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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 20, 2005 Amy Morrison talks with horticulture students at Butte Falls High School, where her class has students in seventh through 11th grades. According to the federal government, she is only �highly qualified� to teach middle school grades. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Highly qualified — Oregon teacher credentials improve, but rural districts struggle By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Butte Falls Schools Superintendent Steve Pine knows that all 13 teachers in his remote district are qualified to be in the classroom. They have college degrees, state teaching licenses, knowledge about the subjects they teach and a concern for kids. But state school report cards show that only 72.7 percent of the district’s core academic classes are taught by what the federal government considers highly qualified teachers. "It’s a difficult situation," Pine said. "We are working to make amends, but it is a hardship on small schools." Statewide and in Jackson County, the percentage of core classes taught by highly qualified teachers is rising. Advertisement Information from the recently released state school report cards shows that 90 percent of all classes in Oregon’s public schools during 2004-05 were taught by a highly qualified teacher, up from 88 percent the previous year. In Jackson County, seven of nine school districts posted improvements or maintained the same percentage of highly qualified teachers, while two districts — Ashland and Prospect — saw slight decreases. Medford, at 92.3 percent, and Central Point, at 92.2 percent, bested the state average, while other Jackson County districts hovered slightly below the average. Butte Falls had the county’s lowest percentage of classes taught by highly qualified teachers, even though all of its elementary teachers are considered highly qualified. Because Butte Falls operates a combined junior and senior high school, its two middle school teachers, who are highly qualified to teach students though eighth grade, also teach some high school classes, Pine said. Although they both have conditional permits from the state to take on those extra duties, that’s not good enough for federal officials. To be considered highly qualified under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, teachers must be fully licensed by the state, have at least a bachelor’s degree, and show, either by exam or a college major, that they know the subjects they teach. The act requires all teachers of core academic subjects — English, math, science, social studies, foreign languages and arts — to meet the definition of highly qualified teacher by the end of this school year. Rural districts, including Butte Falls, have one additional year. Central Point Superintendent Randy Gravon said his district has worked hard to get teachers all the credentials needed to be considered highly qualified, focusing especially on the middle school level. Teachers there tend to have elementary licenses and sometimes need an additional endorsement to be considered highly qualified when teaching specialized subjects. "We worked to get them highly qualified so they don’t look substandard, because they aren’t," he said. Under the state’s strict licensing program, teachers already have to meet tough standards that were in place long before the federal government started adding requirements, said Howard Elementary School teacher Cheryl Lashley, president of Medford’s teachers union. "It’s disappointing and disheartening with all that we continually do to maintain our licenses that experienced teachers can be considered not highly qualified," she said. "The standard the federal government applies might not recognize a really gifted teacher." Medford’s director of special services, Julie York, who tracks highly qualified teacher status, said that high school and middle school teachers sometimes will be called on to teach outside their primary expertise, especially in times of tight budgets and staffing cuts, but the district tries to assign teachers to classes that best use their skills. However, the district considers all its teachers well qualified, she said. The Oregon Department of Education believes the state standards are adequate and the federal standards are rather narrow, spokesman Gene Evans said. It is awaiting details from the U.S. Department of Education about possible consequences for teachers and schools that don’t have all core classes taught by highly qualified teachers by the federal deadlines. "I don’t think there will be any end-of-the-world consequences," he said. The state’s Teacher Standards and Practices Commission issued a statement clarifying that nothing in federal law authorizes or requires school districts to dismiss teachers who do not meet the definition of highly qualified. Districts that get federal money to serve impoverished students must notify parents when teachers who aren’t highly qualified teach core classes. When those letters go out, phone calls pour into the education department, Evans said, but they aren’t the concerns teachers might fear. "We get calls from parents saying, ‘Don’t tell me my kid’s teacher is not highly qualified; she’s great,’ " he said. Details on the percentage of classes taught by highly qualified teachers is available at www.ode.state.or.us/data/reportcard/reports.aspx and will be listed on the school report card parents will receive in coming months. Percentage of classes taught by highly qualified teachers 2004-05 2003-04 Ashland 86 94.7 Butte Falls 72.7 71.9 Central Point 92.2 87.3 Eagle Point 89.5 89.6 Medford 92.3 90.5 Phoenix-Talent 87.7 86.4 Pinehurst 85.7 80 Prospect 84.2 97.1 Rogue River error 89.3 Statewide 90 88 Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail Highly qualified � Oregon teacher credentials improve, but rural districts struggle ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. 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