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Improving Teacher Quality

Update on California's plan and proposed regulations on highly qualified teachers.

NCLB Teachers and Paraprofessionals Requirements Data

Schools and districts report No Child Left Behind (NCLB) teacher and paraprofessional data to the California Department of Education (CDE) through the Consolidated Application. More information about the three sets of data, performance indicators needed for the NCLB federal reporting, is located on the Data Source and Description Web site.

2004 and 2006 NCLB Teacher Requirements Resource Guide

  • PDF (353KB; 77pp.) | DOC (566KB; 77pp.) Posted 04-Mar-2004
  • Teacher Requirements (PPT; 278KB; 43pp.; 30-Jan-2006)
    CDE guidance and presentation materials .

Regulations and Requirements

  • California State Board of Education No Child Left Behind Teacher Regulations (Outside Source)
    To access the relevant section of the regulations, you'll need to follow these steps:
    • Click on the hyperlink. This will take you to a table of contents for the California Code of Regulations.
    • Click the box in front of Title 5. You'll get a pop-up page. If your browser blocks pop-ups, you should get a warning indicating that you have chosen a pop-up. Click the link that allows you to continue your search.
    • Click the box in front of California Department of Education.
    • Click the box in front of Certified Personnel.
    • Click the box in front of No Child Left Behind Teacher Requirements.
    You'll now have access to each of the articles that constitute the Highly Qualified Teacher Regulations.

Sample Notifications for Title I Programs

The two templates for parent notifications, as required by Title II, Part A, may be modified by schools for communications with local parents.

Parents' Right to Know Letter Regarding Teacher Qualifications (DOC; 24KB; 1pp.)
Available Translations of the Parents' Right to Know Letter Regarding Teacher Qualifications
Federal law requires that parents be notified of their right to know the professional qualifications of their child's teacher(s) in core academic subject areas.

Parents' Four-Week Notice Regarding Teacher Qualifications (DOC; 23KB; 1pp.)
Available Translations of the Parents' Four-Week Notice Regarding Teacher Qualifications
Federal law requires that parents be notified when their child has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who has not met the High Quality Teacher Requirements set forth in No Child Left Behind.

Frequently Asked Questions

NOTICE: NCLB Timelines and Responsibilities Regarding Teacher Requirements

It has come to our attention that there may be some misunderstanding regarding the timelines for districts to comply with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) teacher requirements. NCLB requires that teachers hired into Title I, Part A, programs after the first day of the 2002-03 school year are to have been "highly qualified," and that all teachers teaching in core academic subjects within the state are to be "highly qualified" not later than the end of the 2005-06 school year. In June 2003, California requested that the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) allow a transition period (until June 2004) for newly hired Title I teachers to meet the NCLB teacher requirements, but USDE responded that NCLB does not allow for such a transition period. California will continue to seek some flexibility regarding this aspect of the federal requirements, but in the meantime, the state is complying with the federal requirements.

It should be noted that nothing in the No Child Left Behind Act requires that teachers who have not yet demonstrated that they meet the NCLB teacher requirements be fired. In fact, the statutory scheme is that federal funding is made available to enable local education agencies (LEAs) to assist teachers in their efforts to meet the requirements. LEAs are responsible for meeting the teacher requirement goals of NCLB. Title I requires that LEAs set aside not less than five percent of their Title I funds each year for professional development activities to ensure that all teachers are NCLB-compliant by the end of the 2005-06 school year. Additionally, NCLB Title II, Part A, funds may be used to help teachers to prepare for and take exams and to provide professional development in order to meet this goal.

Please also note that it is not appropriate to replace non-NCLB-compliant teachers with a series of substitutes. Staffing Title I schools with NCLB-compliant teachers should be a top priority in order to help ensure that the LEA successfully meets the goal of closing the achievement gap between students in Title I schools and their peers in non-Title I schools.

We recognize the many challenges in meeting the NCLB teacher requirements. The provision that all core academic teachers will meet the requirements by 2005-06 is an important goal to work towards, and all LEAs must demonstrate good faith efforts, especially in their Title I schools. LEAs should document their efforts towards the goal and comply with the provision to notify parents/guardians if students in Title I schools are taught for more than four weeks by a teacher who does not meet the NCLB teacher requirements.

Please continue to check this site for the latest information on NCLB teacher requirements.

Questions:  Fred Balcom | fbalcom@cde.ca.gov | 916-319-0926
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