COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
P.O. BOX 2120
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120
SUPTS. MEMO NO. 49
March 5, 2004
INFORMATIONAL
|
TO: |
Division
Superintendents |
|
FROM: |
Jo Lynne
DeMary Superintendent
of Public Instruction |
|
SUBJECT: |
Virginias High Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation for Experienced Teachers |
During the February 25, 2004, meeting, the
Board of Education approved Virginias High Objective Uniform State Standard of
Evaluation (HOUSSE) for experienced teachers.
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 requires all states and
school divisions to ensure that all teachers of the core academic subjects be
highly qualified by the end of the 2005-06 school year. The law applies to
teachers in core academic areas that include English, reading or language arts,
mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics,
arts, history, and geography.
Experienced
teachers must meet requirements by the end of the 2005-06 school year to be
designated as highly qualified. No
Child Left Behind provides the following options for meeting the highly
qualified definition:
(a)
passing a rigorous state
academic subject matter
test; or
(b)
completing an academic
major, graduate degree,
coursework equivalent to an academic major, or
advanced certification or credentialing in the case of middle or secondary
school teachers; or
(c)
using the high objective
uniform state standard
of evaluation (HOUSSE). The HOUSSE provides states with a method by which current
teachers can demonstrate competency in each subject they teach.
The NCLB legislation allows states to establish a process of evaluating
teachers knowledge and ability based on a high objective uniform state
standard of evaluation. The law recognizes that teachers who have been in the
classroom have a variety of experiences and preparation that may demonstrate
their competency in the subjects they teach.
Therefore, the HOUSSE system may involve multiple, objective measures of
teacher competency.
Attached is the approved HOUSSE
for Virginia. The chart provides the
requirements allowed by the NCLB legislation, as well as state options for
elementary, middle, secondary, and prek-12 teaching assignments.
The Department of Education and the Virginia
Association of School Personnel Administrators (VASPA) will host an institute
on Friday, March 26, prior to The Great Virginia Teach-In: A Call to Teach at the Richmond
Convention Center. This will be an
opportunity to share information and discuss topics, such as the High Objective
Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE), No Child Left Behind requirement
for highly qualified teachers, the use of the SAT test as a substitute test
for Praxis I, and the Virginia Instructional Reading assessment. The institute will begin with lunch at 12:15
p.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. You are invited to attend a reception that evening
at 5:30 p.m. hosted by Governor Mark Warner.
Please complete the attached response form, and return it to this
office by March 17 if you and other staff members, such as your human resource
director and licensure specialist, plan to attend the institute and the
reception. To register for the
Teach-In and to obtain information on hotel accommodations, please visit the
Department of Educations website at www.pen.k12.va.us
and click The Great Virginia Teach-In:
A Call to Teach. The
toll free number for the Teach-In is 1-866-373-7004.
If you have any questions,
please contact Dr. Thomas A. Elliott, assistant superintendent for teacher
education and licensure, (mailto: telliott@pen.k12.va.us), at (804)
371-2522.
JLD:psp
Attachment
/administrators/superintendents_memos/2004/inf049a.pdf
/administrators/superintendents_memos/2004/inf049b.doc