“New Jersey has set its own very high standards for teachers over the past 20 years, so the results of the survey are not surprising,” said Commissioner of Education William L. Librera. “However, it’s important for parents and the public to understand that the NCLB definition of a highly qualified teacher is based solely on the attainment of specific credentials as a demonstration of subject content expertise. It has little to do with the quality of a teacher’s performance in the classroom,” the commissioner added.

Under NCLB, teachers have until the end of the 2005-06 school year to satisfy the requirements of the highly qualified teacher definition, although there are no consequences in terms of job loss if teachers fail to meet the deadline. All newly-hired teachers in schools receiving Title I funding must satisfy the definition when they are hired.

To help districts set benchmarks for meeting the 100 percent goal, Department officials will provide technical assistance during the coming year to those areas in which less than 90 percent of the teachers have met the definition. In all, 58 school districts and 22 charter schools will receive that assistance.