NCLB Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under NCLB, which agency is primarily responsible for defining 'Highly Qualified Teacher' standards at the state level?
- The U.S. Department of Education
- Each individual school district
- The State Educational Agency (SEA) (Correct answer)
- The National Education Association
Correct answer: The State Educational Agency (SEA)
NCLB required each State Educational Agency to establish and enforce HQT standards aligned with federal minimums.
Question 2: A middle school teacher in a Title I school teaches both English and social studies. Under NCLB, how many subject-matter competency demonstrations are required?
- One, covering only the primary subject
- Two, one for each subject taught (Correct answer)
- Three, including a general pedagogy component
- None if the teacher holds a master's degree
Correct answer: Two, one for each subject taught
NCLB required HQT status to be demonstrated separately for each core academic subject a teacher instructs.
Question 3: Which of the following is NOT considered a 'core academic subject' under NCLB for HQT purposes?
- Civics and government
- Physical education (Correct answer)
- Foreign language
- The arts
Correct answer: Physical education
Physical education is not listed among NCLB's core academic subjects; the law focuses on academic content areas.
Question 4: What did NCLB require school districts to notify parents about regarding teacher qualifications?
- The salary of their child's teacher
- Whether their child's teacher meets HQT standards (Correct answer)
- The teacher's graduate school attended
- The number of years the teacher has been employed
Correct answer: Whether their child's teacher meets HQT standards
NCLB mandated that Title I schools notify parents of their right to request information about whether their child's teacher is highly qualified.
Question 5: Under NCLB, a veteran teacher with full state licensure who has not demonstrated subject-matter competency through an HOUSSE review is considered:
- Highly qualified automatically due to licensure
- Not highly qualified until completing the HOUSSE process (Correct answer)
- Exempt from HQT requirements after 10 years of service
- Highly qualified if the principal certifies competency
Correct answer: Not highly qualified until completing the HOUSSE process
Full licensure alone does not satisfy HQT; veteran teachers must also demonstrate subject-matter competency, which HOUSSE provides a pathway for.
Question 6: NCLB's HQT requirements applied most stringently to teachers in schools receiving funds under which title?
- Title II
- Title III
- Title I (Correct answer)
- Title IV
Correct answer: Title I
Title I schools serving low-income students faced the strictest HQT enforcement, including parental notification rights.
Question 7: If a state failed to meet its annual measurable objective for the percentage of HQT teachers, NCLB required the state to:
- Immediately replace all non-HQT teachers
- Develop and submit an improvement plan to the U.S. Department of Education (Correct answer)
- Suspend Title I funding for the following year
- Transfer all non-HQT teachers to non-Title I schools
Correct answer: Develop and submit an improvement plan to the U.S. Department of Education
States that missed HQT targets were required to create improvement plans outlining steps to reach compliance.
NCLB Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements 2
Under NCLB, which agency is primarily responsible for defining 'Highly Qualified Teacher' standards at the state level?