Highly Qualified Staff

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NCLB's Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements

All public school teachers with primary responsibility for direct instruction in one or more of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) core content areas are required to demonstrate that they satisfy the definition of a Highly Qualified Teacher.

This requirement includes:

• Elementary level (grades K-5) teachers who teach all subjects to a particular grade;

• Middle- and secondary-level (grades 6-12) core content area instructors;

• Special education teachers who provide direct instruction in one or more core content areas;

• English as a second language (ESL) teachers who provide direct instruction in one or more core content areas; and

• Alternative education teachers who provide direct instruction in one or more core content areas.

In Pennsylvania, the NCLB core content areas include English, Reading/Language Arts, Mathematics, Sciences, Foreign Languages, Music and Art, and Social Studies (History, Economics, Geography, and Civics and Government).

Pennsylvania's Definition of Highly Qualified Teacher

To satisfy the definition of a Highly Qualified Teacher, Pennsylvania public school teachers must:

1) Hold at least a bachelor's degree;

2) Hold a valid Pennsylvania teaching certificate (i.e., Instructional I, Instructional II, or Intern certificate, but not an emergency permit); and

3) Demonstrate subject matter competency for the core content area they teach.