No Educator Left Behind is a series providing answers from the U.S. Department of Education to questions about the federal No Child Left Behind Act and how it will affect educators. If you have a question about No Child Left Behind, send an e-mail to Ellen Delisio, and we will submit your question to the Department of Education.

QUESTION:

I am a special education teacher with a degree in K-12 special education and also all subjects for K-8 regular education. I have a master's degree in teaching and curriculum with an emphasis on reading. I am now an elementary resource room/ inclusion special education teacher. I am teaching children with many types of disabilities. Am I highly qualified? I'm hearing many different answers.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION:

Ultimately, your state department of education is responsible for determining if you meet both the federal requirements for being highly qualified and your state standards. However, here is the latest information on being highly qualified as a special education teacher.

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requires public school teachers instructing core academic subject areas to hold a minimum of a bachelor's degree; demonstrate subject matter competency in each of the academic subjects in which the teacher teaches; and obtain full state certification or pass the state teacher licensing examination. More information also is available at Highly Qualified Teachers.

The reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), signed into law on Dec. 3, 2004, clarified several aspects of the definition of a highly qualified teacher in special education. The major changes include:

• General requirement: The teacher has obtained full state certification as a special education teacher (including certification obtained through alternative routes to certification), or passed the state special education teacher licensing examination, and holds a license to teach in the state as a special education teacher. The teacher has not had special education certification or licensure requirements waived on an emergency, temporary or provisional basis.
• Subject Matter Knowledge: IDEA 2004 adds additional flexibility for special education teachers who either teach exclusively to children who are assessed against alternate achievement standards, or teach multiple subjects. The specific requirements are determined by the grade level taught, the employment status of the teacher (new, or veteran), and state policies. But veteran teachers must be able to demonstrate subject area competence. As an elementary school teacher, you can do this by passing a rigorous state test of reading, writing, mathematics, and other areas of the elementary school curriculum, or through a "high objective uniform state standard of evaluation" (HOUSSE), which can take into consideration, although not exclusively, the time you have been teaching in the academic subject.

Read previous questions and answers in our No Educator Left Behind archive.