Ohio’s Revised HQT Plan
to Ensure that 100% of Ohio’s Teachers are
Highly Qualified by the End of the 2006-2007 School Year and Beyond
July 2006
Ohio’s Revised HQT Plan
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Requirement 1
The revised plan must provide a detailed analysis of the core academic subject classes in the State that are currently not being taught by highly qualified teachers. The analysis must, in particular, address schools that are not making adequate yearly progress and whether or not these schools have more acute needs than do other schools in attracting highly qualified teachers. The analysis must also identify the districts and schools around the State where significant numbers of teachers do not meet HQT standards and examine whether or not there are particular hard-to-staff courses frequently taught by non-highly qualified teachers...... …………………………….4
Requirement 2
The revised plan must provide information on HQT status in each LEA and the steps the SEA will take to ensure that each LEA has plans in place to assist teachers who are not highly qualified to attain HQT status as quickly as possible...... …………. 9
Requirement 3
The revised plan must include information on the technical assistance, programs, and services that the SEA will offer to assist LEAs in successfully completing their HQT plans, particularly where large groups of teachers are not highly qualified, and the resources the LEAs will use to meet their HQT goals...... ………………………...... ………………………14
Requirement 4
The revised plan must describe how the SEA will work with LEAs that fail to reach the 100 percent HQT goal by the end of the 2006-2007 school year...... ……………26
Requirement 5
The revised plan must explain how and when the SEA will complete the HOUSSE process for teachers not new to the profession who were hired prior to the end of the 2005-06 school year, and how the SEA will discontinue the use of HOUSSE procedures for teachers hired after the end of the 2005-06 school year (except for specific situations)...... ……...... 37
Requirement 6
The revised plan must include a copy of the State’s written “equity plan” for ensuring that poor or minority children are not taught by inexperienced, unqualified, or out-of-field teachers at higher rates than other children...... ……..38
Appendices
Appendix A:FY2006 Schools HQ (less than 90%) and FY2006 Districts HQ (less than 90%)...... ………………39
Appendix B:LEAsNot Meeting Annual Measurable Objectives for HQT...... 40
Appendix C:Principal Attestation about Qualifications for Teachers and Paraprofessionals in Title I-Supported Programs...... 41
Appendix D:Letter to Assistant Secretary of Education...... 42
Appendix E: Ohio’s HQT Progress Notification Letter to Districts…………...... …...... …………...…….44
Requirement 1:The revised plan must provide a detailed analysis of the core academic subject classes in the State that are currently not being taught by highly qualified teachers. The analysis must, in particular, address schools that are not making adequate yearly progress and whether or not these schools have more acute needs than do other schools in attracting highly qualified teachers. The analysis must also identify the districts and schools around the State where significant numbers of teachers do notmeet HQT standards and examine whether or not there are particular hard-to-staff courses frequently taught by non-highly qualified teachers.
1.1 Does the revised plan include an analysis of classes taught by teachers who are not highly qualified? Is the analysis based on accurate classroom level data?
Since 2002, Ohio has made a concerted effort to accurately identify the number of core courses taught by highly qualified teachers and has invested significant time and resources to increase the percentage of highly qualified teachers. Ohio was among the first states to develop and implement the HOUSSE provision. Each year, the state has refined and fine-tuned its data gathering system to ensure an accurate count of the courses taught by highly qualified teachers. Each school and district in Ohio reports the status of the teacher for each core academic course offered in the schools through the state’s Education Management Information System (EMIS). This data is reported annually for each course. Teacher licensure records are cross-checked with course records to ensure that the appropriate teaching credential is held.
In 2003, Ohio reported that 78% of core courses were taught by highly qualified teachers. For the 2005-06 school year, that percentage increased to 94.4%. The chart below presents an analysis of core subject courses taught by teachers who are not highly qualified.
2005-06 School Year HQT by Core Subject Area[Analysis of core subject area classes taught by teachers who are NOT highly qualified]
Core Subject Area / Core Course Count, HQT / Core Course Count / Percent of core courses taught by
teachers who are NOT highly qualified
Arts / 113,474 / 116,160 / 2.3%
Civics and Government / 6,685 / 7,441 / 10.2%
Economics / 1,713 / 1,983 / 13.6%
English / 21,710 / 23,514 / 7.7%
Foreign Language / 21,554 / 22,521 / 4.3%
Geography / 685 / 912 / 24.9%
History / 24,564 / 26,530 / 7.4%
Language Arts / 97,859 / 104,202 / 6.1%
Mathematics / 100,019 / 107,345 / 6.8%
Reading / 46,896 / 49,332 / 4.9%
Science / 90,254 / 96,491 / 6.5%
Total / 525,413 / 556,431 / 5.6%
[Note: The above analysis is based on accurate classroom level data.]
1.2 Does the analysis focus on the staffing needs of schools that are not making AYP? Do these schools have high percentages of classes taught by teachers who are not highly qualified?
The Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) require Ohio’s school districts to evaluate their students according to 10 subgroups, which are defined by racial, language and disability characteristics. The district must show improvement in each of the subgroups annually and all subgroups must be 100-percent proficient by 2014. The following chart indicates the percentage of highly qualified teachers in core subject areas in Ohio schools that have not met Adequate Yearly Progress (2005-06).
2005-06 School Year HQT by Core Subject Area[Analysis of core subject area classes taught by teachers who are NOT highly qualified for AYP and Non-AYPSchools]
Ohio’s schools that did not meet AYP / Ohio’s schools that met AYP
Core Subject Area / Core Course Count, HQT / Core Course Count / Core Courses Taught by
NON-Highly Qualified Teachers (Pct) / Core Course Count, HQT / Core Course Count / Core Courses Taught by
NON-Highly Qualified Teachers (Pct)
Arts / 15,402 / 16,419 / 6.2% / 98,072 / 99,741 / 1.7%
Civics and Government / 1,789 / 2,077 / 13.9% / 4,896 / 5,364 / 8.7%
Economics / 461 / 551 / 16.3% / 1,252 / 1,432 / 12.6%
English / 4,716 / 5,288 / 10.8% / 16,994 / 18,226 / 6.8%
Foreign Language / 4,925 / 5,326 / 7.5% / 16,629 / 17,195 / 3.3%
Geography / 171 / 237 / 27.8% / 514 / 675 / 23.9%
History / 6,571 / 7,444 / 11.7% / 17,993 / 19,086 / 5.7%
Language Arts / 15,322 / 17,740 / 13.6% / 82,537 / 86,462 / 4.5%
Mathematics / 17,247 / 19,791 / 12.9% / 82,772 / 87,554 / 5.5%
Reading / 5,102 / 5,947 / 14.2% / 41,794 / 43,385 / 3.7%
Science / 15,956 / 18,313 / 12.9% / 74,298 / 78,178 / 5.0%
Total / 82,737 / 93,807 / 11.8% / 442,676 / 462,624 / 4.3%
As evidenced by the data in the chart above, Ohio has a larger percentage of classes taught by non-highly qualified teachers in schools that have not met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP); (11.8% as contrasted to schools that met AYP at 4.3%). In schools not meeting AYP, core courses are taught by more than 10% of non-highly qualified teachers, except arts and foreign language. Even in those two core courses, the percentage of non-highly qualified teachers is more than twice the percentage than in schools meeting AYP.Current Ohio Department of Education initiatives to increase highly qualified teachers in mathematics, science, and foreign language were implemented to remedy the percentage gap of non-highly qualified teachers in these subject areas. During the 2006-07 school year, initiatives will be launched to address the highly qualified teacher gaps in the core subject courses of history, geography, economics, and civics/government. These initiatives will be targeted to schools that have not met AYP.
1.3 Does the analysis identify particular groups of teachers to which the State’s plan must pay particular attention, such as special education teachers, mathematics or science teachers, or multi-subject teachers in rural schools?
The Ohio Department of Education has analyzed the percentages of core courses taught by Highly Qualified (HQ) teachers and completes an annual Ohio Teacher Supply and Demand Report. Ohio has paid particular attention to two subgroups of teachers: special education teachers and middle school teachers.
Special education teachers in Ohio are licensed to teach students with disabilities in all grades (K-12) and in all subjects. Without content-specific preparation, most special education teachers in grades 7-12 were not highly qualified. Further, these teachers generally teach multiple subjects, and thus had to demonstrate their qualifications in multiple subject areas. An added complicating factor is that special education is the area in which Ohio has historically issued the greatest number of temporary credentials. To address these issues, Ohio mounted a two-prong initiative. First, the state offered content-specific professional development for special education teachers free of charge in 16 regions across the state. Second, the state implemented intensive one-year programs at 13 universities to move special education teachers from temporary licensure to full licensure, again free of charge. Both of these programs will continue in the coming years, and are more fully described under Requirement 3.
The second group of teachers in which Ohioevidenced a significant highly qualified teacher gap was seventh- and eighth-grade teachers teaching core courses with an elementary (K-8) license. While the K-8 licensure has not been available for new teachers since 2002, there are many veteran teachers holding this credential. Ohio developed content-specific course offerings and professional development through 15 universities statewide for these teachers. These programs will continue and are described further under Requirement 3.
Additionally, professional development and additional resources have been targeted to teachers of mathematics, science, and foreign language.
Based on the findings from the data analyses completed for this report, Ohio will provide targeted professional development, in partnership with colleges and universities, for the state’s geography, economics and civics/government teachers.
1.4 Does the analysis identify districts and schools around the State where significant numbers of teachers do not meet HQT standards?
The percentage of courses taught by teachers who are not highly qualified was analyzed for each school and district in Ohio. Results of this analysis are summarized below (See AppendixA for Source File). The analysis identified schools and districts where more than 10% of the courses are taught by teachers who are not highly qualified.
Traditional Public School Districts: There are 612 traditional public school districts in Ohio (2005-06). Of these districts, 15 have more than 10% of the core academic courses taught by teachers who are not highly qualified. Of these 15 districts:
- AthensCitySchool District has 88.5% of core academic courses that are taught by highly qualified teachers
- ClevelandMunicipalSchool District has the lowest percent of core academic courses that are taught by highly qualified
teachers at 77.2%
- Three of the 15 districts are large urban districts: CincinnatiCitySchool District, ClevelandMunicipalSchool District and
DaytonCitySchool District
- Three of the 15 districts are Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) eligible districts: BrightLocalSchool District,
KelleysIslandLocalSchool District and MeigsLocalSchool District
Other Categories: Ohio’s 60 Educational Service Centers (ESCs) are a consortia of school districts organized together to provide services to member school districts. Four ESCs operate alternative schools that provide educational services to students with disabilities or severe behavior problems and are required to report highly qualified teacher data. These four ESCs have more than 10% of the core academic subjects being taught by teachers who are not highly qualified. The Ohio Department of Youth Services (ODYS) operates a school district within a state agency that serves youth who have been adjudicated delinquent as felony-type offenders. Approximately 73.3% of core academic courses are taught by highly qualified teachers in the ODYS school district. Community schools are independent public schools that are part of the state’s educational system. There are 239 community schools (2005-06). Of these 239 schools, 87 have more than 10% of the core academic courses being taught by teachers who are not highly qualified.
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1.5Does the analysis identify particular courses that are often taught by non-highly qualified teachers?
As indicated in Section 1.1, three core courses are of concern in Ohio. More than 10% of teachers of geography, economics, and civics/government statewide are not highly qualified. Data for each core content area is listed in the table below.
2005-06 School Year HQT by Core Subject Area[Analysis of core courses taught by non-highly qualified teachers]
Core Subject Area / Core Course Count, HQT / Core Course Count / Percent of Core Courses taught by
NON-Highly Qualified teachers
Arts / 113,474 / 116,160 / 2.3%
Civics and Government / 6,685 / 7,441 / 10.2%
Economics / 1,713 / 1,983 / 13.6%
English / 21,710 / 23,514 / 7.7%
Foreign Language / 21,554 / 22,521 / 4.3%
Geography / 685 / 912 / 24.9%
History / 24,564 / 26,530 / 7.4%
Language Arts / 97,859 / 104,202 / 6.1%
Mathematics / 100,019 / 107,345 / 6.8%
Reading / 46,896 / 49,332 / 4.9%
Science / 90,254 / 96,491 / 6.5%
Total / 525,413 / 556,431 / 5.6%
There are 556,431 core academic core courses taught in Ohio schools. Of these core academic courses, 31,160, or 5.6% are being taught by a non-highly qualified teacher. Ohio is committed to ensuring that every core course is taught by a highly qualified teacher. The state has identified the following core courses as being “often taught” by a non-highly qualified teacher:
- Geography: 24.9%
- Economics: 13.6%
- Civics and Government: 10.2
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Requirement 2: The revised plan must provide information on HQT status in each LEA and the steps the SEA will take to ensure that each LEA has plans in place to assist teachers who are not highly qualified to attain HQT status as quickly as possible.
2.1Does the plan identify LEAs that have not met annual measurable objectives for HQT?
Ohio used the following procedure to identify LEAs that have not met the annual measurable objectives for HQT:
1.If the district was not 100% in 2003-04, the Ohio Department of Education expected to see an increase of at least 50% of the difference between the actual and 100% by 2004-05 (i.e., District A was at 80%, the Ohio Department of Education would set the benchmark at 90% for 2004-05). If the district did not reach 100% in 2004-05, the benchmark was set to an expected growth of 50% of the difference in 2005-06.
2.Once a district reached 100%, its benchmark was expected to stay at 100%. If it went down, the benchmark for the next year was set using the logic above (50% of the difference).
3. All districts in Ohio are expected to be at 100% Highly Qualified Teachers status by 2006-07.
In the school year 2004-05, Ohio had 613 traditional public school districts that were to meet the “annual measurable objective.” Of those 613 traditional public school districts, 382 did not meet their benchmark objectives in 2004-05. The median percentage for traditional public school districts not meeting their HQT benchmark was 3.1%.
Ohio had 222 community schools that were to meet the “annual measurable objective” in 2004-05. Of those 222 community schools, 98 did not meet their benchmark objective. The median percentage for community schools not meeting their HQT benchmark is 50%. While community schools present a larger challenge in meeting benchmarks, the 50% may be skewed because several community schools did not report HQT data. While the percentage of teachers not designated as Highly Qualified is high in community schools, the actual number of teachers in this situation is very low since most community schools have a very small teaching staff.
(See Appendix B for Source File)
2.2Does the plan include specific steps that will be taken by LEAs that have not met annual measurable objectives?
LEAs that have not met annual measurable objectives are required to benchmark progress in meeting highly qualified teacher requirements and objectives. Each LEA must submit a District Plan for Meeting Section 1119 Qualifications for Teachers and Paraprofessionals. The planning tool is available online in Ohio’s Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Plan (CCIP) web-based application. It includes a needs assessment, goals, performance measures, strategies and action steps (Refer to document entitled “District Plan for Meeting Section 1119 Qualifications for Teachers and Paraprofessionals” under Section 2.3).
2.3Does the plan delineate specific steps the SEA will take to ensure that all LEAs have plans in place to assist all non-HQ teachers to become HQ as quickly as possible?
Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Planning
Ohio is focused on helping districts maximize the impact of their resources to improve student achievement. To maximize the impact of resources, districts must start with a focused plan for improvement, and then allocate resources in alignment with the plan. Progress has been made in developing strategies and tools and promoting quality planning among districts over the past year. One important resource that has contributed to this progress is the state’s Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Planning (CCIP) tool. Districts use this tool to apply for competitive grants and develop improvement plans. The Ohio department of Education scores district school improvement plans to ensure that:
- Districts are engaging in coherent, data driven, ongoing planning based upon their needs assessment and disaggregated student
achievement data
- Goals, performance measures and strategies align to district needs and are focused on student results
- Scientific, research-based, ongoing assessments are being implemented (screening, diagnostic and achievement) to measure
student progress
- Effective, scientific, research-based early intervention strategies are included in the plan to meet the needs of all students.
- Scientific, research-based, ongoing professional development opportunities for teachers and administrators targeting student
achievement are being provided
- Parents and community are engaged in student achievement efforts
- Resources align to the plan goals, and the plan shows evidence of reallocating and leveraging available resources (fiscal,
personnel, time, facilities, technology, etc.) to impact student achievement