99% of N.J. teachers hit 'highly qualified' mark Thursday, September 06, 2007 • BY JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff Ninety-nine percent of New Jersey's public school teachers meet the standards as "highly qualified" as set under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, state officials said yesterday. The state released the latest statistics for every school and district in New Jersey, saying that even in high-poverty schools, more than 97 percent of teachers meet the rules set by the state under the federal law. Two years ago, the rate in these schools was about 86 percent. "Clearly there has been an improvement over the last couple of years, and there's a commitment of districts across the state to meet this goal," state Education Commissioner Lucille Davy said. To be deemed highly qualified, a teacher must be fully certified, hold a college degree, and be able to show expertise in the subject he or she teaches through one of a variety of measures. These include college major, performance on a content-area teachers' exam, or meeting the state's broader set of requirements that factor in years of experience and post-graduate study and professional development. The federal Department of Education initially required all states to have 100 percent of their teachers reach the mark by 2006, then extended it to 2007. But with no states yet reaching 100 percent, federal officials have said they will continue to demand at least progress toward the goal. Of the estimated 1,300 teachers still short of the mark in New Jersey, state officials said they are mostly special education teachers who work with students across disciplines and need more time to meet the requirements in each subject area. Still, six years since the federal law's enactment, its mandates for teachers face rising scrutiny nationwide. A recent federal study found wide disparities in states' require ments and questioned how effective the rules have become in en suring teacher quality. Davy voiced her own skepticism yesterday when asked whether the 99 percent rate in New Jersey means there are virtually no substandard teachers. "Whether or not a teacher has met the definition of highly qualified has nothing to do with the outcomes of the students in the classroom," she said. The state's full report may be found online at http://www.nj.gov/ education/data/hqt/07/. © 2007 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with permission.