Highly Qualified Teachers
Title II, Part A grant applications are due June 20, 2008. Submit one copy by mail to the Office of Educator Preparation, Support and Assessment.
2008-09 Stand-Alone Application
2008-09 Consolidated Application
The consolidated application is an option if the district's 2008-09 strategic plan Executive Summary of the Needs Assessment addresses the activities and they are identified as strategies with Title II as the funding source. Send one copy of the strategic plan with the consolidated application.
Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), is now known as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
NCLB rolls up the old ESEA Title II (Eisenhower Professional Development) and ESEA Title VI (class-size reduction) monies and adds new requirements and funds for "highly qualified" teachers, principals, and paraprofessionals.
The requirements for Title I paraprofessionals went into effect the day the bill was signed into law, January 8, 2002.
The requirements for "highly qualified" teachers became effective after the first day of the 2002-03 school year - Quick Facts about South Carolina's Highly Qualified Teacher Requirement
The South Carolina Department of Education is revising its Identifying “Highly Qualified Teachers” guidance document. Please refer to the U.S. Department of Education guidance updated 10/05/2006.
South Carolina's approved Revised State Plan for Meeting the Highly Qualified Teacher Goal (34 page pdf)
State Uses of Funds - State activities may include reforming teacher and principal certification requirements, alternative route to state certification, teacher and principal recruitment and retention initiatives, teacher testing, and merit pay.
New requirements for professional development are paid for from the use of these funds.
School District Uses of Funds - Local activities may include teacher and principal recruitment and retention initiatives, signing bonuses and other financial incentives, teacher and principal mentoring, merit pay, teacher testing, and pay differentiation initiatives. A portion of these funds must be used to address the needs of paraprofessionals.
Class-Size Reduction - This law allows school districts to reduce class size, and does not limit the use of the funds for class-size reduction in grades 1-3, as the previous law did.
Accountability - After two years, if the state determines, based on reports submitted by school districts describing their performance under the Title I teacher qualification requirements, that the school district has failed to make progress toward meeting its measurable objectives, the school district must develop an improvement plan to describing how it will meet its objectives. The state must provide technical assistance to the school districts and, if applicable, to schools within the school district while the school district is developing the improvement plan.
After an additional year (three years), if the state determines that a school district still has failed to make progress toward meeting its measurable objectives and has failed to make Title I adequate yearly progress for three consecutive years, the state must enter into an agreement with the school district on the use of the school district's funds under this program, including developing professional development strategies and activities. The state may also prohibit the use of Title I, Part A funds for any paraprofessional hired after the determination is made.
In addition, after 3 years of poor performance, states may provide funds directly to schools to enable teachers to choose, in consultation with the school principal, the professional development activities in which they would like to participate.
Allocations - School districts receive a subgrant for the amount they received in FY 2001 for the Eisenhower Professional Development State Grants and Class-Size Reduction programs. The remaining funds are allocated based on 20 percent on child population (ages 5 to 17) and 80 percent on child poverty.
Additional Guidance (105 page pdf) on allocating funds to newly created districts and on re-allocating unclaimed and unused funds is available.
Related Links
- Your School Report Card and Highly Qualified Teachers (Power Point Presentation)
- Changes in Grade Level Certification
- School district fund allocations
- No Child Left Behind Act
- U.S. DOE 2004 NCLB Toolkit for Teachers (76 page pdf)
- HOUSSE Multi-Subject Plans:
Early Childhood (1 page pdf)
Elementary (1 page pdf)
Special Education (1 page pdf) - SASI Activity Codes for Highly Qualified Status Reporting (xls)
- Highly Qualified Teachers Data Manual (doc)