Vallejo Education Association

.	Welcome to VEA- Vallejo Education Association

VEA is a member of:

HOUSSE: BEGINNING STEPS

In accordance with the Federal legislation known as "No Child Left Behind" (a part of the revamping of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act or ESEA) teachers must certify that they are "highly qualified" to teach by June, 2006. Last spring VEA provided a workshop for our teachers to help them better understand what "highly qualified" means. We will be continuing these informational workshops (in conjunctions with the district) throughout the school year. We will also continue to keep you informed with additional newsletter articles.

For starters, the following is the simplest way to "certify" that you are "highly qualified." Not everyone will fit into this particular certification however, there are other ways and factors that will help you reach certification. (So, don't despair if you do not fit into this particular category.)

This certification is based on 100 points. You can obtain these 100 points if:
" You have taught, full-time, in the last five years, in your subject area with a current credential (50 points)
" You have either passed a major teachers' exam (NTE, MSAT, CSET) or you have completed specific coursework and experience in your subject area (50 points)

If you believe that you may fit into this category of certification you should:

Check you home files for pertinent documents (credential, test results, transcripts, etc.)

Make an appointment with Human Resources to review your personnel file (there may be documents that you need in your files-like transcripts). You must fill out a form and make an appointment with Human Resources to review your file. (Test scores probably will not be in your personnel file)

The job of certifying teachers as "qualified" is the responsibility of the District. Ms. Rose Peppin, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, has asked that VEA work with the District to provide information about NCLB certification.

For now do the above (check files and review your personnel file) as soon as possible. You may need the lead time to contact agencies for copies of documents which could take several months. Remember, we all have to "prove" that we are "highly qualified" by June 30, 2006. Teachers all over the country will be trying to do this at the same time which might result in more delays for necessary documents.

Get a jump on it now!