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Show - DAILY A12 Thursday, August 17. 2006 HERALD Teacher quality mandate remains big challenge for states ASSOC'ATED PRESS WASHINGTON Having missed one deadline already, states still face an enormous challenge in putting qualified teachers in all major classes, a federal review says. Some states are in much better shape than others, the Education Department said Wednesday. Most meet only some criteria in required new plans. Four, including Utah, failed altogether. . Under the No Child Left Be-hind law, states were supposed to have highly qualified teachers in every core academic class jy the end of the last school year. None made it. good teachers make all the difference in whether or not our children succeed in their studies, she said in a statement. Meanwhile, for parents and students, more patience will be required. The new goal is minority children. The federal analysis of those 100 percent compliance by the end of the 200W)7 school year, plans yields a mixed picture. but some states may be years , Most states got credit for .away. showing serious effort. Yet The law defines "highly a few were ordered to start over. Every state was given qualified" teachers as those specific recommendations and who have a bachelor's degree, a state license and proven told to follow them. Overall, most failed to procompetency in every subject vide all the answers the depart- they teach. It is often regarded ment asked for. Still, Education as a minimum qualification, because it requires teachers to Secretary Margaret Spellings know what they teach. said she was encouraged. 37 of Most of the states "Many states took this very them, plus the District of Co seriously, recognizing that So the Education Department demanded new state plans. They were to include details on how states would improve their teaching corps and ensure fairness for poor and Ben Feller THE . , their subject matter and their in pedagogical preparation other words how to teach the better off they are, so the this faQ or risk facing penalbetter off the kids are. In that ties. " Utah was joined by Hawaii, way, yeah, this is great." The remaining nine states Missouri and Wisconsin in got favorable reviews for failing. The four states must submit new plans and undergo handing in complete plans and creative ideas about how they monthly auditing of their will improve. Those nine are teacher quality data, the deKansas, Louisiana, Maryland, partment says. New Jersey, New Mexico, NeUtah has asked the Department of Education for an vada, Ohio, South Carolina and South Dakota. extension until Oct. 1 to presSouth Carolina, for example, ent its plan, saying there was was praised for paying incennot enough time to complete a train- tives to teachers in high-nee- d proposal. schools. Louisiana was credited Al Mosher, human resources ing to become highly qualified, for collecting clear, meaningful he said. director for the Nebo School Bob Gentry, personnel direcdata on teacher quality. District, attended a meeting on All the plans were examined Wednesday about Utah's plans tor for the Provo City School District, said about 93 percent by outside review teams, mainof the district's teachers are ly state officials. "We're pretty hopeful that and agrees if states seriously implement with the theory behind the NCLB laws "highly qualified and we intend these plans to monitor that then change teachers" portion. "I believe will happen," said Rene Islas, in the concept that every stuchief of staff for the departdent deserves a highly qualified teacher, and I think this ment's elementary arid secondhas forced teachers to have a ary education office. The promise of better teachgreater depth of knowledge for both how to teach and what ers is a huge part of President, Bush's education law. Every to teach., The idea is that we new development, though, need to make sure people are brought to a certain standard." underscores how daunting the mission is. But it remains to be seen how effective the law's reMany teachers find the edict to be well intentioned but poorquirements will be, Gentry said. "That's a facsimile of ly defined. It does not measure the actual outcome, and the attributes parents like, such as a teacher's creativity or ability outcome will be test scores. It takes two or three years to to reach students. The law also orders" equity, really ,see a big turnaround in a point gaining more attention those things." of late. Poor and minority kids Mosher said he believes the requirements will translate into are not supposed to have an ' unfair share of unqualified, in- student success. "The more t xperienced teachers. highly qualified they are in lumbia and Puerto Rico met only some of the criteria. They must submit new data or plans to improve teacher quality. He said the NCLB requirement is a tail order for small schools with few teachers, and larger schools may find it easier to comply. In the Nebo district, about 93 percent of elementary teachers and about 81 percent'of-secondarschoolteachers are considered highly qualified, numbers Mosher said w5 increase as district officials review transcripts. Teachers can get credit for time they've spent teaching a course,'ad-ditioncollege courses and y state-approve- d highly-qualifie- . 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