News Releases for February 2005
February 02, 2005
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Hoeven Announces Resolution Of Highly Qualified Teacher Issue Under NCLB
BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has responded to requests from his office that veteran elementary and middle school teachers who satisfy the state's certification requirements will be recognized as “highly qualified” under the provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. The decision is the culmination of months of effort by Hoeven and his staff working with DOE officials, the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board and North Dakota educators.
In a conversation with Hoeven's Chief of Staff William Goetz, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education Raymond Simon confirmed that all veteran elementary teachers will be recognized as highly qualified providing they meet the following requirement: they have a bachelor's degree in elementary education, as per HOUSSE requirements, from a degree granting institution in the North Dakota University System or a private college or university certified by the Education Standards and Practices Board.
“North Dakota teachers are among the best in the world, which is clearly evidenced by the success of our students at every level of education,” Hoeven said. “We are obviously pleased that Secretary Simon and DOE officials have recognized the hard work our staff and board have done to demonstrate that fact in an objective and verifiable way, and we thank them for working closely with us to resolve this issue favorably for our teachers.”
Janet Welk, executive director of the North Dakota Education Standards and Practices Board, said, “I want to thank Gov. Hoeven and Bill Goetz for their tremendous efforts in moving this forward and getting it done. If it weren't for their dedication and commitment to North Dakota teachers, I don't believe it could have happened.”
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