Highly Qualified Teachers Impact Student Learning

Michigan’s current teacher certification system is now consistent with the federal mandate to ensure that all K-12 classrooms are staffed with Highly Qualified teachers. The next challenge is to ensure that teachers are highly effective as well.

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) stunned many educators when it required all teachers of core content subjects (mathematics, science, English language arts, reading, history, geography, political science/civics or government, economics, arts, and foreign languages) to demonstrate that they are Highly Qualified in their content area. Teachers are considered Highly Qualified to teach a particular subject if they have passed that part of the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) and hold an endorsement on their Michigan teacher certificate or hold a subject area endorsement on the teaching certificate in which they have completed a major (30 semester credit hours) or group major (36 semester credit hours). Studies show that student achievement has a greater likelihood of improving if the educator is Highly Qualified.

The most effective teachers impact student learning in a positive manner even under difficult circumstances. They work, for example, with diverse learners who come from a variety of home and cultural environments. Effective teachers impact student learning by creating learning opportunities that will challenge and support their students’ academic growth.

In order to achieve or maintain a high level of effectiveness, teachers should stay keenly aware of their professional learning needs. This is accomplished by maintaining a personal professional development plan that will identify activities to improve teaching practices. Professional learning can occur either in formal, sustained training sessions or informal learning community environments.

One avenue for ongoing professional learning, which focuses on teaching practice, is National Board Certification (NBC). The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) offers financial support to teachers who seek the NBC designation, which can be used to advance to the Professional Education Certificate or to renew the Professional Education Certificate with the same ten-year validity span of the National Board Certificate. For more information, visit www.michigan.gov/teachercert.

Additional free professional learning opportunities are provided through the Advocating Strong Standards-based Induction Support for Teachers (ASSIST) and online professional learning modules developed by LearnPort, via the Michigan Virtual University (MVU) Web site at www.mivu.org. The MDE’s Professional Learning Strategic Plan for 2006-10, designed to provide leadership and support for excellence in teaching, is also available for educators at www.michigan.gov/mde.

Michigan has received approval of its plan to meet the Highly Qualified requirement by the United States Department of Education.

For more information on teacher preparation in Michigan, contact: Office of Professional Preparation Services, Michigan Department of Education at www.michigan.gov/mde. Click on “Offices” then “Professional Preparation” or visit the Fall 2005 issue of Leading Change on Highly Qualified Educators at www.cenmi.org/LeadingChange/index.asp.