No Child Left Behind

District Procedure

High Qualified Teachers and Paraprofessionals

Purpose:

The purpose of this document is to establish Hallsville ISD's policies and procedures regarding compliance with Public Law 107-110, also known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). NCLB recognizes that all children can achieve the same high standards and must be provided the education they need to reach those standards.

Commitment to Quality Staff:

Hallsville ISD is committed to providing highly qualified teachers and paraprofessionals to all students in the district. As part of this practice, monitoring data pertaining to existing teachers and applicants is vital to ensuring compliance with NCLB requirements. Hallsville ISD is committed to establishing and maintaining quality data in all schools and at the district level as described in the District Procedure titled No Child Left Behind Compliance dated November 1, 2003.

Roles and Responsibilities:

All district and school administrators and staff who deal with hiring of teachers and paraprofessionals are responsible for adhering to the data quality management standards set out in this document.

The following district administrators have specific responsibilities regarding NCLB. Superintendent: The superintendent is responsible for developing a plan to ensure that the district recruits, hires and retains highly qualified teachers and paraprofessionals. The superintendent will work with appropriate district staff to secure funding necessary to implement the plan. The superintendent is also responsible for ensuring that the district meets TEA’s annual reporting requirements related to highly qualified teachers and paraprofessionals. The superintendent may assign tasks to other district staff but retains the responsibility to ensure that these tasks are completed accurately and on a timely basis.

School Principal:

School principals are charged with the responsibility of monitoring the qualifications of teachers and paraprofessionals at their individual schools to ensure compliance with NCLB. Each principal is responsible for reviewing the qualifications of all existing teachers and paraprofessionals at their school to ensure the teachers and paraprofessionals are “highly qualified” as defined by NCLB. For teachers who are not “highly qualified”, principals will identify discrepancies between qualifications and requirements under NCLB, then meet with teachers and paraprofessionals who are not highly qualified to develop individualized plans and timelines for achieving highly qualified requirements.The principal of each Title I, Part A campus is also responsible for annually attesting in writing whether the campus is in compliance with NCLB, Section 1119 [Teacher and Paraprofessional Qualifications]. Copies of the attestation must be maintained at each Title I, Part A campus and the district’s main office and must be made available to the public on request.

Principals may assign tasks to other school staff but retain the responsibility to ensure that these tasks are completed accurately and on a timely basis.

Deputy Superintendent of Instruction, Accountability and Personnel:

The Deputy Superintendent is responsible for recruiting and hiring teachers and paraprofessionals whose qualifications meet the requirements of “highly qualified” as defined by NCLB. Duties include verifying qualifications through documentation submitted by job applicants and by contacting the appropriate agencies and references as needed. The director is also responsible for ensuring the personnel files of existing teachers and paraprofessional are kept up-to-date, particularly as existing staff obtain training to meet the requirements of “highly qualified” as defined by NCLB. The Deputy Superintendent is responsible for coordinating with the director of Technology and the Business Manager to determine the best way to use existing human resources information and/or payroll systems to track teacher and paraprofessional qualifications as defined by NCLB.

The Deputy Superintendent may assign tasks to other staff but retains the responsibility to ensure that these tasks are completed accurately and on a timely basis.

Director of Technology:

The director of Technology is responsible for meeting with the Deputy Superintendent and the business manager to determine the best way to use existing human resources information and payroll systems to track teacher and paraprofessional qualifications as defined by NCLB. The director of Technology will design reports that will allow principals and Human Resources staff to efficiently and effectively monitor, verify and update teacher and paraprofessional qualifications.

District PEIMS Coordinator:

The district PEIMS coordinator is responsible for ensuring that staff qualifications and experience is correctly coded and submitted according to PEIMS submission requirements.

Written Procedures:

All hiring of highly qualified teachers and paraprofessionals and monitoring of teacher and paraprofessional qualifications shall comply with written district policies and procedures (DPP) and the written NCLB procedures contained in this document, including:

• Hiring new teachers and paraprofessionals and verifying their credentials and qualifications;
• Reviewing the qualifications of existing teachers and paraprofessionals to identify which are not “highly qualified” as defined by NCLB;
• Assisting existing teachers and paraprofessionals to become “highly qualified” as defined by NCLB;
• Communication with parents in the event their child(ren) is being taught by a teacher or paraprofessional who is not “highly qualified” as defined by NCLB; and
• Notifying parents of their right to request certain information about their child(ren)’s teacher(s).

Annual Review:

Hallsville ISD’s procedure for highly qualified teachers and paraprofessionals will be reviewed annually by the Deputy Superintendent. A report of any changes and suggestions for improvement shall be prepared for review and approval by the Superintendent. The principals shall coordinate with the Deputy Superintendent to ensure that procedures are consistently applied and comply with district policies and procedures.

Training:

School staff responsible for teacher and paraprofessional qualification data will receive training necessary to fully understand their responsibilities and perform required tasks in an accurate and timely manner.