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In January of 2002, President Bush signed the new “No Child Left Behind” version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The provisions of this new legislation prompted significant changes in the qualifications needed to gain employment as a teacher in the District of Columbia Public Schools. Listed below is an explanation of those requirements.

Because DCPS accepts Title I funds, it must ensure that new teachers hired after the start of the 2002-03 school year are “highly qualified” as defined by the No Child Left Behind legislation.
This means:

• For all public school teachers: Public elementary and secondary teachers must be fully certified or licensed by the state and must not have had any certification or licensure requirements waived on an emergency basis.


• New public school teachers have the following additional requirements:
  • New public school teachers in elementary schools also must:
    • Hold at least a bachelors degree and
    • Pass a state test demonstrating subject knowledge and teaching skills in reading, writing, mathematics and other areas of any basic elementary school curriculum
  
  
  • New public school teachers in middle or high schools also must:
    • Hold at least a bachelors degree and
    • Demonstrate competency in each of the academic subjects taught (by passing a test or by an academic major, graduate degree or advanced certification)

(Meaning of “Highly Qualified Teacher” ((Section 9101 (23))

As stated above, all new teachers in DCPS must be fully certified by the state. Requirements for state licensure can be obtained from the Office of Academic Credentialing and Accreditation at 202.442.5377. The Office of Academic Credentialing and Accreditation is located at 825 North Capitol Street, NE – 6th Floor, Washington, DC 20002.