I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3036
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 with respect 
to teacher qualifications, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 22, 2005
Mr. MATHESON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 with respect to teacher qualifications, and for 
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘No Qualified Teacher 
Left Behind Act of 2005’’. 
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO ESEA RELATING TO TEACHER 
QUALIFICATIONS. 
(a) HIGHLY QUALIFIED DEFINITION.—Paragraph 
(23) of section 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801) is amended—
(1) in subparagraph (B)(ii)—
(A) in subclause (I), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 
the end; and 
(B) by striking subclause (II) and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(II) successful completion, in 
each of the academic subjects in 
which the teacher teaches, of an aca-
demic major or minor, a graduate de-
gree, State certification of sufficient 
college-level coursework to satisfy this 
subclause, or advanced certification; 
or 
‘‘(III) passing a high objective 
uniform State standard of evaluation 
described in subparagraph (C)(ii) in 
each of the academic subjects in 
which the teacher teaches; and’’; and 
(2) in clause (ii) of subparagraph (C)—
(A) in subclause (V), by striking ‘‘but not 
be based primarily on’’ and inserting ‘‘but not 
be based solely on’’; 
(B) by redesignating subclauses (VI) and 
(VII) as subclauses (VII) and (VIII), respec-
tively; and
(C) by inserting after subclause (V) the 
following: 
‘‘(VI) takes into consideration 
any professional development being 
pursued;’’. 
(b) RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS.—
(1) EXTENSION.—Subsection (a) of section 
1119 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6319) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Notwithstanding the 
deadline described in paragraphs (2) and (3), a 
plan developed by a State educational agency or 
a local educational agency under this subsection 
shall ensure that all teachers who are described 
in such paragraphs, but are teaching in a rural 
school district, are highly qualified not later 
than the end of the 2009–2010 school year. 
‘‘(B) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this 
paragraph, a rural school district means a local 
educational agency that—
‘‘(i) meets the eligibility criteria de-
scribed in section 6211(b), including by ob-
taining a waiver under paragraph (2) of 
such section; and 
‘‘(ii) employs a percentage of teachers 
who are not highly qualified that is higher 
than the corresponding percentage for the 
State involved.’’. 
(2) ADDITIONAL
FUNDING.—Section 6234 of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7355c) is amended—
(A) by striking ‘‘There are’’ and inserting 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There are’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(b) HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS.—For the pur-
pose of making grants under subpart 2 to be used for 
teacher recruitment, retention, and professional develop-
ment activities described in section 6222(a) in rural school 
districts (as that term is defined in section 1119(a)(4)), 
there are authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2006 and such sums as may be necessary for 
each of fiscal years 2007 and 2008. Such authorization 
of appropriations is in addition to the authorization of ap-
propriations in subsection (a).’’. 
(c) CORE ACADEMIC SUBJECTS ONLY.—Paragraph 
(1) of section 1119(a) (20 U.S.C. 6319(a)) is amended
by inserting ‘‘, teaching in core academic subjects,’’ after 
‘‘hired after such day’’. 
(d) PROPORTION OF INEXPERIENCED TEACHERS.—
Subparagraph (C) of section 1111(b)(8) (20 U.S.C. 
6311(b)(8)) is amended by striking ‘‘inexperienced, un-
qualified, or out-of-field teachers’’ and inserting ‘‘unquali-
fied or out-of-field teachers’’. 
(e) OTHER GRANTEES.—Subpart 2 of part E of title 
IX of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7901 et seq.) is amended by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 9537. HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS. 
‘‘No entity may receive any funds under this Act un-
less, irrespective of whether the entity has applied for a 
grant under part A of title I, the entity ensures that all 
elementary school and secondary school teachers employed 
by the entity and teaching in core academic subjects are 
highly qualified not later than—
‘‘(1) the end of the 2006–2007 school year; or 
‘‘(2) in the case of a teacher in a rural school 
district (as that term is defined in section 
1119(a)(4)), the end of the 2009–2010 school 
year.’’.
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