
|          | local needs assessment       |                 |        |
|          | (§2122(b))?                  |                 |        |
+----------+------------------------------+-----------------+--------+
| Critical | Does the SEA have a          | Met             | NA     |
| Element  | procedure to determine the   | Requirements    |        |
| 2.4.     | amount of funds each LEA     |                 |        |
|          | expended during the period   |                 |        |
|          | of availability?             |                 |        |
+----------+------------------------------+-----------------+--------+
| Critical | Does the SEA have a          | Met             | NA     |
| Element  | procedure to regularly       | Requirements    |        |
| 2.5.     | review the drawdowns of the  |                 |        |
|          | LEAs?                        |                 |        |
+----------+------------------------------+-----------------+--------+
| Critical | Does the SEA have a written  | Met             | NA     |
| Element  | policy on allowable          | Requirements    |        |
| 2.6.     | carryover funds?             |                 |        |
+----------+------------------------------+-----------------+--------+
| Critical | If an LEA cannot obligate    | >               | 10     |
| Element  | funds within the 27 months   |  Recommendation |        |
| 2.7.     | of availability (which       |                 |        |
|          | includes the extra year of   |                 |        |
|          | availability permitted under |                 |        |
|          | the Tydings amendment), does |                 |        |
|          | the SEA have a procedure for |                 |        |
|          | reallocating these funds to  |                 |        |
|          | other LEAs?                  |                 |        |
+----------+------------------------------+-----------------+--------+
| Critical | Does the SEA have records to | Met             | NA     |
| Element  | show that each LEA meets the | Requirements    |        |
| 2.8.     | maintenance of effort        |                 |        |
|          | requirements?                |                 |        |
+----------+------------------------------+-----------------+--------+
| Critical | Does the SEA ensure that it  | Met             | NA     |
| Element  | and its component LEAs are   | Requirements    |        |
| 2.9.     | audited annually, if         |                 |        |
|          | required, and that all       |                 |        |
|          | corrective actions required  |                 |        |
|          | through this process are     |                 |        |
|          | fully implemented?           |                 |        |
+----------+------------------------------+-----------------+--------+
| Critical | Has the SEA identified and   | Finding         | 10     |
| Element  | provided technical           |                 |        |
| 2.10.    | assistance to LEAs that are  |                 |        |
|          | not making progress toward   |                 |        |
|          | meeting their annual         |                 |        |
|          | measurable objectives in     |                 |        |
|          | meeting the highly qualified |                 |        |
|          | teacher challenge (§2141)?   |                 |        |
+----------+------------------------------+-----------------+--------+

+---------+---------------------------------+------------------+------+
| #       |                                 |                  |      |
| Monitor |                                 |                  |      |
| ing Are |                                 |                  |      |
| a 3: St |                                 |                  |      |
| ate Act |                                 |                  |      |
| ivities |                                 |                  |      |
+---------+---------------------------------+------------------+------+
| **      | # Description                   | ### Status       | ##   |
| Element |                                 |                  | Page |
| N       |                                 |                  |      |
| umber** |                                 |                  |      |
+---------+---------------------------------+------------------+------+
| C       | Does the State use its State    | Commendation     | 11   |
| ritical | Activities funds to promote the |                  |      |
| Element | recruitment, hiring, training,  |                  |      |
| 3.1.    | and retention of highly         |                  |      |
|         | qualified teachers and          |                  |      |
|         | principals?                     |                  |      |
+---------+---------------------------------+------------------+------+
| C       | Does the State support          | Commendations    | 11   |
| ritical | activities that focus on        |                  |      |
| Element | increasing the subject-matter   |                  |      |
| 3.2.    | knowledge of teachers and that  |                  |      |
|         | assist teachers to become       |                  |      |
|         | highly qualified?               |                  |      |
+---------+---------------------------------+------------------+------+

+---------+---------------------------------+------------------+------+
| #       |                                 |                  |      |
| Monitor |                                 |                  |      |
| ing Are |                                 |                  |      |
| a 4: St |                                 |                  |      |
| ate Age |                                 |                  |      |
| ncy For |                                 |                  |      |
|  Higher |                                 |                  |      |
|  Educat |                                 |                  |      |
| ion (SA |                                 |                  |      |
| HE) Act |                                 |                  |      |
| ivities |                                 |                  |      |
+---------+---------------------------------+------------------+------+
| **      | # Description                   | ### Status       | ##   |
| Element |                                 |                  | Page |
| N       |                                 |                  |      |
| umber** |                                 |                  |      |
+---------+---------------------------------+------------------+------+
| C       | Did the SAHE manage a           | Met requirements | NA   |
| ritical | competition for eligible        |                  |      |
| Element | partnerships?                   |                  |      |
|         |                                 |                  |      |
| 4\. 1.  |                                 |                  |      |
+---------+---------------------------------+------------------+------+
| C       | Does the SAHE have procedures   | Commendation     | 11   |
| ritical | to ensure that eligible         |                  |      |
| Element | partnerships include the        |                  |      |
| 4.2.    | required members, i.e., an      |                  |      |
|         | institution of higher education |                  |      |
|         | and the division of the         |                  |      |
|         | institution that prepares       |                  |      |
|         | teachers and principals, a      |                  |      |
|         | school of arts and sciences,    |                  |      |
|         | and a high-need LEA?            |                  |      |
+---------+---------------------------------+------------------+------+

**[Area 1: State Procedures to Identify Highly Qualified
Teachers]{.underline}**

**[Critical Element 1.1:]{.underline}** **Has the State developed and
implemented procedures, consistent with the statutory definition of
highly qualified, to determine whether *all* teachers of core academic
subjects are highly qualified (§9101(23))?**

[]{.mark}

[Commendation:]{.underline} The State is commended for its HQT
procedures and documentation. Beginning in 2003, the State worked with
various stakeholder groups to develop the HQT procedures. The State
produced a user-friendly document that explains the HQT and HOUSSE
procedures and provides the necessary forms for teachers to determine
their HQT status. New Jersey has assisted its teachers through two
rounds of HOUSSE procedures.

**[Critical Element 1.3:]{.underline} Are all new middle and secondary
school teachers (including special education teachers, as appropriate)
required to demonstrate subject-matter competency, in each core academic
subject they teach, consistent with §9101(23)(B)(II)(ii)?**

**[Finding]{.underline}:** The State does not require new middle and
secondary school teachers of history, geography, civics/government, or
economics to demonstrate subject-matter competency in each of those
subjects they teach. The State allows middle and secondary social
studies teachers new to the profession to demonstrate subject-matter
competency by holding a general social studies certificate, having a
major in one of the four social studies areas (regardless of
assignment), and passing the broad-field social studies assessment. The
broad-field assessment used for the demonstration of social studies
content knowledge may not provide adequate subject-matter demonstration
for each of the core academic subjects explicitly noted in the statute.

**[Citation]{.underline}:** §9101(11) of the ESEA identifies history,
geography, civics/government and economics as individual core academic
subjects. §9101(23)(B)(ii) of the ESEA requires new teachers of core
academic subjects to demonstrate subject-matter competency in each core
academic subject they teach.

**[Further Action Required]{.underline}**: The NJDOE must ensure that
all history, geography, civics/government and economics teachers
demonstrate subject-matter competency in each of these subjects that
they teach, no later than the end of the 2005-06 school year. (In doing
so, if the NJDOE has determined that the coursework requirement for an
academic major in one of the four social studies areas provides
coursework "equivalent to a major" in any of the other specific core
academic subjects, it also will need to specifically explain the basis
for its determination.)

**[Critical Element 1.5:]{.underline} Are all veteran middle and
secondary teachers (including special education teachers, as
appropriate) required to demonstrate subject-matter competency in each
core academic subject they teach, consistent with
§9101(23)(B)(II)(ii)?**

**[Finding]{.underline}:** The NJDOE does not require veteran middle and
secondary school teachers of history, geography, civics/government, or
economics to demonstrate subject-matter competency in each of those
subjects they teach. The State allows veteran middle and secondary
social studies teachers to demonstrate subject-matter competency by
holding a general social studies certificate, having a major in one of
the four social studies areas (regardless of assignment), and passing
the broad-field social studies assessment. The broad-field assessment
used for the demonstration of social studies content knowledge may not
provide adequate subject-matter demonstration for each of the core
academic subjects explicitly noted in the statute.

**[Citation]{.underline}:** §9101(11) of the ESEA identifies history,
geography, civics/government and economics as individual core academic
subjects. §9101(23)(C) of the ESEA requires teachers of core academic
subjects not new to the profession to demonstrate subject-matter
competency in each core academic subject they teach.

**[Further Action Required]{.underline}:** The NJDOE must ensure that
all history, geography, civics/government and economics teachers
demonstrate subject-matter competency in each of these subjects that
they teach, no later than the end of the 2005-06 school year.

**[Critical Element 1.7:]{.underline} Does the SEA ensure that, since
the beginning of the 2002-03 school year, districts only hire highly
qualified teachers (including special education teachers, as
appropriate) to teach in Title I programs?**

**[Finding:]{.underline}** The State does not have procedures to ensure
that LEAs hiring special education teachers who provide direct
instruction in core academic subjects for their Title I schoolwide
programs are highly qualified.

**[Citation]{.underline}**: §1119(a)(1) of the ESEA requires that all
teachers hired after the first day of the 2002-03 school year to teach
in Title I programs must be highly qualified.

[**Further Action Required**:]{.underline} The NJDOE must submit a
written plan with specific procedures and a timeline for requiring LEAs
in the State to ensure that all teachers hired to teach in Title I
programs after the first day of the 2002-03 school year, including
special education teachers providing direct instruction in core academic
subjects, demonstrate that they are highly qualified in each core
academic subject they teach, either by passing the State's test for
demonstrating subject-matter knowledge or by satisfying HOUSSE
procedures established by the State if they are not new to the
profession.

**[Critical Element 1.9:]{.underline} Does the SEA's plan establish
annual measurable objectives for each LEA and school to ensure that
annual increases occur:**

-   **in the percentage of highly qualified teachers at each LEA and
    school; and**

-   **in the percentage of teachers who are receiving high-quality
    professional development to enable such teachers to become highly
    qualified and successful classroom teachers (§1119(a)(2)(A)).**

**[Commendation:]{.underline}** As part of the State's online LEA
application process, LEAs enter their annual measurable goals and
objectives for the upcoming year. The State populates the database with
the current HQT data to assist LEAs in setting their targets. The system
allows both the SEA and LEA to track progress in a user-friendly manner.

**[Critical Element 1.12]{.underline}: Does the State prepare and
disseminate to the public an Annual State Report Card
(§1111(h)(1)(C)(viii))? If so, how is it disseminated?**

**[Finding:]{.underline}** The NJDOE has collected HQT data in the
required format. State officials indicated that it is about to release
its Annual State Report Card with the required HQT data. The State was
unable to share a draft of the embargoed Report Card with the review
team. Therefore, the team could not verify that the data to be released
are in the required format.

**[Citation:]{.underline}** §1111(h)(1)(C)(viii) of the ESEA requires
each SEA to include in its Annual State Report Card data on the
percentage of classes in the State not taught (in core academic
subjects) by highly qualified teachers, in the aggregate and
disaggregate by high-poverty (as the term is defined in
§1111(h)(1)(C)(viii) of the ESEA) compared to low-poverty schools.

[**Further Action Required**:]{.underline} The NJDOE must report to the
public and to the Department, as required by §1111(h)(1)(C)(viii), the
percentage of classes not taught by highly qualified teachers at all
grade levels (and disaggregated by high-and low-poverty schools), as
required for the Annual State Report Card. When the Annual State Report
Card containing the required data has been prepared, please submit a
copy to the Department of Education to verify that this has been
completed.

##### Area 2: Administration of ESEA Title II, Part A 

**[Critical Element 2.1:]{.underline} Does the SEA allocate funds
according to the statute, using the most recent Census Bureau data as
described in the Non-Regulatory Guidance (§2121(a))?**

**[Finding:]{.underline}** The State is using LEA enrollment data
(public and private schools) for the portion of the allocation of funds
based on the total number of children aged 5-17 who reside within the
LEA.

**[Citation:]{.underline}** As required in §2121(a)(3), in any year in
which the amount available in the State for LEA grants exceeds the sum
of the "hold harmless" amounts for LEAs, the SEA distributes excess
funds based on the following formula:

-   20 percent of the excess funds must be distributed to LEAs based on
    the relative number of individuals ages 5 through 17 who reside in
    areas the LEA serves (using data that is determined by the Secretary
    to be the most current); and

-   80 percent of the excess funds must be distributed to LEAs based on
    the relative numbers of individuals ages 5 through 17 who reside in
    the area the LEA serves and who are from families with incomes below
    the poverty line (also using data that is determined by the
    Secretary to be the most current).

**[Further Action Required:]{.underline}** For the next round of ESEA
Title II, Part A LEA allocations, the NJDOE must use only the most
recent available Census data (as determined by the Secretary) on the
number of children age 5-17 who reside in the area served by the LEA.
The most recent data can be found at
<http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe/>.

**[Critical Element 2.7]{.underline}: If an LEA cannot obligate funds
within the 27 months of availability (which includes the extra year of
availability permitted under the Tydings amendment), does the SEA have a
procedure for reallocating these carryover funds to other LEAs?**

**[Recommendation]{.underline}:** The State currently reallocates
carryover funds to LEAs in the subsequent cycle of grant
allocations---even to districts that had carryover funds. Districts have
3 months to spend these carryover funds. The review team recommended
that the State may want to consider reallocating carryover funds to
target priority areas. For example, the SEA may want to reallocate
carryover funds to districts with large percentages of teachers who are
not HQT.

**[Critical Element 2.10:]{.underline} Has the SEA identified and
provided technical assistance to LEAs that are not making progress
toward meeting their annual measurable objectives in meeting the highly
qualified teacher challenge (§2141)?**

**[Finding:]{.underline}** The State recently completed its second year
of HQT data collection and districts have set annual goals and
objectives toward meeting the highly qualified teacher challenge.
However, the State and district data systems will need to be merged in
order for the State to target districts that are not making progress
toward meeting their annual goals. The State will begin this process
over the next few months.

**[Citation]{.underline}**: §1119(a)(2)(A) of the ESEA requires each SEA
to develop a plan to ensure that all teachers teaching core academic
subjects within the State are highly qualified by the end of the 2005-06
school year. See Critical Element 1.9 for more information.

**[Further Action Required]{.underline}**: The NJDOE must submit a
written plan with specific procedures and a timeline for implementing
this requirement. See Critical Element 1.9 for more information.

##### Area 3: State Activities

**[Critical Element 3.1:]{.underline} Does the State use its State
Activities funds to promote the recruitment, hiring, training, and
retention of highly qualified teachers and principals?**

[**Commendation**:]{.underline} The NJDOE is commended for its
commitment to opening alternative routes to teacher certification. New
Jersey has one of the oldest routes in the country and now is refining
it to help special educators meet the challenges of NCLB and IDEA. The
State has used Title II, Part A funds in the past to support its
alternative route.

**[Critical Element 3.2:]{.underline} Does the State support activities
that focus on increasing the subject-matter knowledge of teachers and
that assist teachers to become highly qualified?**

[**Commendation**:]{.underline} The State is commended for its
commitment to systemic reform based on student content standards. New
Jersey has aligned all teacher preparation and staff development to the
content standards.

[**Commendation**:]{.underline} The State is commended for realigning
all aspects of teacher training and licensure to the requirements of
NCLB. The new licensing regulations have been revamped to include the
NCLB teacher quality provisions. The State has worked extensively with
its teacher preparation programs to ensure that all students, including
those working toward special education certification, hold a
content-area degree. Preparation in the content areas is aligned with
the State's student content standards. The State used a portion of State
Activities funds to support the development of the new licensure system.

##### Area 4: State Agency for Higher Education (SAHE) Activities

**[Critical Element 4.2:]{.underline} Does the SAHE have procedures to
ensure that eligible partnerships include the required members, i.e., an
institution of higher education and the division of the institution that
prepares teachers and principals, a school of arts and sciences, and a
high-need LEA?**

[**Commendation**:]{.underline} The SAHE is commended for its outreach
to private schools, not only in the high-need LEAs but in the entire
geographic area served by the IHE as well.