This week, the U.S. Department of Education confirmed in writing the message it conveyed to North Dakota educators in December: that state's plan for designating elementary teachers as "highly qualified" does not meet NCLB requirements. In December, legislators were "shocked" that their plan was not in compliance with NCLB, despite an earlier warning from the state's own Department of Public Instruction. Now it seems that education officials and lawmakers are beginning to heed the ruling and tweak their "highly qualified teacher" definition. It remains to be seen just how serious they are, and whether they will seek to exploit some of the loopholes that have allowed other states to maximize the number of existing teachers who are labeled "highly qualified" even though they're not really.
"State must comply with federal education ruling," by Sheena Dooley, Bismarck Tribune, January 25, 2005