Bilingual Teacher see also Teacher - Bilingual Ed.
    • provides direct instruction in one or more content areas in students' native language, and
    • supports English as a replacement for content instruction in a classroom where only English is spoken, and
    • must satisfy the federal definition of a Highly Qualified Teacher for the content area(s) and level(s) taught.

Core Academic Subjects:

ELL/ESLTeacher -see Teacher - ESL.
    • provide daily support to students with limited English proficiency,
    • may co-teach classes with a Language Arts Literacy instructor
    • may provide direct instruction in English, reading or language arts.
NOTE: When ELL/ESL teachers provide direct instruction, they must satisfy the federal definition of a Highly Qualified Teacher based on the grade level of the content/curriculum they teach rather than the chronological age of their students.

Highly Qualified Teacher: In general, teachers must:
    • have at least a Bachelor’s degree;
    • have valid state certification for which no requirements have been waived (i.e., no emergency certificates); and
    • demonstrate content expertise in the core academic subject(s) they teach.
**For New and Newly Hired Teachers in Title One Schools, by September 2003 they must have:
    • at least a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education;
    • fully licensed/certified (traditional or alternate route) with no waivers (i.e., no emergency certificates); and
    • Elementary: Demonstrate content expertise by passing a state test of elementary content knowledge and teaching skills.
    • Middle/Secondary: Demonstrates content expertise in each of the core academic subject(s) taught by doing the following:
        • Passing a rigorous state test; or
        • Completing an academic major, coursework equivalent to a major, or a graduate degree; or
        • Earning an advanced certification or credential (e.g., National Board Certification).
NOTE: Newly hired teachers may use the NJ HOUSE Standard, if needed. New teachers may not use the NJ HOUSE Standard.
**For New, Newly Hired and Veteran Teachers in Non-Title One, and Veteran Teachers in Title One Schools, by June 2006 they must have:
    • at least a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education;
    • fully licensed/certified (traditional or alternate route) with no waivers (i.e., no emergency certificates); and
    • Elementary: Demonstrate content expertise by
        • Passing a rigorous state test of elementary content knowledge and teaching skills; or
        • Fulfilling the requirements of the NJ HOUSE Standard.
passing a state test of elementary content knowledge and teaching skills.
    • Middle/Secondary: Demonstrates content expertise in each of the core academic subject(s) taught by doing the following:
        • Passing a rigorous state test; or
        • Completing an academic major, coursework equivalent to a major, or a graduate degree;
        • Earning an advanced certification or credential (e.g., National Board Certification); or
        • Fulfilling the requirements of the NJ HOUSE Standard.

Highly Qualified Teacher Testing Option: see also Testing Option. Teachers may submit
    • a passing score on a state licensing exam taken in New Jersey, or
    • a passing score on a state licensing exam taken in another state as verification that they have satisfied the federal definition of a Highly Qualified Teacher.
NOTE: Examples of appropriate tests include: The National Teacher Exam (NTE); the Praxis II Elementary Education: Content Knowledge Test; the Praxis II Content Knowledge Test(s) for the relevant content area teaching assignment(s).
The Praxis II series of Content Knowledge Tests for the middle school level will become available in New Jersey during the 2003-2004 school year.

HOUSE STANDARD: Under NCLB, each state is required to develop a HOUSE (High Objective Uniform State Evaluation) Standard to provide teachers with an alternative means of demonstrating their content knowledge for the core academic subject(s) they teach. Print out USED's publication, No Child Left Behind: A Toolkit for Teachers (a 66 page PDF file). The NJ HOUSE Standard
    • is the means by which teachers can document their content expertise in the core academic subject(s) they teach;
    • uses a Content Knowledge Matrix to document college coursework, professional activities, teaching activities, and successful teaching performance. In particular:
        • Elementary (K-5), bilingual and special education teachers who provide direct content instruction of an elementary curriculum must document 10 points on the matrix across elementary academic content areas in order to satisfy the definition of a Highly Qualified Teacher as an Elementary Generalist.
        • Middle, secondary, bilingual and special education teachers who provide direct content instruction of a middle/secondary curriculum must document 10 points on the matrix for each content area they teach in order to satisfy the definition of a Highly Qualified Teacher for each content area teaching assignment.

New Teacher (new to the profession): A novice in his or her first year of teaching.
    • In Title I schools, if hired after the first day of school in the 2002-2003 school year, teachers must be highly qualified at the time of hire.
    • In non-Title I schools, if after the first day of school in the 2005-2006 school year. They must be highly qualified as of the end of the 2005-2006 school year.

Newly Hired Teacher (with prior teaching experience, either returning to teaching after an absence or changing school districts): An experienced teacher in his or her first year in a new district.
    • In Title I schools, must be highly qualified at the time of hire,
    • In non-Title I schools, must be highly qualified by the end of the 2005-2006 school year.
NOTE: Teachers changing building, class or grade-level assignments within their districts are not considered newly hired.

Title I schools and programs: Title I is a federally funded education initiative for students that are economically and educationally disadvantaged. It is designed to provide assistance to improve the academic performance of low-performing students in the areas of language arts literacy and mathematics. The NJDOE Title I site has additional details and information.

School Organization
    • Elementary schools (K-5, K-6, K-8) in which classes are self-contained and teachers provide instruction in the full range of content to a single class, all day.
    • Middle schools (5-8, 6-8) are those in which classes are departmentalized and teachers provide instruction in one or more content areas to different classes of students throughout the day.
    • Secondary schools (9-12) are those in which classes are departmentalized and teachers provide instruction in one or more content areas to different classes of students throughout the day.

Teacher - Bilingual Ed.: see Bilingual Teacher

Teacher - ESL.: see ELL/ESLTeacher

Teaching Assignment: On the Teacher Indentifcation form, this is differentiated as Content Area and Grade Level.
    • It is the grade level and/or core academic subject area being taught;such as
        • Multiple sections of the same course (i.e., three classes of freshman composition or two periods of world history),
        • All subjects to one class of elementary or special education (elementary) students all day (i.e., 5th grade, 2nd grade), or
        • the grade(s) or grade band taught.
    • It is not the class schedule.

Testing Option: : see also Highly Qualified Teacher Testing Option

Undergraduate Major: 30 credits of content coursework within the subject field listed as the major.

Undergraduate Major Equivalent: 30-credit coherent sequence of courses in a subject field that includes study at the introductory, intermediate and advanced levels.

Veteran Teacher:
    • In Title I Schools/Programs, they are:
        • hired before 2002-2003;
        • may use the NJ HOUSE Standard
NOTE: Experienced teachers who are newly hired may also use the NJ HOUSE Standard
    • In Non-Title I Schools
        • hired before 2005-2006
        • may use the NJ HOUSE Standard
NOTE: All veteran teachers must be highly qualified by the end of 2005-2006.

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