TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The University of Alabama is offering assistance for area teachers to help them meet the requirements to become Highly Qualified teachers, a designation mandated by the No Child Left Behind Act.

The Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA), known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, requires a Highly Qualified (HQ) instructor in every public classroom by the end of 2005-06. This law calls for teachers to be highly qualified in their subject areas (by meeting course content requirements in their academic degrees) and be certified.

Teachers newly hired this school year to work in programs supported by federal Title I funds must meet the definition immediately, while all other existing public school teachers have until the end of the 2005-06 school year to comply. While all elementary and special education teachers are affected by the mandates, the core areas in secondary education, including English, reading, language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history and geography must also comply.

To assist teachers who may need additional classes, UA courses are offered in a variety of formats including correspondence, online and at the Gadsden Center. The UA Web site http://hqteacher.ua.edu features course listings, locations and contacts for assistance.

Dr. Kathy Shaver Wetzel, assistant dean and certification officer in the UA College of Education said, “We have probably evaluated 200-300 transcripts to help our graduates and others determine if they meet these new requirements. Of course, we are offering courses that some teachers may need to meet the mandates. There really has been a statewide effort on behalf of many people to assist teachers.”

For additional information on requirements and frequently asked questions, also visit the Alabama State Department Web site http://www.alsde.edu/html/HighlyQualified.asp.