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Matched Legal Cases: ['§9304', '§9302', '§9101', '§1111', '§9101', '§9101', '§9101', '§9101', '§9101', '§1119', '§1111', '§1111', '§9101', '§1111', '§2141', '§9101', '§1119', '§1111', '§9101', '§1119', '§1119', '§1111', '§9101', '§1119', '§9101', '§200', '§9101', '§9101', '§9101', '§9101', '§1119', '§1111', '§9101', '§1111', '§1111', '§1111', '§1111', '§2122', '§2141']

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April 10, 2006 HIGHLY QUALIFIED TEACHERS AND IMPROVING TEACHER QUALITY STATE GRANTS (ESEA TITLE II, PART A) MONITORING
REPORT Indiana Department of Education January 31-February 2, 2006 U.S. Department of Education Monitoring Team Elizabeth Witt Miriam Lund Elizabeth Buckland (Westat) Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) Phyllis Land Usher, Assistant Superintendent, Center for School Improvement Ilene S. Block, Coordinator, Title II, Part A Kristen Schunk, Assistant Director, Division of Exceptional Learners Jennifer Campbell, Educational Consultant, Division of Exceptional Learners Mary Glenn Rinne, Assistant Director of Teacher Education, Division of Professional Standards Tracy Brown, Fiscal Officer, Center for School Improvement Jeff Dunasky, Center of School Improvement and Performance Shawn Sriver, Director, Division of Professional Standards State Agency for Higher Education (SAHE) Aja May, SAHE Coordinator, Indiana Commission on Higher Education (ICHE) Overview of Indiana: Number of districts: 293 Number of teachers: 60,479 Allocations: State Allocation (FY 20041)
$48,431,338
$45,549,673 $1,198,676 $1,198,676 $423,503 $60,810
State Allocation (FY 2005) $48,235,331
LEA Allocation (FY 2005) $45,365,330 “State Activities” (FY 2005) $1,193,824 SAHE Allocation (FY 2005) $1,193,824 SEA Administration (FY 2005) $421,543 SAHE Administration (FY 2005) $60,810
Page 2 – Indiana Monitoring Report Scope of Review: Like all other State educational agencies (SEAs), the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), 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 Indiana 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 LEAs 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 standard and to their full potential. The monitoring review was conducted January 31 through February 2, at the offices of the IDOE. The monitoring team visited the Indianapolis Public Schools and conducted conference calls with representatives of the MSD Martinsville and Garrett-Keyser-Butler school districts.
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Element Number Critical Element Has the State developed and implemented 1.1 procedures, consistent with the statutory definition of highly qualified, to determine whether all teachers of core academic subjects are highly qualified (§9101(23))? Critical Element Are all new elementary school teachers 1.2 (including special 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 Element Are all new middle and secondary school 1.3 teachers (including special education teachers, as appropriate) required to demonstrate subjectmatter competency, in each core academic subject they teach (§9101(23)(B)(II)(ii))? Critical Element Are all veteran (i.e., those who are not new to 1.4 the profession) elementary school teachers (including special education teachers, as appropriate) required to demonstrate subjectmatter 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 Element Are all veteran middle and secondary teachers 1.5 (including special education teachers, as appropriate) required to demonstrate subjectmatter competency in each core academic subject they teach? Critical Element For each set of HOUSSE procedures the State 1.6 has developed, please describe how it meets each of the statutory requirements of §9101(23)(C)(ii). Monitoring Area 1: Highly Qualified Teacher Systems and Procedures Description Status Findings Recommendation Page 7
Page 4 – Indiana Monitoring Report Critical Element How does the SEA ensure that, since the 1.7 beginning of the 2002-03 school year, districts hire only highly qualified teachers (including special education teachers, as appropriate) to teach in Title I programs? Critical Element How has the SEA ensured, since the beginning 1.8 of the 2002-03 school year, that districts that use ESEA Title II funds to reduce class size hire only highly qualified teachers for such positions? Critical Element Does the SEA’s plan establish annual 1.9 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 them to become highly qualified and successful classroom teachers (§1119(a)(2)(A))? Critical Element Does the SEA also have a plan with specific 1.10 steps to ensure that poor and minority children are not taught at higher rates than other children by inexperienced, unqualified, and/or out-offield teachers? Does the plan include measures to evaluate and publicly report the progress of such steps (§1111(b)(8)(C))? Critical Element Has the State reported to the Secretary in its 1.11 Consolidated 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 Element Does the State prepare and disseminate to the 1.12 public an Annual State Report Card (§1111(h)(1)(C)(viii))? If so, how is it disseminated? Recommendation 11
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Page 6 – Indiana Monitoring Report Critical Element 2.11 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)? Has the SEA provided guidance to the LEAs on initiating consultation with nonpublic school officials for equitable services? Finding 13
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Critical Element 1.1: 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))? Finding 1: The State offers an Emergency Permit to teachers pursuing alternative routes to certification as well as to educators hired because of teacher shortages. This one-year permit may be renewed twice if the teacher completes six hours of credit toward a teacher preparation program each year. The State deems all individuals with an Emergency Permit highly qualified. However, all educators teaching in an emergency hire situation cannot be counted as highly qualified; only those teachers enrolled in an alternative certification program that meets the requirements spelled out in the Title I regulations can be considered highly qualified. The State does not have a way of differentiating these two groups. Citation: The ESEA provisions governing teacher quality include basic requirements (§1119(a) and (b)) that all teachers of core academic subjects who teach in Title I programs and who were hired after the first day of the 2002-03 school year first demonstrate that they are highly qualified and that all other teachers of core academic subjects in all public schools be highly qualified by the end of the 2005-06 school year. Section 9101(23) of the ESEA expressly defines a “highly qualified” teacher as one who has at least a bachelor’s degree, has full State certification and has demonstrated competency in each subject he or she teaches in certain statutorily prescribed ways. The ESEA HQT provisions also include important requirements in §1111(h) of the ESEA regarding public reporting to the people of Indiana and to the U.S. Secretary of Education (the Secretary) on the extent to which teachers of core academic subjects in the State’s school districts are highly qualified. Together, these ESEA requirements are a critical part of the framework Congress established in NCLB for how States accepting Title I, Part A funds would be held accountable for providing to all students, and particularly those in Title I programs, teachers with the knowledge they need to help those students not only to meet or exceed their States’ academic achievement standards, but to achieve to their full academic potential. Further Action Required: The IDOE must submit a written plan with specific procedures and a timeline the State will implement to ensure that determinations of whether teachers on the Emergency Permit are highly qualified conform to the definition in §9101(23) and the timeline in §1119(a)(1) and (2). Recommendation: The State does not have a plan to phase out the Emergency Permit. By the end of the 2005-06 academic year, all teachers of core academic subjects must meet the definition of highly qualified, which includes holding full State certification or participating in an alternative certification program. The State should consider eliminating this Emergency Permit. Finding 2: The State grants a Reciprocal Permit to teachers who completed a teacher preparation program and have a valid license from another State. The IDOE evaluates teachers holding this permit to determine if they are missing any Indiana licensing requirements, such as passing a Praxis exam or completing continuing education credits. This one-year permit can be
Page 8 – Indiana Monitoring Report renewed only if the teacher requires more than six semester hours of coursework to complete Indiana requirements. The teacher must complete six hours of coursework and any required examinations prior to the first renewal. The State has not yet determined the highly qualified status of these teachers. The State has made no official decision as to whether or not this permit is considered full State certification, nor has it determined whether or not teachers holding this permit have adequately demonstrated subject-area competence. Citation: The ESEA provisions governing teacher quality include basic requirements (§1119(a) and (b)) that all teachers of core academic subjects who teach in Title I programs and who were hired after the first day of the 2002-03 school year first demonstrate that they are highly qualified and that all other teachers of core academic subjects in all public schools be highly qualified by the end of the 2005-06 school year. Section 9101(23) of the ESEA expressly defines a “highly qualified” teacher as one who has at least a bachelor’s degree, has full State certification and has demonstrated competency in each subject he or she teaches in certain statutorily prescribed ways. The ESEA HQT provisions also include important requirements in §1111(h) of the ESEA regarding public reporting to the people of Indiana and to the U.S. Secretary of Education (the Secretary) on the extent to which teachers of core academic subjects in the State’s school districts are highly qualified. Together, these ESEA requirements are a critical part of the framework Congress established in NCLB for how States accepting Title I, Part A funds would be held accountable for providing to all students, and particularly those in Title I programs, teachers with the knowledge they need to help those students not only to meet or exceed their States’ academic achievement standards, but to achieve to their full academic potential. Further Action Required: The IDOE must submit a written plan with specific procedures and a timeline that the State will implement to ensure that determinations of whether or not teachers on the Reciprocal Permit are highly qualified conform to the definition in §9101(23) and the timeline in §1119(a)(1) and (2). Critical Element 1.2: Are all new elementary school teachers (including special 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))? Finding: The State is currently counting all elementary teachers enrolled in alternative certification programs as highly qualified. While the alternative route to certification in Indiana includes some of the elements required by Title I regulations, the State cannot assure that new elementary teachers completing the alternative route to certification have passed a rigorous State content area test prior to being counted as highly qualified. Citation: Section 9101(23)(B)(i)(II) of the ESEA permits elementary school teachers new to the profession to demonstrate subject-matter competency needed to be highly qualified only by passing a rigorous State test of subject knowledge and teaching skills in reading, writing, mathematics and other areas of the basic elementary curriculum. The requirements in 34 CFR §200.56(a)(2) provide that teachers in an alternative route program are considered to be highly
Page 9 – Indiana Monitoring Report qualified only if they also hold a bachelor’s degree and have completed an appropriate demonstration of subject-matter competency. Further Action Required: The IDOE must submit a written plan with specific procedures and a timeline for ensuring that all elementary teachers who are participating in an alternative route to certification, are new to the profession, and provide instruction in the elementary school core academic subjects are highly qualified no later than the end of the 2005-06 school year, in accordance with §9101(23)(B)(i)(II) of the ESEA, which requires new elementary school teachers to pass a rigorous State test of subject knowledge and teaching skills. Critical Element 1.3: 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 (§9101(23)(B)(II)(ii))? Finding: 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 passing a broad-field social studies assessment. The State also issues a broad-field social studies license. The broad-field assessment used for the demonstration of social studies content knowledge may not provide adequate subject-matter preparation for each of the core academic subjects explicitly noted in the statute. Citation: Section 9101(11) of the ESEA identifies history, geography, civics/government and economics as individual core academic subjects. Section 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: The IDOE 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 IDOE has determined that the broad-field assessment adequately represents all four content areas or that the coursework requirement for a social studies license provides coursework “equivalent to a major” in each or in a subset of these specific core academic subjects, it also will need to specifically explain the basis for its determination.) Critical Element 1.4: Are all veteran (i.e., those who are not new to the 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))? Finding: The State’s procedure for determining the HQT status of elementary school teachers who are not new to the profession and who predate the State’s testing requirement is not consistent with the statutory definition of a highly qualified teacher. In particular, though the State has, since 1986, required passing a rigorous test of content knowledge for new elementary
Page 10 – Indiana Monitoring Report teachers, the State has a substantial set of veteran elementary school teachers who predate the State’s testing requirements and thus may not have demonstrated subject-matter competency. Prior to the testing requirement, the State required educators to obtain a Master’s degree within five years. The State considers these veteran elementary teachers to be highly qualified by virtue of holding full State certification and a Master’s degree. The State has not required these teachers to participate in HOUSSE. Citation: Section 9101(23)(C) of the ESEA requires elementary school teachers not new to the profession to demonstrate subject-matter competency by passing a content test or by satisfying the State’s HOUSSE requirements. Further Action Required: The IDOE must ensure that all elementary education teachers who provide instruction in core academic content and are not new to the profession demonstrate subject-matter competency, in accordance with the options available in §9101(23)(C) of the ESEA, no later than the end of the 2005-06 school year. Critical Element 1.5: 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? Finding: The State does not require middle and secondary school teachers of history, geography, civics/government or economics who are not new to the profession to demonstrate subject-matter competency in each of the four discrete areas of the statute. The State allows veteran middle and secondary social studies teachers to demonstrate subject-matter competency by passing a broad-field social studies assessment. The State also issues a broad-field social studies license. Thus, veteran teachers of history, geography, civics/government or economics may not have demonstrated adequate subject-matter preparation for each of the core academic subjects explicitly noted in the statute. Citation: Section 9101(11) of the ESEA identifies history, geography, civics/government and economics as individual core academic subjects. Section 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: The IDOE 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 IDOE has determined that the broad-field assessment adequately represents all four content areas or that the coursework requirement for a social studies license provides coursework “equivalent to a major” in each or in a subset of these specific core academic subjects, it also will need to specifically explain the basis for its determination.) Critical Element 1.7: How does the SEA ensure that, since the beginning of the 2002-03 school year, districts hire only highly qualified teachers (including special education teachers, as appropriate) to teach in Title I programs?
Page 11 – Indiana Monitoring Report Recommendation: While the State uses an online reporting system to track the number of highly qualified teachers being hired in Title I programs, the Department recommends that the system be expanded to include a list of the teachers’ names to facilitate the monitoring of the highly qualified status of teachers in Title I programs. Critical Element 1.8: How has the SEA ensured, since the beginning of the 2002-03 school year, that districts that use ESEA Title II, Part A funds to reduce class size hire only highly qualified teachers for such positions? Finding: The State cannot ensure that, since the beginning of the 2002-03 school year, districts that use ESEA Title II, Part A funds to reduce class size have been hiring only highly qualified teachers because the State’s original definition of a highly qualified teacher was based on licensure only. Citation: Section 2123(a)(2)(B) of the ESEA allows LEAs to use ESEA Title II, Part A funds to pay highly qualified teachers to reduce class size. Further Action Required: The IDOE must submit a written plan with specific procedures and a timeline for requiring LEAs in the State to ensure that all teachers, including special education teachers providing direct instruction in core academic subjects, who are paid with ESEA Title II, Part A funds to reduce class size are highly qualified. Critical Element 1.9: 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))? Finding: No annual measurable objectives have been established for any district in the State. Therefore, the State could not ensure that annual increases have occurred in the percentage of highly qualified teachers at each district and in the percentage of teachers who are receiving high-quality professional development. Citation: Section 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. This plan must establish annual measurable objectives for each LEA and school that includes an annual increase in the percentage of highly qualified teachers at each LEA and school and the percentage of teachers receiving high-quality professional development. Further Action Required: The IDOE must submit a written plan with specific procedures and a timeline for implementing this requirement. The revised plan must include, among other things, annual measurable objectives for each LEA and school. Critical Element 1.11: Has the State reported to the Secretary in its Consolidated State Performance Report (CSPR) the number and percentage of core academic classes taught
Page 12 – Indiana Monitoring Report 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))? Finding: Because the State reported veteran elementary teachers who have not yet demonstrated content knowledge; new elementary, middle and secondary teachers completing an alternative route to certification who may not have demonstrated content knowledge; and middle and secondary teachers holding a broad-field social studies degree to be highly qualified, the State’s HQT data were reported incorrectly in the Consolidated State Performance Report (CSPR). Citation: Section 1111(h)(4)(G) of the ESEA requires each SEA annually to report to the U.S. Secretary of Education on the percentage of classes (in core academic subjects) taught by highly qualified teachers in the State, local educational agency and school2 (a summary of which §1111(h)(5) requires the Secretary annually to report to Congress). Further Action Required: The IDOE must submit a written plan with specific procedures and a timeline with a firm end date by which the State will report to the Secretary through the CSPR in a manner consistent with the statutory requirements, as required by §1111(h). Critical Element 1.12: 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: Though the State prepares an Annual State Report Card and disseminates it via its Web site, the State reported veteran elementary teachers who have not yet demonstrated content knowledge; new elementary, middle and secondary teachers completing an alternative route to certification who may not have demonstrated content knowledge; and middle and secondary teachers holding a broad-field social studies degree to be highly qualified. Therefore, the State’s HQT data were reported incorrectly in the Annual State Report Card. In addition, the Annual State Report Card does not include the percentage of teachers holding an emergency permit (see Critical Element 1.11, above). Citation: Section 1111(h)(1)(C)(viii) of the ESEA requires each SEA to include in its Annual State Report Card data on the professional qualifications of teachers in the State, the percentage of such teachers teaching with emergency or provisional credentials, and the percentage of classes in the State not taught by highly qualified teachers. Further Action Required: The IDOE 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. Data on individuals holding emergency or provisional credentials must also be reported.
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Critical Element 2.3: In particular, does the SEA require each LEA to describe how the activities to be carried out are based on the required local needs assessment (§2122(b))? Commendation: The State is commended for its statewide focus on local needs assessments. Local needs assessments are based on school improvements plans that schools, districts and the State rely on to make data-driven decisions. The needs assessments also drive the use of funding to ensure a focus on meeting schools’ and districts’ needs and on improving student achievement. Critical Element 2.4: Does the SEA have a procedure to determine the amount of funds each LEA expended during the period of availability? Commendation: The State is commended on its procedures for tracking the use of funds each LEA expends. The State regularly reviews the LEAs’ use of funds and encourages LEAs to systematically plan, review and adjust funding allocations to ensure that the use of funds accurately reflects activity expenditures. There is very little carryover of funds (less than 0.2 percent last year). Critical Element 2.11: 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: As noted in Critical Element 1.9, no annual measurable objectives have been established for any district in the State. Therefore, the State could not identify or provide technical assistance to LEAs that are not making progress toward meeting their annual measurable objectives in meeting the highly qualified teacher challenge. Citation: Section 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: The IDOE must submit a written plan with specific procedures and a timeline for implementing this requirement. See Critical Element 1.9 for more information.
Critical Element 4.1: Did the SAHE manage a competition for eligible partnerships? Recommendation: The SAHE should remove the priority focused on helping paraprofessionals become highly qualified from the RFP. Paraprofessionals who are not highly qualified are not eligible to participate in grants managed by the SAHE. No grants have been awarded under this priority.