Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, public schools are required to employ highly qualified classroom teachers if they want to continue receiving federal grants.
The local Public School System has up until July 31, 2010 to comply with this mandate.
The CNMI Board of Education had set three requirements for PSS teachers to meet this qualification — they have to pass the Praxis tests, get a valid teaching certificate, and become a degree holder.
A teacher’s compensation is based on how he or she complies with these requirements.
Only 68 percent of the school system’s over 500 teachers are Praxis compliant, and the Association of Commonwealth Teachers now wants PSS and BOE to reconsider the highly qualified teacher, or HQT, requirements.
According to Sablan, however, “We have to meet the standards set by the board because we expect high student performance. My plan is to work with our principals and teachers regarding HQT.”
There were many teachers whose salaries were cut after they failed to pass the Praxis tests or get the needed certification.
A classroom teacher gets a starting salary of $27,000 which could go up to $47,000, depending on his or her qualifications and requirements.
“I would like to help those teachers who have yet to meet HQT requirements so that they can continue working with us in providing the highest quality education to our children,” Sablan said.
She said the HQT requirements can only be changed through the board’s action.
Some teachers claim they were “misinformed” about the HQT requirement.
Sablan noted, however, that the requirement has been discussed for the past five years, and “it’s surprising to learn that many of the teachers are still not fully aware of this requirement.”
She added, “If there was any gap in the communication about the requirements then we would like to work and help [the teachers].”
This school year, there were some 130 non-highly qualified teachers who were given a one-year teaching contract by PSS which also required them to comply with the HQT requirements, especially the Praxis tests.
