Transcript Title I Paraprofessionals

Improving Teacher Quality
State Grants
Julie Coplin
Academic Improvement and Teacher Quality Programs
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
U.S. Department of Education
August 17, 2006
The Goal of NCLB
Every student will be proficient in
reading and math by the end of the
2013-14 school year.
The Purpose
To increase student academic
achievement through strategies such as
improving teacher and principal quality
and increasing the number of highly
qualified teachers in the classroom and
highly qualified principals and assistant
principals in schools.
High-Quality Professional Development
Improves teachers’ knowledge of the
academic subjects they teach and enables
them to become highly qualified
Gives teachers and principals the knowledge
and skills to help students meet challenging
State content standards and student
achievement standards
Is sustained, intensive and classroom focused
Is not one-day or short-term workshops or
conferences.
Highly Qualified Teacher
Definition: (NCLB 9101 (23)
Must have full State certification1;
Hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree;
and
Demonstrate subject-matter
competency in subjects the teacher
teaches.
1
Note: teachers in public charter schools must meet
certification/licensure requirements, if any, in the State’s charter
school law
Highly Qualified Teachers –
Demonstrating Subject Competence
A “new” elementary school teacher
Has demonstrated competence by passing a
rigorous State test of subject knowledge and
teaching skills in reading, writing,
mathematics, and other areas of the basic
elementary school curriculum.
Highly Qualified Teachers –
Demonstrating Subject Competence
A “new” middle or high school teacher
can demonstrate competence by:
Passing a rigorous State academic subject
test in each academic subjects, OR
Successfully completing, in each academic
subject, of an academic major, a graduate
degree, coursework equivalent to an
undergraduate academic major, or advanced
certification.
Highly Qualified Teachers –
Demonstrating Subject Competence
For a veteran elementary or secondary
school teacher, another option exists for
demonstrating subject-matter
competency:
HOUSSE – high objective State standard
of evaluation
HQT and Special Education
IDEA 602(10): special education teachers
who teach core academic subjects must
be highly qualified. They must
Hold a special education certificate
Hold a bachelor’s degree
Demonstrate subject-matter
competency in each subject taught
Special Education Teachers who
support regular instruction
Special educators who do not directly
instruct students in core academic
subjects or who provide only
consultation to highly qualified
teachers need not demonstrate
subject competency. They must have
special education certification.
Special Education flexibility
Special education teachers who teach
core academic subjects exclusively to
students who are assessed against
alternative academic standards, must
be highly qualified only at a subject
matter level appropriate to the content
and achievement standards of the
students. IDEA 602(10)(C)
Special Education flexibility
Special education teachers new to the
profession who teach multiple core
academic subjects and are highly
qualified in mathematics, language arts,
or science at the time they are hired,
have two additional years to become
highly qualified in other academic
subjects they teach.
IDEA 602(10)(D)
Highly Qualified Paraprofessionals
All paraprofessionals—except individuals
with non-instructional roles such as
personal care services, clerical services,
or cafeteria or playground supervision—
must have a high school diploma or its
equivalent
AND
Highly Qualified Paraprofessionals
Paraprofessionals who provide instructional
support must
Complete two years of study at an
institution of higher education
OR
Obtain an associates (or higher) degree
OR
Demonstrate through a formal state or local
assessment knowledge of, and ability to
assist in instructing reading, writing, and
mathematics
Improving Teacher Quality
State Grants
Total Program funds-- $2,873,001,756
Total for RI--$13,751,559
SAHE grants--$340,351
LEA grants-- $12,933,342
State Activities-- 340,351
Eligible Partnerships
Partnerships must include three parties:
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An institution of higher education and the
division that prepares teachers and
principals
A school of arts and sciences
At least one high-need district
Who else may be in
partnership?
Other districts or schools
Additional IHEs
Charter schools
Nonprofit organizations
Businesses
Pre-kindergarten programs
Teacher organizations
What is a high-need district?
A district that serves not fewer than
10,000 children from families with
incomes below the poverty line; OR
For which not less than 20 percent of
the children served by the agency are
from families with incomes below the
poverty line.
AND
Where there is a high percentage of
teachers not teaching in the academic
subjects or grade levels that the
teachers were trained to teach; OR
There is a high percentage of teachers
with emergency, provisional, or
temporary certification or licensing.
Allowable Uses of Funds
Professional development in core academic
subjects to teachers, highly qualified
paraprofessionals, and principals (including
knowledge of computer-related technology to
enhance student learning).
Instructional leadership skills for principals to
assist them in effectively working with
teachers to help students master core
academic subject.
Allowable Uses of Funds
Provide sustained, high-quality
professional development activities that
ensure teachers, highly qualified
paraprofessionals, or school principals
can use challenging State academic
content standards, and State
assessments to improve instructional
practices and student academic
achievement.
Allowable Uses of Funds
May include intensive programs designed to
prepare individuals who will return to a school
to provide instruction related to the
professional development.
May include activities of partnerships between
one or more LEA, one or more school within
the LEA, and one or more IHEs for the
purpose of improving teaching and learning.
Designing a Successful Project
Begin with a needs assessment of the highneed district.
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Find the gaps in academic achievement.
Look at the content knowledge of the teachers.
Discover what strengths the IHE partners can
offer to the district.
Seek out additional support if needed.
Inquire with other districts or schools that
may have similar needs.
Designing a Successful Project
Design a high-quality professional
development program that meets the
needs of the students and teachers in
the district(s) and draws on the
knowledge of the IHE (and other)
partners.
Evaluate the impact of the project.
Winning a Grant
Clearly define the goals of the project.
Include a detailed needs assessment.
Describe the scope of the project.
Explain how the activities of the project
will meet the needs of the district.

Is there research to support this?
Discuss the evaluation methods
including the expected impact.
The 50% Rule
The law requires that no single
participant in an eligible partnership
may “use” more than 50 percent of the
subgrant.
Focus is on who directly benefits from
the funds, not who receives the funds.
Recordkeeping
Must keep records that fully show:
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The amount of the funds under the grant;
How the funds are used;
The total cost of project activities;
Cost provided from other sources; and
Other records to facilitate an effective
audit.
Questions, Comments, Concerns
Thank you!