COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

P.O. BOX 2120

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA 23218-2120

SUPTS. MEMO NO. 82

April 16, 2004

INFORMATIONAL

TO:	Division Superintendents
FROM:	Jo Lynne DeMary Superintendent of Public Instruction
SUBJECT:	Virginias High-Quality Professional Development Criteria

Virginias High-Quality Professional Development Criteria are now available at the Department of Education website on the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) implementation page located at http://www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/nclb/HQPDcriteria4-04.pdf.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Section 1119, requires all states and school divisions to ensure that all teachers of the core academic subjects are highly qualified by the end of the 2005-06 school year. Section 1119 also requires state and local plans to establish annual measurable objectives that include an annual increase in the percentage of teachers who receive high-quality professional development to enable such teachers to become highly qualified and successful classroom teachers. These criteria were developed to assist Virginia school divisions as they design and conduct professional development activities for teachers.

Teachers not new to the profession may meet the definition of highly qualified by completing requirements of the High Objective Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE) approved by the Virginia Board of Education on February 25, 2004. One pathway for becoming highly qualified through Virginias HOUSSE is by completing an institute in the content areas of mathematics, science, language arts/reading/English, and social studies (history, government, geography, and economics) that meets the High-Quality Professional Development Criteria established by the Department of Education.

It is important to remember that professional development activities that are supported with federal NCLB funds must meet the High-Quality Professional Development Criteria established by the department. The department strongly encourages school divisions to apply these same criteria to all professional development activities.

If you have questions about satisfying the HOUSSE requirement, please contact Dr. Thomas A. Elliott (telliott@mail.vak12ed.edu), assistant superintendent, Division of Teacher Education and Licensure, at (804) 371-2522. If you have questions about the application of the criteria to specific professional development activities funded by Title I or Title II, please contact Dr. Linda M. Wallinger (lwalling@mail.vak12ed.edu), director, Office of Program Administration and Accountability, at (804) 225-2869.

JLD/yba