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2005 SESSION

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SB 964 Substitute teachers; definition.

Introduced by: Jay O'Brien | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Substitute teachers.  Defines a long-term substitute as a teacher who is employed in the same position for more than 20 days.

Current Board of Education regulations provide that substitutes teachers "[b]e a minimum of 18 years of age (21 years of age preferred); [p]ossess good moral character; [h]ave earned a high school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED); and attend an orientation to school policies and procedures conducted by the local school division"(8 VAC 20-640-10).

Currently, Virginia school divisions typically define "long-term substitute" in employment policy.

The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act directs states to ensure that, by the end of 2005-06, teachers in the core academic areas are "highly qualified." Ensuring accountability for highly qualified instructional personnel is a required annual "report card" from each state, detailing teacher qualifications and the percentage of classes not served by "highly qualified" teachers.

Pursuant to Title I, Part A, of the Act, schools must give each parent timely notice when their child has been assigned, or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks, by a teacher who is not highly qualified (Section 1111(h)(6)(B)(ii)).

According to the U.S. Department of Education (No Child Left Behind:  A Toolkit for Teachers (updated 2004)), while "short-term substitute teachers do not need to meet the highly qualified teacher requirements under No Child Left Behind, it is strongly recommended that a long-term substitute teacher meet the requirements for a highly qualified teacher as defined in the law. In addition, as states and districts establish a definition for 'long-term substitute,' they should bear in mind that the law requires parent notification if a student has received instruction for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not highly qualified."


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