* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Clarke
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
Informational Hearing - No Child Left Behind Act - Highly
Qualified Teachers - Baltimore City Public School System Compliance
FOR the purpose of requesting the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Academic Officer of the Baltimore City Public School System to brief the City Council on the status of the Baltimore City Public School System's compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act requirement that, by June 2007, all teachers of core academic subjects in the classroom be highly qualified and on the actions required in June should we fail to comply.
Body
Recitals
Throughout January 2007, the President of the United States will meet with bicameral and bipartisan members of Congress on the 5th anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) to urge reauthorization of the measure that was signed into law, in 2002.
The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education holds that one of the most important factors in raising student achievement is a highly qualified teacher and that research shows that teacher subject-matter knowledge is greatly associated with student learning. The No Child Left Behind Act requires that, by the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year, all teachers of core academic subjects in the classroom be highly qualified as determined by 3 essential criteria: (1) attaining a bachelor's degree or better in the subject taught; (2) obtaining full state teacher certification; and (3) demonstrating knowledge in the subjects taught.
The official progress report indicates that, as of 2006, for the first time all 50 States and the District of Columbia have accountability plans in place as well as reading/language arts and mathematics assessments for grades 3-8, plus one assessment in high school, and that the percentage of classes taught by a highly qualified teacher (HQT) has risen to 91%. Despite this reported progress, the U.S. Department of Education found it necessary to allow states that could demonstrate a good faith effort in a Revised State Plan to defer compliance with the HQT requirement until the end of the 2006-2007 school year. Baltimore City's deadline is June 2007.
The 6-point protocol used by the federal Peer Review Committee to evaluate the potential success of a Revised State Plan addressed 6 key issues:
1. A thorough analysis of the data identifying teachers that do not meet HQT requirements, including trends that the State Plan will address;
2. Steps local districts will take to help teachers quickly attain HQT status;
3. Technical assistance, programs, and resources the State Education Agency (SEA) will offer to help Local Education Agencies (LEAs) implement their HQT plans;
4. Action states will take if LEAs do not ensure all teachers of core academic subjects are highly qualified;
5. The use of an alternative method to ensure that all teachers are highly qualified (i.e., the state's use of HOUSSE [High Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation] procedures); and
6. Taking steps to ensure that minority students and students from low-income families are not disproportionately taught by inexperienced or unqualified teachers.
In the majority of school districts in the State of Maryland, 75% of core academic classes were being taught by highly qualified teachers, while only 46.8% of core academic classes in Baltimore City were being taught by highly qualified teachers when the Revised State Plan was submitted to the Peer Review Committee. While the City Council appreciates the efforts demonstrated by Baltimore City Public School System that led to federal approval of the State's plan, a more thorough knowledge of the particulars of that plan will give added assurance that our schools and our students will not face wholesale teacher transfers in June 2007, as narrowly avoided in the case of Teacher Assistants.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Academic Officer of the Baltimore City Public School System are requested to brief the City Council on the status of the Baltimore City Public School System's compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act requirement that, by June 2007, all teachers of core academic subjects in the classroom be highly qualified and on the actions required in June should we fail to comply
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the Honorable Members of the Baltimore City Senate and House Delegations to the Maryland General Assembly, the State Superintendent of Education, the CEO and CAO of Baltimore City Public Schools, the Executive Director of the Mayor's Office of State Relations, and the Mayor's Legislative Liaison to the City Council.
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