Out of Field Teachers in High Schools and Middle Schools
(updated 11/5/03)

Good teachers possess knowledge not only about how to teach but about the subjects they teach.  In order to obtain a teaching credential in California, one must demonstrate competence in both areas.  Prior to the Federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, teaching candidates for a secondary credential could demonstrate subject matter knowledge in one of two ways: they could complete an undergraduate major or minor or pass a subject matter competency exam in the subject in which they would be authorized to teach. 

In 2005-06, NCLB will require all schools receiving federal assistance to employ only those teachers who are "highly qualified."  In order to be considered "highly qualified," high school teachers who teach core academic classes (i.e., English, mathematics, science, foreign languages, social studies, and the arts) have several options: They may pass a state-approved subject matter examination or complete one of these coursework options: A) a state-approved subject matter program, or B) a major, or C) a major equivalent, or D) possess a graduate degree in the core area.

According to the state's estimate (as reported in EdWeek's Quality Counts 2003), only 25% in 2002-03 have complied. Until now, many secondary teachers have been authorized to teach by virtue of provisions in the state education code that allow districts to rely on the observations and judgments of site principals.  This means that even without completing a major or passing a subject matter test in the field, a high school teacher in California could have, until now, been assigned to teach a course if the site principal says he or she is capable of doing so and the local board of trustees is willing to approve the assignment.  With NCLB, however, these board-approved assignments will no longer be permitted.

To comply with No Child Left Behind, California must begin collecting accurate data on secondary teacher assignments. When these data become available, the formulas used to compute TQI ratings for high schools and middle schools will be revised accordingly.

Related information

The National Center for Educational Statistics provides historical data on out-of-field teachers nationwide.

Keller, Bess. "States Claim Teachers are Qualified," EdWeek, October 9, 2003.

Keller, Bess. "Snapshot of 'Highly Qualified' Teachers Is Fuzzy," EdWeek, September 10, 2003.

Galley, Michelle.  "Many Teachers Missing 'Highly Qualified' Mark," EdWeek, August 6, 2003.

Ingersoll, Richard.  "The Problem of Out-of-Field Teaching," Phi Delta Kappan, 78, No. 10 (June 1998): 773-776.

Darling-Hammond, Linda. (2002, September 6). Research and rhetoric on teacher certification: A response to "Teacher Certification Reconsidered," Education Policy Analysis Archives, 10(36). http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v10n36.html.