The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) places a major emphasis on highly qualified teachers. This federal law establishes requirements for determining if a teacher meets the criteria for being reported as "highly qualified" under NCLB.

It is important to note that current Florida Statutes and State Board of Education Rules relating to the classification of teachers reported for Florida purposes as "in-field," "qualified," or "out-of-field" are not the same as the federal highly qualified designation requirements. Thus, a teacher may be considered "in-field" pursuant to the requirements of the Course Code Directory, but will not be classified as a highly qualified teacher in the NCLB reporting.

All K-12 exceptional student education (ESE) teachers teaching core academic subjects must meet the highly qualified teacher (HQT) requirements for the appropriate core academic subject areas. Additionally, an endorsement is required for an ESE teacher providing instruction in orientation and mobility to visually impaired students (see the Florida Course Code Directory for specific course numbers). Beginning July 1, 2011, endorsements will also be required for teachers teaching prekindergarten disabilities (see the Florida Course Code Directory for specific course numbers) and for ESE teachers with 100% of students on their caseload or in their class identified as having autism spectrum disorder.

For specific questions about highly qualified requirements or certification as it relates to current teaching assignments, contact your personnel department at your local school district office. District contact information is available at http://www.fldoe.org/eias/flmove/eias.asp.