Sterling Schools CUSD #5                                                                                                     5.190

 

Professional Personnel

 

Teacher Qualifications

 

A teacher, as the term is used in this policy, refers to a District employee who is required to be certified under State law.  The following qualifications apply:

 

      1.   Each teacher must:

            a.   Have a valid Illinois certificate that legally qualifies the teacher for the duties for which he or she is employed. 

b. Provide the District Office transcripts, of credits, earned in institutions of higher education and annually by July 1, provide the District Office with a transcript of any credits earned since the date the last transcript was filed.  

c.   Notify the Superintendent of any change in the teacher's transcript.

 

2.      All teachers with primary responsibility for instructing students in the core academic subject areas (science, the arts, reading or language arts, English, history, civics and government, economics, geography, foreign language, and mathematics) must be highly qualified for those assignments as determined by state and federal law.

 

The Superintendent or designee shall:

 

1.      Monitor compliance with state and federal law requirements that teachers be appropriately certified and highly qualified for their assignments.

 

2.      Through incentives for voluntary transfers, professional development, recruiting programs, or other effective strategies, ensure that minority students and students from low-income families are not taught at higher rates than other students by unqualified, out-of-field, or inexperienced teachers.

 

      3.   Ensure parents/guardians of students in schools receiving Title I funds are notified: (a) of their right to request their students' classroom teachers' professional qualifications, and (b) whenever their student is assigned to, or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by, a teacher who is not highly qualified.

 

LEGAL REF.:       20 U.S.C. §§ 6319.                                                                                                                                                      34 C.F.R. § 200.55, 56, 57, and 61.                                                                              

                             105 ILCS 5/10-20.15, 5/21-1, 5/21-10, 5/21-11.4, and 5/24-23.

                             23 Ill. Admin. Code Part 25.

           

CROSS REF.:    6.170

 

Adopted:   May 23, 1996

Revised:   October 23, 2002

Revised:   October 22, 2003

Revised:   June 23, 2004

Revised:  June 25, 2008