96% of classes meet U.S. standard Jersey teachers among forefront in compliance rate for No Child Left Behind law Wednesday, August 16, 2006 • BY JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff More than 95 percent of New Jersey's public school classes are taught by teachers who meet the definition of "highly qualified" under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, state officials said yesterday. To reach that lofty label under the federal law, teachers must show a mastery of the subject they teach through a competency test, a college major or other measures. New Jersey, with its tough certification rules, typically has done well since the law passed in 2001, and last year, 96 percent of classes were found to be taught by teachers meeting the rule, officials said yesterday. That was up from 93.5 percent the year before. "We're obviously not 100 percent yet, but we're clearly headed in the right direction," said acting Education Commissioner Lucille Davy. Virtually no state met the law's 100 percent requirement by last spring's initial deadline, and officials yesterday said New Jersey joined 29 other states to ask for a one-year extension in bringing every teacher to the required level. The biggest gaps remained in the state's urban districts, where some schools reported as low as 50 percent or 60 percent compliance, especially in hard-to-fill positions such as special education, bilingual education and world languages. But those gaps narrowed in the last year, and state officials said they were confident they would tighten further with additional training and other programs to help districts recruit qualified teachers. In 2006, 91 percent of classes in high-poverty districts were taught by the required teachers, up from 86 percent the year before, state officials said. Local officials were less confident, saying it is hard enough to fill jobs in their districts without the specific demands of the law. Newark reported about 85 percent of its classes taught by teachers meeting the requirement, with the biggest drop-offs in math, science and special education. "It's not getting any better for us," Superintendent Marion Bolden said yesterday. "Ideally, I would want a teacher certified in math teaching in grades 6, 7 and 8, but I can't even fill the high school positions." "You can make these demands on school districts," she said. "But until the people are out there, what are we to do?" It's not only urban districts, though. "As we used to say in the Navy, the last 10 percent of the job takes 90 percent of the work," said Rocco Tomazic, assistant superintendent in Linden. "It's going to be tough for Linden. I won't sugarcoat it." Linden reported about 88 percent of its classes taught by teachers meeting the requirement. Yet that drops to between 78 and 84 percent in special-education classes, where teachers need both special-education certification and a mastery of the specific subject matter. "They could have decades of experience with special-ed kids, and just because someone now has changed the requirement doesn't invalidate that requirement," Tomazic said. For others, the rules get even murkier. Many of the state's charter schools fared near the bottom in classes taught by "highly qualified" teachers, some coming in as low as 50 percent. TEAM Academy in Newark saw its eighth-grade students post the fourth-highest reading scores in the city. But according to the state, just half of the classes were taught by teachers meeting the "highly qualified" requirement. TEAM officials contested the figure, saying they are closer to 80 percent. Still, Robert Nardo, the school's chief operating officer, said charter schools like his often hire teachers from nontraditional or out-of-state programs that don't immediately match up with the state's rules, or at least can require extensive paperwork and other demands. "We have teachers who have had three or four years teaching in New York City, and then come over here and don't meet New Jersey's requirements," he said. "When you find teachers in unconventional places, it can take longer for the state to recognize their qualifications." The full report with every district's and school's results may be found online at the state Department of Education's Web site: http://www.state.nj.us/education John Mooney covers education. He may be reached at jmooney@starledger.com or (973) 392-1548. © 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with permission.