News release from the Ohio Department of Education

[Guest guest]

News release from the Ohio Department of Education

Media May Contact:

Marilyn Braatz (614) 728-2765

J.C. Benton (614) 728-2765

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, January 06, 2004

TeacherCredentials Postedon New ODE Web Page

Columbus ? To help parents become more knowledgeable aboutthe education of their children, the Ohio Department ofEducation (ODE) now provides an interactive window to professionalcredentials held by Ohio K-12 classroom teachers. The new Web page, entitledEducator Information, can be accessed through a hot topics linkonthe ODE home page ( www.ode.state.oh.us ) and also is listed asaresource on ODE's Web site for families.

Ohio is one of at least 10 states that provide public accessto teacher certification information. ODE developed the new ODEWeb page in response to the federalNo Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.

An important aspectof the NCLB 'highly qualified teacher' definition

is the alignment of state credentials with teachingassignments, said

Marilyn

Troyer, associate superintendent for ODE's Center for theTeaching Profession. Parentshave the right to know if their child's teacher has the proper credentials and federal guidelines requirethat schools provide this information upon request.

Parents seeking this information may contact the schooldirectly or initiate a search themselves on the new ODE Web page byusing the first or last name of the teacher and/or the school districtname. The program will show the grade level and content area of thecredentials held by the teacher, as well as the last reported employingschool district and teaching assignment.

We are confidentthat this information will provide parents with a high level of assurance concerning the qualifications oftheir child's

teacher,

Troyer said.

This past fall, ODE reported to the U.S. Department ofEducation that more than 82 percent of Ohio teachers met the NCLBdefinition of a highly qualifiedteacher in the 2002-2003 school year. ODEexpects the 2003-2004 report to show that more than 90 percent ofOhio teachers meet the definition. Federal legislation requiresthat 100 percent of active teachers meet the highly qualified teacher

definition by 2006.

ODE's Office of Certification and Licensure provides thecredential information listed on the new Web page. Employmentinformation is gathered from the most recently approved report of ODE'sEducation Management Information System (EMIS).