Requirements for Qualified Teachers and Paraprofessionals in Schoolwide Title I Schools and Targeted Assistance Title I Schools

"The district must ensure that all teachers and paraprofessionals working in a program supported with funds under ESSA, Title I Part A, meet applicable State certification and licensure requirements, including any requirements for certification obtained through alternative routes to certification."

Q: What does this mean in terms of implementation?

A: In a schoolwide Title I school all teachers must be properly licensed for the grade and subject area in which the teacher has been assigned. In a targeted Title I program school only the Title I teacher(s) must meet this requirement for Title I, Part A.  In a schoolwide Title I school, “all teachers” include visual arts, physical education, media, reading, mathematics, English Language/Arts, communication, the sciences, social studies, history, etc. Essentially all core academic areas must have teachers who are properly licensed.  

Q: What does “proper licensure” include?

A: Proper licensure may include (Variance, Waiver, Community Expert, etc). The threshold is whatever is required for Minnesota to recognize a person as “properly licensed” meets this requirement.

Long call substitutes must also have the required license for the grade and subject area in which the substitute teacher is assigned. If the substitute does not, then that teacher would not meet the requirement above. Short call substitutes would not have to meet this requirement as they may not teach for more than 15 consecutive days.

Q: What happens if a teacher does not meet the licensure requirements after 20 consecutive days (4 weeks)?

A: Parents must be provided with timely notice that the student has been assigned, or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who does not meet applicable State Certification or license requirements at the grade level and subject area in which the teacher has been assigned.

Because the law has changed from the HQ requirement to state licensing, permissions for those teachers who may not be properly licensed in a subject or grade they are assigned can be obtained prior to 4 weeks in the classroom,  therefore there  should be very few if any instances when a letter must be sent to parents.

Q: What must I do as an administrator to ensure that we do not have to send this notice home to parents?

• Ensure that every teacher meets the Minnesota Licensure requirements.
  • All teachers are properly licensed for the subject area and grade level you have assigned them. Example: Do not assign a middle school teacher with a license for English Language Arts as a middle school reading teacher if the teacher doesn’t have a “Reading” license.
  • If you assign a teacher to a course for which the teacher needs special permission to do so, work with your HR staffing specialist to ensure that the permissions are requested in a timely manner to avoid having that teacher in a position for 4 or more consecutive weeks before getting proper permission from the Minnesota Department of Education.  https://mn.gov/pelsb/