The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 requires that all teachers teaching in core academic subject areas be highly qualified no later than the end of the 2005-06 school year. The core academic subjects are defined as English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, art, history, and geography. While the federal statute provides a broad definition of the term highly qualified that applies to all public elementary and secondary teachers (must be fully licensed in the state with no licensure requirements waived), it specifically defines the requirements in relation to grade level (elementary, middle and secondary) and experience (new to the profession or existing teachers that are not new to the profession). For each grade level, the law requires that teachers demonstrate competency in the applicable subject areas and outlines multiple mechanisms for demonstrating their competency.

As the Putnam County School System receives federal funds for Title I programs that are part of the provision of the NCLB Act, all teachers currently teaching or newly employed in Title I schools must be highly qualified, beginning with the first day of the school year after the enactment of the NCLB Act.

Your child’s teacher is fully licensed to teach in Tennessee and is competent in doing the job he/she is presently employed. We are confident that your teacher is also highly qualified. However, the NCLB Act requires documentation and your teacher(s) may be gathering data to determine they are highly qualified.

You have the right to request information regarding the professional qualifications of your child’s classroom teacher(s). If you request this information, the district or school will provide you with the following as soon as possible:

• whether the teacher has met state qualifying/licensing requirements for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher is presently teaching;
• whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which state qualifications/state licensing requirements have been waived;
• the type of degree of the teacher and any other graduate certification/degree held by the teacher, including the field of discipline for each degree or certificate; and
• whether the child is provided Title I services by paraprofessionals, and if so, his/her qualifications.

If you would like to request this information, please contact your child’s school.