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NEWS
| JAN. 28
Education
School adapts to No Child Left Behind
Act
More than a year after the amendment, officials
here focus on ‘good’ teaching.
By Jessica
Smith
Contribution to The Shorthorn
When Congress passed the No Child Left
Behind Act in December 2001, School of Education officials say they
knew they would have to make changes. Now, more than a year later,
they are still adapting.
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is the new name for the reauthorized
Elementary and Secondary Education Act passed in 1965 as part of
Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society program. Since that time, the
government has either reauthorized or amended the legislation about
every five years.
“It’s designed to ensure students do well in school,”
said Randall Ford, Assessment and Professional Development assistant
dean.
The current version of the act is based on the model already in
place in Texas. Some changes here, however, have been made based
on national NCLB legislation.
“We’re working on ways to adjust our curriculum for individuals,”
she said.
The main provision of the law requires that all teachers be “highly
qualified” by 2006. The provision defines “highly qualified”
by grade level. Individual states ultimately decide the standard
by which teachers are considered “highly qualified.”
The school believes teachers should have strong content and field
experience, said Education Dean Jeanne Gerlach. The school prepares
students, requiring they take between 18 and 24 semester hours of
content courses in whatever area they plan to teach.
New elementary or secondary teachers have to be fully certified
by the state and/or pass their state’s licensing exam. Elementary
teachers are required to have a bachelor’s degree. They must
also pass state tests in subject areas of the basic elementary school
curriculum.
Secondary teachers are required to have a bachelor’s degree
as well as to be proficient in the academic subject they teach.
The law also states proficiency can be demonstrated through a college
major, graduate degree, important coursework or by passing subject-matter
exams. Teachers already teaching will have until 2006 to meet the
state’s standard.
Under the law, core academic subjects are English, reading or language
arts, math, science, foreign language, civics and government, economics,
arts, history and geography.
In fiscal year 2002, the federal government set aside $22.1 billion
dollars for NCLB. The majority of the money will go to states and
school districts. The only way the School of Education will have
access to the money is through partnerships with local school districts,
Gerlach said.
One of the main changes the school made resulting from NCLB was
to abandon its deficiency plan. The plan allowed students to teach
while taking a minimum of six semester hours per year for three
years, Assistant Dean Louann Schulze said. Students participating
in the plan received emergency certificates, but the law does not
consider them “highly qualified.” Students already involved
in the plan will be allowed to finish, but no new students will
be accepted.
Probationary, or one-year, certificates are still awarded. All education
students, however, are required to take a content exam before they
can get a job, Ford said.
Another major provision of NCLB is the renewal of programs to offer
retiring military personnel, career professionals and recent college
graduates a teaching license. The two programs responsible for this
are the Troops to Teachers and Transition to Teaching programs.
The programs are collectively called the T3 program at UTA and offer
only secondary certification. Admissions requirements include a
bachelor’s degree and a 2.75 grade-point average on the last
60 hours of coursework.
Also, applicants must score 270 on the reading portion, 220 on the
writing and 230 on the math portion of the Texas Academic Skills
Program.
All required T3 coursework is offered online, but the required exams
must be taken in Texas.
An additional provision in the law encourages colleges and universities
to establish partnerships with local school districts to allow for
greater professional development and teacher mentoring.
Ford said the school has strong partnerships with the Dallas and
Arlington school districts. She said she believes first-year teachers
need the most help.
“We forget, when we’ve taught for so long, what it is
that teachers really need,” she said.
NCLB also provides money for school districts to create a system
using technology in the classroom. Ford said the school prepares
students for this by requiring them to take at least one technology
course.
The focus of NCLB, however, is accountability, Gerlach said.
“We know that good teaching matters,” she said.
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