Teacher Quality: What ESEA Means for Ed Techs and Teachers

Ed Techs
By January 8, 2006, every ed tech working in a Title I funded program or school must meet federal standards for teacher quality. States are required to use their licensing systems to enforce this requirement. Federal law provides several options for ed techs to meet the standard, but Maine has not yet decided what path (s) it will offer to ed techs. The federal options include:

	a competency assessment
	two years of postsecondary education
	an associate’s degree.

All ed techs newly hired to work in a Title I program since January 8, 2002, must meet the new requirements immediately. The Maine Department of Education has advised school systems to apply the two years of postsecondary education standard.

Teachers
By the end of the 2005-2006 school year, every public school teacher in Maine must meet federal standards for teacher quality. States must use their licensing systems to enforce this requirement, and must choose from among the options provided in federal law:

	full certification AND one of the following:
	a major or coursework equivalent to a major in the subject taught
	a graduate degree in the subject taught
	passage of a test in the subject taught
	an advanced credential or National Board certification in the subject taught
	passage of a competency assessment.

Teachers must achieve this standard for each subject they teach. Current guidelines from the US DOE exempt special education teachers and alternative education teachers, so long as there is a “teacher of record” in the subject area overseeing the student’s program. No exemptions have been provided by US DOE for middle and elementary teachers, and current Maine certification regulations do not provide any of the required options for them.

The State of Maine and each local school system is required to increase every year the numbers of employees who meet the new Teacher Quality requirements. Each local school system receives money to assist educators in meeting these new requirements.
 

Emergency Legislation: LD 1365

Achieving Teacher Quality

An Important Concern for Local Associations: ESEA Title IIA Teacher Quality Money

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