`Highly qualified' teachers increase.

Byline: Anne Williams The Register-Guard

With a July 2006 deadline looming, the number of Oregon public school teachers considered "highly qualified" under federal criteria inched up last year.

According to a report released Wednesday by the Oregon Department of Education, 90 percent of all classes in 2004-05 were taught by "highly qualified" teachers, compared with 88 percent the year before.

"The good news is it looks like most districts are taking this seriously and trying to get to 100 percent," department spokesman Gene Evans said.

Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, all students must have highly qualified teachers in every core academic subject - reading/language arts, math, science, foreign language, social studies and art - by the end of the 2005-06 school year. Because their faculty often teach multiple subjects, rural districts have an extra year.

To meet the definition, teachers must be licensed by the state, hold at least a bachelor's degree and show mastery of their subject either by passing an exam or majoring in that academic area. Teachers are also given credit if they are able to demonstrate they've been teaching a subject successfully for three years or more.

It's not clear what the consequences might be for teachers who miss the deadline or for the districts that employ them, Evans said. One possibility could be the withholding of federal money, such as the Title I dollars that assist high-poverty schools.

The law does require Title I schools to notify parents each year if their children's teachers are not "highly qualified."

Among local districts, the percentage of classes taught by "highly qualified" teachers ranged from a low of 61.4 percent in McKenzie to a high of 100 percent in Lowell. McKenzie Superintendent Susan Taylor-Greene said she believes that just two or three of her 13 teachers fell short, but that they each teach several classes.

The Eugene and Bethel school districts are well ahead of the state average - 97.3 percent and 96.2 percent, respectively.

Wally Bryant, human resources director in the Eugene district, said middle school teachers have struggled the most. Ever since the 1980s, the district has aimed to fill middle-school teaching positions with "generalists," Bryant said, who are able - just like elementary school teachers - to teach a wide variety of subjects.

That approach doesn't mesh with the fledgling federal requirements for specific expertise, he explained.

Bryant said the district is no longer hiring teachers who fail to meet the definition. Meanwhile, schools are working with existing teachers to make sure they get the necessary credentials before the deadline. Those who don't will be out of a job, he said, unless they choose to transfer to a post for which they are "highly qualified."

Springfield has taken a less aggressive approach, spokesman Jeff DeFranco said - and lags well behind the state average, with just 78.6 percent of classes taught by "highly qualified" teachers.

"I think part of it is due to the philosophy of making sure that we always hire the best applicant out of the candidate pool," he said, even if the specific endorsement is lacking. Springfield also has run into trouble at the middle school level, he said, as well as with special education teachers, who may not have endorsements for specific subjects such as mathematics, and teachers in small alternative programs who teach many subjects.

DeFranco said Springfield is also helping teachers complete the extra course work they need to make the deadline, but that none will be out of a job just because they miss it.

Steve Dustrude, president of the Springfield Education Association, said the new requirements rankle many teachers, and don't always make a whole lot of sense.

"Our state certification system, which is one of the most rigorous in the nation, doesn't seem to line up with the federal government," he said.

Dustrude doesn't believe parents are inordinately concerned about whether teachers meet the federal government's narrow definition of "highly qualified."

"I think the response from parents is they know the teachers are doing a great job with their children," he said.

HIGHLY QUALIFIED

The Oregon Department of Education released its annual report Wednesday showing the percentage of classes taught by "highly qualified" teachers. Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, teachers must be state-licensed, hold a bachelor's degree and demonstrate mastery of subject knowledge either by exam or a major in the core academic area. The deadline for becoming "highly qualified" is July 1, 2006, although rural districts have an extra year. Below are the percentages for local districts.

Bethel: 96.2 percent

Blachly: 92.9 percent

Central Linn: 94.8 percent

Coos Bay: 79 percent

Creswell: 87.7 percent

Crow-Applegate-Lorane: 94.9 percent

Eugene: 97.3 percent

Fern Ridge: 84.2 percent

Harrisburg: 90 percent

Lowell: 100 percent

Mapleton: 80 percent

Marcola: 97.7 percent

McKenzie: 61.4 percent

Monroe: 93.2 percent

North Bend: 96.4 percent

North Douglas: 66.7 percent

Oakland: 93.8 percent

Oakridge: 94.3 percent

Pleasant Hill: 96.8 percent

Reedsport: 93.8 percent

Siuslaw: 88.1 percent

South Lane: 91.8 percent

Springfield: 78.6 percent

Yoncalla: 87.9 percent