The Path to Being a
'Highly Qualified' Teacher --
According to the 'No Child Left Behind' Law

Whether or not a teacher is "highly qualified" as  defined by the so-called "No Child Left Behind" federal education law is not an easy question to answer. It depends on a variety of factors. The flow chart shown below illustrates the complexity of the process. Our online quiz makes it a little easier by taking it one step at a time.

In addition to the federal rules shown here, each state has further clarified the meaning of several of these requirements, particularly the High Objective State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE). Therefore, it's important to also check with the appropriate NEA state affiliate to get the latest information on state requirements.

There are separate "highly qualified" requirements for paraprofessionals working in Title I schools. NEA has developed  interactive online refresher tests  for paraprofessionals.

NEA supports the goals of the law, but we're working to put in place common sense changes that recognize the diversity of the teaching profession and that shift the law's punitive focus from measuring schools just on test scores to broader measures of student's success. We hope you'll  join us in our efforts to improve NCLB. In the meantime, as the law stands now, this quiz will help teachers determine if they're legally "highly qualified" and, if not, what they need to do to meet the federal requirements.

Download this chart as a PDF document here (PDF, 66 KB, 1 page).