• Percentage of Secondary-level Core Academic Courses Taught by a Teacher Without at Least a Minor in the Subject
• Percentage of Eighth Graders Whose Math Teachers is Certified in Middle/Junior High School or in Secondary School Mathematics

WHAT THE DATA SHOWS

Not addressed due to time constraints.

Information about school staff characteristics is provided in the state School Report Cards.

CAUTION:  Staff Preparation and Experience is displayed on the report cards in a highly confusing way.  In this example it looks like only 44% of the teachers have earned a Bachelor's Degree and 50% have earned a Masters Degree.  How can this be when a Bachelor's Degree is a prerequisite to earning a Masters?  What's more, together they comprise 94% of the teaching staff, yet the report card shows 97% of the staff are Licensed Teachers.  Isn't at least a Bachelor's Degree required for licensure?

In April 2005, NEAT learned this information is reported as "highest degree earned" and should be read by adding the two together.  NEAT believes it would be easier for parents to interpret the information if both items were reported as a percent of total and reported this recommendation to the Department of Education.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Resources for Teacher Quality - Public Education Network.

Teacher Quality and Improvement - A biweekly electronic newsletter of the State Teacher Quality Network, Council of Chief State School Officers.

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February 2006 - Redefining Professional Development: Schools Can Become True Learning Communities for Teachers - For reform efforts centered on improving student achievement to be successful, teachers need to have the necessary skills, tools, and support. Simply trusting that structural and logistical changes will translate into significant improved learning is wishful thinking. Teachers need concrete, continuous professional development to hone their current skills and learn new ones. And they need to be respectfully treated as adult learners who bring skills and experiences to meet the challenge of increasing student achievement, Center for Comprehensive School Reform and Improvement.

Characteristics of Effective Professional Development

• Informed by research on teaching and learning and provides a strong foundation in subject content and methods of teaching;
• Integrated with district goals to improve education, guided by a coherent long-term plan, and driven by disaggregated data on student outcomes;
• Designed in response to teacher-identified needs and utilizes collaborative problem solving in which colleagues assist one another by discussing dilemmas and challenges;
• Primarily school-based, provides sufficient time and other resources, and enables teachers to work with colleagues in their school building;
• Continuous and ongoing, incorporates principles of adult learning, and provides follow-up support for further learning; and
• Evaluated ultimately on the basis of its impact on teacher effectiveness and student learning.