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How the Teacher Qualification Index is Calculated

A TQI Rating is calculated for each school and is based on two factors:

        a) the percentage of underqualified teachers (i.e., pre-interns or those who are working with emergency permits or waivers)
        b) the percentage of beginning teachers 

If the Percentage of Underqualified Teachers
at the School is:		 The Base TQI
Rating is:
0% 10
Greater than  0% and Less than 5% 9
Greater than  or equal to 5% and Less than 9% 8
Greater than  or equal to 9% and Less than 13% 7
Greater than  or equal to 13% and Less than 17% 6
Greater than  or equal to 17% and Less than 21% 5
Greater than  or equal to 21% and Less than 25% 4
Greater than  or equal to 25% and Less than 29% 3
Greater than  or equal to 29% and Less than 33% 2
Greater than  or equal to 33% 1

Adjustment for High Percentages of Beginning Teachers
An adjustment to the TQI is made for schools with exceptionally high percentages of fully-credentialed beginning teachers (i.e., those in their first and second year of service). 

Subtract 1 from the Base TQI Rating if the percentage of beginning teachers is greater than or equal to 20% and less than 25%.
Subtract 2 from the Base TQI Rating if the percentage of beginning teachers is greater than or equal to 25% and less than 30%.
Subtract 3 from the Base TQI Rating if the percentage of beginning teachers is greater than or equal to 30%.
 

NOTE: The TQI is "criterion referenced," unlike the API, which is "norm referenced." This means that a TQI rating is based on a set of criteria (i.e., the percentage of underqualified and beginning teachers at the school) and not on how one school's numbers compare with another's.  It is possible, then, for all schools to have a TQI of 10 if the percentage of underqualified teachers in all schools was sufficiently low.  In California, nearly half of the schools have TQI ratings of 9 or 10.  It is, of course, the other half of the state's schools (and especially those with very low TQI ratings) that we should be most concerned about with respect to the qualifications of their teachers.  With the norm-referenced API, there will always be the same number of schools with 10's, 9's, 8's, etc. regardless of how well or poorly schools perform on the achievement tests on which the API is based.

Click here to read about the the problems associated with too many beginning teachers.