Edward G. Rendell Gerald L. Zahorchak, D. Ed.

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• Edward G. Rendell Gerald L.
  Zahorchak, D. Ed.
• Governor Secretary

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Teacher Certification Update, HOUSSE Bridge
Equitable Teacher Distribution

• http//www.pde.state.pa.us
• Linda J. Benedetto, Chief, Division of Teacher
  Quality, Bureau of School Leadership and Teacher
  Quality

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Participants will learn

• About PAs new certification requirements
• About new grade level configurations

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Participants will learn

• When new certifications will be issued to
  teachers and administrators
• About HOUSSE Bridge other avenues for
  teachers to become highly qualified

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Participants will learn

• About school district responsibilities for the
  HOUSSE rubric and Individual Professional
  Development Plans and
• About equitable teacher distribution purpose,
  components, why it is important.

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New Teacher Certificates New Grade Levels

• Special Education
• PK-8
• Special Education
• 7-12

• PK-4
• 4-8

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The Architecture Standards-Aligned System
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New Program Requirements

• Beginning in January 2011 all Instructional and
  Educational Specialist preparation programs must
  include
• Special Education 9 credits or 270 hours
• English Language Learner 3 credits or 90 hours

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New Teacher Certificates Issued

• On or after January 1, 2013 must
• Complete requirements for any of the new
  certification programs
• Include Special Education and ELL requirements
  and

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Dual Certification Now Required for Special
Education

• PK-8
• PK-4
• 4-8
• Reading Specialist

• 7-12
• Secondary content area
• Reading Specialist

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New Certificates Will Require
COLLABORATION

• Arts Sciences
• Early Childhood
• Elementary
• Special Education
• PreK-12 Teachers and Administrators

Across all departments
Possibly co-teaching
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A Brief Look at the
NEW

• Program Guidelines

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Program Guidelines

• Model curriculum presented
• Several different models were recommended by each
  workgroup
• Richer content focus
• Obtained feedback via regional meetings

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Elementary/Middle Level Professional Core

• Developed to address the broad set of issues and
  knowledge applicable to middle level teaching and
  learning
• Middle level cognitive development
• Early adolescent development learning theory
• Assessment
• Middle level instructional methodology
• Special Education ELL requirements

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4-8 Current-Option 1Single Area Concentration
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4-8 Current-Option 1Single Area Concentration
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4-8 Current-Option 1Single Area Concentration

• Appendix A in the 4-8 Program Specific Guidelines
  present single area concentration for
  English/Language Arts Science and Social
  Studies.
• See Tables A1-2, A1-3 and A1-4 on pages 36-37 of
  the 4-8 Program Guidelines at http//www.teaching.
  state.pa.us/teaching/lib/teaching/Grades4-8Program
  Guidelines.pdf

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4-8 Current-Option 2Two Areas of Concentration
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4-8 Current-Option 2Two Areas of Concentration
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4-8 Current-Option 2Two Areas of Concentration

• Appendix A in the 4-8 Program Specific Guidelines
  present two areas of concentration for Math
  English/Language Arts Reading Math Social
  Studies Science English/Language Arts
  Reading Science and Social Studies.
• See Tables A2-2, A2-3 and A2-4 on pages 38-39 of
  the 4-8 Program Guidelines at http//www.teaching.
  state.pa.us/teaching/lib/teaching/Grades4-8Program
  Guidelines.pdf

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To Be Included in ALL Program Guidelines

• Definitions of the assessment types to ensure
  that all new teachers know what they are and when
  to use them
• Authentic
• Screening
• Diagnostic
• Formative
• Benchmark
• Summative

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Included in ALL Program Guidelines

• Field Experiences must be
• EARLY
• OFTEN
• STRUCTURED
• Observe
• Assist
• Teach
• Student Teach

Observe Assist Teach Student teach
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Included in ALL Program Guidelines

• Cognitive student development applicable to each
  grade level

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PAs Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements
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PAs Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements

• Derived from provisions in No Child Left Behind
• All public school teachers with primary
  responsibility for direct instruction in one or
  more of the following core academic subjects
• English Geography
• Reading/ Civics Government
• Language Arts Economics
• Mathematics History
• Science Arts
• Foreign
• Language

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In Pennsylvania, who is HQT?

• ALL Elementary Certified Teachers who received
  Instructional certification and who currently
  teach ELEMENTARY students (see Note for State
  HOUSSE plan that enables EL ED teachers certified
  PRIOR to 1988 to be HQT)

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In Pennsylvania, who is HQT?

• ALL Middle Secondary Core Content Teachers who
  currently teach IN THEIR CORE ACADEMIC SUBJECT
  and instruct students in GRADES 7-12

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In Pennsylvania, who is HQT?

• ALL ESL teachers who hold an Instructional I in
  the CORE ACADEMIC SUBJECT they are instructing
  and who teach ESL populations

• ALL ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION teachers who hold an
  Instructional I in the CORE ACADEMIC SUBJECT they
  are instructing and who teach ALT ED populations

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In Pennsylvania, who is HQT?

• ALL Special Education Certified Teachers who are
  teaching ELEMENTARY LEVEL Special Education
  Students or students taking an Alternative
  Assessment and who took and passed the Praxis
  Fundamental Subjects or its predecessor (thus
  proving subject matter competency)

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How Do PA Teachers Become HQT?

• To satisfy the definition of a highly qualified
  teacher, public school teachers must
• Hold at least a bachelors degree
• Hold a valid Pennsylvania teaching certificate
  (i.e., Instructional I, Instructional II or
  Intern certificate but not an emergency permit)
  and
• Demonstrate subject matter competency for the
  core academic subjects they teach.

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What If a Teacher is Not HQT?

• There are three basic ways for teachers to
  demonstrate subject matter competency
• Pass the Praxis! (ALL teachers)
• Complete a graduate degree or subject area major
  (Middle and Secondary teachers)
• National Board for Professional Teaching
  Standards Certification (NOT New to the
  Profession, 3 years experience)

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The Tricky Part Demonstration of Subject Matter
Competency

• Demonstrate subject matter competency for the
  core academic subjects they teach.
• In PA, subject area competency is traditionally
  demonstrated through the successful completion of
  the appropriate Praxis exams.
• Thus, the FASTEST way to achieve HQT status is
  to TAKE THE TEST!

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What is HOUSSE?

• Highly Objective Uniform State Standard of
  Evaluation
• It enabled experienced teachers who taught
  multiple core content and
• Who did NOT have the appropriate Instructional
  Certificate in the CORE ACADEMIC SUBJECT to
  accumulate 100 points on the HOUSSE Rubric to
  earn an HQT Designation
• HOUSSE IS NOT A PROGRAM TO EARN CERTIFICATION,
  RATHER IT IS AN HQT DESIGNATION.

Teachers teaching multiple core content
Special Education ESL Alternative Education
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HOUSSE - Flexibility Under IDEA

• New (first-year) special education teachers
• who teach multiple core academic subjects in
  middle or secondary settings and who have a
  content certificate
• have passed a content test, or hold a degree in
  math, science, or language arts
• have up to two years from their date of hire to
  demonstrate content expertise in the remaining
  core academic subject(s) they teach.
• These teachers may use PAs HQT HOUSSE to accrue
  100 points in each remaining core academic
  subject or may pass relevant core academic
  subject exam(s).

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What if teachers were not highly qualified by
June 30, 2007?

• Any teacher who did not accumulate 100 points on
  the HOUSSE rubric must develop, in consultation
  with his/her school district, an Individualized
  Professional Development Plan (IPDP) to attain
  highly qualified teacher status by December 31,
  2008.

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HQT Individualized Professional Development Plan
The teacher and the district must create the HQT
Individualized Professional Development Plan
(IPDP) before June 30, 2007. The teacher must
complete the HQT Individualized Professional
Development Plan (IPDP) on or before December 31,
2008.
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District responsibilities for HOUSSE or IPDPs

• Validate accuracy of teachers HOUSSE Rubric,
  certificate status, transcripts of academic
  courses for content, professional development
  experiences
• Meet regularly with teachers to monitor and
  discuss their progress on completing their IPDP
  and thus earning 100 points on the HOUSSE rubric
• Maintain a copy of each teachers signed HOUSSE
  Rubric and IPDP

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District responsibilities for HOUSSE or IPDPs

• Maintain notes relating to meetings held to
  discuss progress on IPDP
• Sign HOUSSE Rubric after IPDP is completed
• Submit individual teacher records via the PA
  Department of Educations of website
  www.teaching.state.pa.us
• for educators to attain HQT designation.

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HQT and IPDP

• Teachers who are neither highly qualified nor
  engaged in an Individual Professional Development
  Plan should not be assigned as the teacher of
  record for a core content subject area.

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BRIDGE Phase I and II

• PAs Bridge certificate is a HOUSSE process
  developed to assist teachers to become highly
  qualified.
• PAs Bridge closed July, 2006.
• Unless teachers are ALREADY on the Bridge, they
  may not use the PA Bridge to become highly
  qualified.
• Once on the bridge, a teacher must make progress
  by earning 30 points from the date of entering
  the Bridge program.
• Teachers have 3 years from the date they entered
  the Bridge program to complete it and achieve an
  Instructional I certification.

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Equitable Teacher Distribution

• Requirements and Expectations

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What is an equitable distribution plan

• 2 provisions of ESEA help us understand the
  purpose of and responsibilities associated with
  an equitable distribution plan
• Section 1111(b)(8)(C) of the ESEA (pertains to
  State Education Agencies)
• Section 1112(c)(1)(L) of the ESEA (pertains to
  LEAs)

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Section 1111(b)(8)(C) of ESEA states that

• each SEA plan must include steps that the State
  educational agency will take to ensure that poor
  and minority children are not taught at higher
  rates than other children by inexperienced,
  unqualified, or out-of-field teachers, and the
  measures that the State educational agency will
  use to evaluate and publicly report the progress
  of the State educational agency with respect to
  such steps.

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Section 1112(c)(1)(L) of the ESEA states that
each LEA plan must include an assurance that the
LEA will ensure, through incentives for
voluntary transfers, the provision of
professional development, recruitment programs,
or other effective strategies, that low-income
students and minority students are not taught at
higher rates than other students by unqualified,
out-of-field, or inexperienced teachers.
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Who Must Develop an Equitable Teacher
Distribution Plan

• All LEAs must develop an equitable teacher
  distribution plan
• Even if they have
• Achieved 100 HQT and
• Met AYP

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This means that

• LEAs and SEAs must analyze data
• to identify why teachers are not highly
  qualified
• to determine if novice (less experienced)
  teachers are concentrated in specific schools

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This means that

• to measure progress
• to determine if strategies in the plan are
  working or should be changed
• to revisit the plan regularly and update as
  needed.

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PAs Non-HQT Data Tell Us

• Schools in urban areas are more likely to have
  higher numbers of non-HQT
• High-poverty schools have the greatest proportion
  of assignments taught by non-HQTs

Math (22) Science (22) Foreign language
(20) Social studies (17) English (16)
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PAs Non-HQT Data Tell Us

• As poverty-level, racial/ethnic minority
  enrollment and the proportion of assignments
  taught by non-HQTs increase, the mean of
  students reading and math performance gradually
  decline

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PAs Non-HQT Data Tell Us

• As the percentage of minority students increases,
  non-HQT assignments also increase
• PA schools with higher poverty-levels are more
  likely to have higher numbers of non-HQT than
  those with lower poverty-levels

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PAs Non-HQT Data Tell Us

• Schools not making AYP have the greatest
  percentage of assignments taught by non-HQTs
• v Social Studies (15) v Math (9)
• v Science (13) v English (6)
• v Foreign Languages (10)

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PAs Non-HQT Data Tell Us

• Elementary schools not making AYP have the
  greatest proportion of assignments taught by
  non-HQTs in
• Art (2)
• ECE/Elementary (2)
• Foreign Language (14)

• Middle level schools not making AYP have greatest
  proportion of non-HQT assignments in
• Math (9)
• English (7)
• Science (7)
• Social Studies (5)

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PAs Non-HQT Data Tell Us

• Secondary schools not making AYP have greatest
  proportion of non-HQT assignments in
• Math (9)
• Science (7)
• Foreign
• Languages (7)
• Social Studies
• (5)
• English (5)
• Art (3)

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PAs Strategies Include

• Deploying a team of Distinguished Educators
  working with schools
• Deploying a team of Distinguished SLs to work
  with schools
• Establishing partnerships

• Offering professional development opportunities
  at no cost to schools or teachers Governors
  Academy for Urban Education and other Governors
  Institutes

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PAs Strategies Include

• Requiring all teacher and education specialist
  certification programs to include components that
  will enable them to accommodate and adapt
  instruction for diverse students in an inclusive
  setting and meet the instructional needs of
  English Language Learners

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PAs Strategies Include

• Working with novice school administrators to
  enhance their knowledge and skills
• PA Inspired Leadership GROW Component
• Principals Leadership Induction Program
• Revising PAs certification program guidelines
  for principals and superintendents

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PAs Strategies Include

• Implementing the Call Me Mister Program to
  increase the number of African-American males
  teaching in the elementary grades

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PAs Strategies Include

• Urban Educators Recruitment Program
• Provides scholarships to postsecondary students
  committing to teaching in urban schools 5 years
• Identifies critical shortages of certified
  teachers for PA urban areas
• Provides informational sessions and experiential
  programs for middle level and high school
  students to encourage them to pursue teaching
  careers

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PAs Strategies Include

• Meeting with representatives from various
  educational organizations and teacher unions to
  garner
• Understanding of equitable teacher distribution
• Support for schools as they implement strategies
  to evenly distribute their teacher resources
  across the district
• Ideas for recruitment and retention, incentives,
  etc.

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PAs Strategies Include

• Incorporating teacher equitable distribution into
  its School Improvement planning document Getting
  Results
• Incorporating differentiated teacher induction
  support for novice teachers (e.g., those with lt 3
  years of teaching experience)
• Incorporating teacher equitable distribution in
  its strategic plan requirements

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What Can LEAs do

• Identify where inequities in teacher assignments
  exist
• Review school-level data on teacher turnover to
  identify characteristics of teachers who have
  left and whether or not they move to another
  school or leave the profession

• Tap into pools of teachers and individuals who
  would be willing to be teachers and then
  distribute them equitably - paraprofessionals
• Use resources wisely to retain teachers

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What Can LEAs do

• Improve conditions in hard-to-staff schools
  working as well as classroom environment
• Streamline district recruitment and hiring
  practices
• Develop strong collaborations with colleges and
  universities to develop grow your own teacher
  recruitment strategies to encourage high school
  students to pursue the teaching profession
• Build the capacity of school leaders to support
  teachers in hard-to-staff schools

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What Can LEAs do

• Assign teachers to areas where they will be HQT
• Encourage non-HQT teachers to participate in
  on-line PRAXIS preparation program offered by
  PaTTAN

• Work with local union representatives
• Establish professional development schools with
  nearby college or university

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What Can LEAs do

• Involve experienced teachers in decision-making
• Promise to pay for advanced educational pursuits
  if experienced teachers agree to work in hard to
  staff schools
• Use experienced teachers as mentors and classroom
  coaches for novice teachers

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What Can LEAs do

• Collaborate with schools that have similar
  student populations to learn what steps they are
  taking to recruit and retain highly qualified and
  experienced teachers

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What Else Can LEAs do

• What other strategies might be beneficial to
  high-poverty, high-minority LEAs as they wrestle
  with how to equitably distribute teacher quality
  resources among and between their schools?

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Resources to Assist LEAs

• National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality
  (www.ncctq.org)
• Americas Challenge Effective Teachers for
  At-Risk Schools and Students available at
  http//www.ncctq.org/publications/NCCTQBiennialRep
  ort.php

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Why does equitable teacher distribution matter

• You know

FOR THE KIDS!
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Office of Postsecondary and Higher EducationDr.
Kathleen M. Shaw, Deputy Secretary Bureau of
School Leadership and Teacher Quality Theresa
Barnaby, Director Division of Teacher
Quality Linda J. Benedetto, Chief
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  The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE)
does not discriminate in its educational
programs, activities or employment practices
based on race, color, national origin, sex,
sexual orientation, disability, age, religion,
ancestry, union membership, or any other legally
protected category. This policy is in accordance
with state law, including Pennsylvanias Human
Relations Act, and with federal law, including
Title IV and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of
1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of
1972, Section 504 of the rehabilitation Act of
1973, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of
1967 and the American Disabilities Act of 1990.