What is the difference b/w certified and highly qualified?

Question

I'm considering entering a 5th year alternative program, but I'm not sure what the difference in the two is.

Answer 1

The federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act implemented in 2002 includes a requirement to meet the definition of highly qualified teacher (HQT) to teach core academic subjects in grades K-12. The Washington State HQT procedures at that time considered teachers with an Elementary Education endorsement to be highly qualified to teach grades K-8, and teachers with Special Education and English as a Second Language endorsements to be highly qualified to teach students eligible for participation in these special programs.

Washington State has since revised its procedures for meeting the federal HQT definition based on guidance from the U.S. Department of Education. Revised procedures were implemented in March, 2006, effective with the 2005-2006 school year. School districts are accountable for hiring new teachers who meet the revised federal definition of HQT - 45 credits in the subject area or a passing score on the WEST-E/Praxis II test for the subject area - and for determining HQT status of veteran teachers through a Highly Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation.

This varies State to State. Check your State requirements and definitions to better answer your question. This is just for my State.

Good luck

Answer 2

I also have read all the answers and think that there is something missing. When I started teaching I was not yet certified because I was not licensed to teach. I am now licensed (certified), but am teaching math and my certification and degree were in science so I am not considered highly qualified. Next year I will be able to teach science which makes me highly qualified.

Answer 3

One may be certified yet not qualified. - The person may have gone to a fly-by-night school to "buy" his certification or that it's been quite some time since he last practiced so rust has settled in.

Often, even if one went to a legit training center to get certified, he still wouldn't be qualified enough unless he got some experience in the field.

One may be highly qualified yet not certified - Because of experience or the use of effective teaching methods, even without certification, one may be highly qualified to teach.

But even if one may be highly qualified, he may be bypassed in a promotion because he isn't certified. Which is why many take post grad or specialty courses.

The best is being highly qualified AND certified. This way, you can be an effective teacher and be promoted faster than someone who isn't.

Answer 4

You know, I've been wondering that same thing. I've been teaching special education for 25 years with a BS degree and was told last year that I was not considered "highly qualified" because I did not have a master's degree. Then THIS year, because apparently I have so much experience all of a sudden I'm determined "Highly qualified". I thnk with the NCLB act, school districts are scrambling. My field is difficult to place "highly qualified" teachers (which nobody really knows what that means) so all of a sudden, I'm OK.......Jeeze

Answer 5

There is the dictionary definition that many posters allude to.
But in education, those terms relate to NCLB. Currently, it just sets standards for certification, so in many ways now they are one and the same.

Most teachers that have been certified in the past few years are also considered "hightly qualified" b/c states have changed their certification requirements to match those of NCLB.

There are however a lot teachers teaching that were certified before NCLB and may NOT meet the criteria for HQ. The dept. of ed. has made some arrangements for them.

http://www.ed.gov/nclb/methods/teachers/hqtflexibility.html

also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Child_Left_Behind has good info.

Answer 6

Highly qualified may mean that you are teaching in your area of certification (ex, have a English endorsement on your cert and are teaching 7th grade English as opposed to an Elementary cert). Or it can mean that you have more than so many years of experience or that you have an advanced degree.

Answer 7

Certified means that you have some type of official paper work that says you can do the job. (University, college, trade school, institute)

Highly qualified means that you have taken many courses or have experience that would enable you to do a job, but haven't actually completed an official course of study.

Answer 8

CERTIFIED IS A DECLARATION OF A FORMAL RESULT AND HIGHLY QUALIFIED GOOD IN UR FIELD ,SO THE DIFFERENCE IS THIS THAT BEFORE U RE HIGHLY QUALIFIED FOR A POSITION U MOST BE CERTIFIED BY A BODY FIRST!

Answer 9

Certified - You meet all requirements to do the job.

Highly qualified - You meet all requirements to do the job, however beyond the basic ability with expert knowledge and skill. You would be recommended above any certified applicants.

Answer 10

I read over the answers. All of these people mean well, but none of them are right. They are trying to define these terms in a broad sense, but as they relate to special ed. they mean this: Certified means you are certified to teach a specific area or subject. ie: math, L.D., E.d., English, etc...

Highly qualified means you are certified to teach all subjects to L.D. students.