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No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001 (NCLB)

NCLB NYS
Field Memo
#01-2002

1. Cover Letter
2. Introduction
1. Which teachers must meet the NCLB " requirement to be "highly qualified?"
2. Which teachers are not "highly qualified" according to the NCLB?
3. Which teachers are "highly qualified?"
4. Which teachers must be "highly qualified" in special circumstances?
5. Which paraprofessionals must meet the NCLB " requirements?
6. What are the NCLB " requirements for paraprofessionals?
7. What is the NCLB's accountability system for teachers and paraprofessionals?
8. What are the NCLB's requirements for teachers and paraprofessionals in charter schools and nonpublic schools?
9. What are the NCLB's requirements for notifying parents about teacher and paraprofessional qualifications?
10. Which Web sites contain information about federal and New York State requirements for teachers and paraprofessionals?
    
    
11. Attachment 1 - NYSTCE Assessment of Teaching Assistant Skills Test Framework, October 2002 Preliminary Draft

1. PARENTS RIGHT TO KNOW. The NCLB requires every LEA receiving Title I funds to notify parents in two ways:
   
   
   1. At the beginning of each school year, each LEA receiving Title I funds must notify the parents of each student attending a school receiving Title I funds that the parents may request, and that the LEA will provide the parents upon request and in a timely manner, information regarding the professional qualifications of the student's classroom teachers. That information must include, at a minimum, the following:
      
      
      1. Whether the teacher has met State qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction; and
         
         
      2. Whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other temporary status through which State qualification or licensing criteria have been waived; and
         
         
      3. The baccalaureate degree major of the teacher and any other graduate certification or degree held by the teacher, and the field of discipline of the certification or degree; and
         
         
      4. Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.
         
         
   2. In addition, a school receiving Title I funds must also provide to each individual parent:
      
      
      1. information on the level of achievement of the parent's child in each of the State academic assessments required by NCLB; and
         
         
      2. timely notice that the parent's child has been assigned, or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by, a teacher who is not highly qualified. LEAs should use the criteria recommended by SED to determine whether each of their teachers in core academic subjects is "highly qualified" for the purpose of parental notification
         
         All LEAs receiving Title I funds are responsible for notifying parents of their right to know about teacher qualifications and for informing parents about teacher qualifications. This responsibility applies to each student attending a school receiving Title I funds, whether or not the teachers are employed directly by the LEA or under contract with another entity, such as a BOCES. Please contact SED at nclbnys@mail.nysed.gov. if you have any questions about the use of Title I funds to cover the costs of parental notifications.
   3. 
      
2. FORMAT OF NOTICES AND INFORMATION FOR PARENTS. The NCLB requires notices and information for parents to be in an "understandable and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, provided in a language that parents can understand." The NCLB does not prohibit the use of newsletters or other media to provide the notice to parents described in I.1.a, above, but if such media are used, LEAs must ensure that the information is provided in all the languages used in the community. To protect the privacy of students and teachers, the NCLB requires districts to send information in Item I.1.b, above, to each parent individually.
   
   

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