NCLB; highly qualified certification weirdness

[orangecat]

So I'm a teacher who used to teach ESL four to five years ago. I have an ESL all-level certificate and a Elementary Self-contained.

I notice ESL job postings that I'm interested in at the middle school level. So I apply and don't get even close to the interview. I finally call TEA, find out that ESL is a 'supplementary', even though the posting at the middle school level is "ESL". Have to have a core subject certification to go with the ESL to get hired in any district. (NCLB highly qualified rule). My only complaint is that I would have never found out from a district. I only found out because I was researching the self-contained certificate; which btw, for federal NCLB my 1-8 certificate is converted to a Early Childhood to 6.

I'm taking care of business of course, I've got a prep manual for the 4-8 generalist, gonna take that test.

Now the other thing is that some people are predicting the NCLB will require all middle schools to have teachers who have 24 hours in the specific academic field, which is already required if you don't have a certification in that area.
(12 of the 24 have to be upper division)

 

[Dogbert]

My head hurts.

 

[Smurfette]

It all depends on the job though. Used to be that the Sped Generalist would allow you to teach any subject, but now you have to have the reg ed cert and the sped cert. But, you don't have to pass the test if you meet the qualifications through years expirienced, college class hours, etc.

BTW-- Getting a teaching job is participularly hard right now. Most districts are so strapped for cash that they're only looking at new grads cause they can pay them less.

 

[orangecat]

I understand, you're talking about the House rules. The TEA lady told me they're phasing out House as well.

 

[orangecat]

I also talked to the man in charge at TEA the other day, and now I've got a pretty good handle on it. Special Ed, the district can say the teacher with the Special Ed certificate is "co-teaching" with a regular ed teacher in HS or MS.

That way the special ed teacherd doesn't have to have the 8-12 specific subject matter.

 

[jmrob93]

I have both a SS 8-12 and a Gen 4-8-- the 24 hrs is not a big issue for the Gen 4-8, once you have passed one test you can take any other you want ( with only minor exceptions). I just took and Passed the all lever SPED-- endorsement in the mail.

Your mistake was that they equated the self-caontined to a
gen K-4 with an ESL supplemental--my wife was in the same boat, but then took the all level ESL supplement to match her Englis-5-8

 

[orangecat]

jmrob, I'm a little confused about what you are saying. I have not made a mistake, I talked to the TEA NCLB people, they are very careful about what they say. The Elementary Self-Contained 1-8 has been converted for NCLB purposes to an EC-6.

My ESL is already all-level, I just can't teach ESL students in grades 7-12 because I don't have a "core content area" to go with it. That's why I'm taking the 4-8 Generalist test.

Iow, these district human resources people have no clue about what they are doing. An ESL job should be posted as
"ESL Language Arts" or "ESL Social Studies", etc.


It can't be just "ESL", has to have a content area to go with it. At least that's what TEA NCLB says.

 

[orangecat]

Smurfette, got a question for you, regarding the cash. I'm on my wife's health insurance, so I always decline all coverages from my district.

As a nine year teaching vet., I know I'm on the wrong side of the $ equation for most thinkers. But, if I can somehow get them to see that I'm actually cheaper than a first year teacher, because I don't take any insurance, then I think I would be a great find.

On the math, for example, the district I want to work in pays between $266 and $356 per month for employee coverage.
nine year salary is 48000, beginning teach salary is 44900.

Now I can do the math, but the question is how can I get into an interview and actually convince an administrator that the math is real?? Or if they care?

I talked to a serious veteran teacher and she thought that the school administration would not care, but that the district would care about saving the $$

What do you think? I never considered $3100 to be so important, but it might be.