State not subject to new school policy...

State not subject to new school policy change

The U.S. Department of Education announced Monday that it is

relaxing some policies of the No Child Left Behind Act, but state

officials said the changes will have little meaning in California.

The new flexibility comes in the act’s requirements that teachers

be “highly qualified,” meaning they must have at least a bachelor’s

degree in their area of specialty and a teaching credential. Its

changes focus on teachers in rural areas, science teachers and

multi-subject teachers.

State Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell issued a

statement saying that the relaxations for science and multi-subject

teachers will not affect California, where credentialing laws are

already streamlined.

In Newport-Mesa Unified elementary schools, officials stopped

issuing emergency credentials two years ago, said Joe Ybarra,

director of human resources for the district. They are currently

auditing credentials and qualifications of district teachers.

New teachers coming out of the university system now already

fulfill the “highly qualified” requirements, he said.

-- Marisa O’Neil