Title: CLS2 Florida High,Objective,Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE) plan.

Recommendation:
I recommend that the School Board approve and authorize the use of the Florida High, Objective, Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE) plan as recommended by the Florida Department of Education.

Description:

The Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) has given school districts the option of using another method to determine a teacher to be "highly qualified".  This option provides flexibility to be extended to teachers who face challenges in being assigned to teach multiple subjects.  HOUSSE (High, Objective, Uniform State Standard of Evaluation) is a method, other than certification or subject testing, by which experienced teachers can document content competency and knowledge in a core academic subject(s).  A HOUSSE plan uses multiple components that in total document competency in the subject content to meet requirements for the NCLB highly qualified designation.

The HOUSSE plan for teachers in Palm Beach County was developed through collaborative efforts of the NCLB Advisory Committee, comprised of representatives of Human Resources, NCLB/Federal Grants, Curriculum and Instruction, Information Technology, and ESE.

Implementation of this plan will facilitate the full compliance of the NCLB highly qualified teacher requirements by June 30, 2006.

Financial Impact:
There is no financial impact to the district.  However, failure to comply with the NCLB highly qualified teacher requirements could result in the loss of funds after July 1, 2006.

For Additional Information, contact:

Ann Killets (akillets@palmbeach.k12.fl.us)

E. Wayne Gent

Kay W. Scott 

Attachments (list):
FDOE update on Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements of No Child Left Behind.doc
NCLB Highly Qualified Requirements Bulletin.doc
Q&ACLS2.doc