Iowa Department of Education

The highly qualified teacher requirements of NCLB and IDEA 2004 call for all teachers to be "highly qualified" by June of 2006.  Although the legislation applies to all general and special education teachers in grades K-12, in Iowa it primarily impacts secondary special education teachers who do not have core content endorsement for subject areas--such as math, science, and English--they have taught in the past, but are no longer allowed to teach under the legislation.  Key concepts of the legislation and its impact on secondary special education teachers include: 

"Highly qualified" can be considered a synonym for core content expertise and should not be confused with "highly skilled."  Special education teachers are highly skilled.  They can--and should--provide the following specialized instruction:

• Strategy instruction to their students
• Consultation to core content endorsed teachers on strategies or individualized needs
• Co-teaching with core content endorsed teachers 

Intent of the legislation is to partner the strategy expertise of special education teachers with the subject matter expertise of core content endorsed teachers to ensure that students with special needs have access to the same education as their non-disabled peers.

Legal Requirements and Reports

 HQT Requirements (2006-10-25)

Guiding Practices

 HQT Training Materials (2006-10-25)

 HQT DVD (2006-10-25)

 Collaborative Schools (2006-10-25) 

Supporting Documents

 HQT FAQ (2006-10-25)

 HQT Consultative Model (2006-10-25)

Certified Professional Developers University of Kansas Strategic Instruction Model

 Certified Professional Developers KU Strategic Instruction Model (2006-11-29)

Calendar of Events

 Highly Qualified and Beyond Conference (2006-10-25)

Contact

Norma Lynch
515-281-6038
norma.lynch@iowa.gov