Volume III, Issue 2, January 9, 2007
Special Charter Leader News
SUPPORTING TEACHER EXCELLENCE
Charter schools (and all public schools) are held accountable for meeting "highly qualified" (HQ)
requirements as part of the No Child Left Behind law, as well as certification guidelines of the New York State Charter School
law. Since certification is an important HQ criteria, the Charter Center wants to assist schools in developing highly
competent teachers.
Workshops sponsored by the Charter Center and consultants provide teachers with individual education plans
leading to certification. This includes information about applicable NYS teacher certification examinations which support the NCLB
criteria to demonstrate subject matter competency.
Based on the success of teacher certification workshops in 2006, and the ongoing need for uncertified teachers to
have a plan of action towards achieving certification and HQ status, the Charter Center will host a teacher certification workshop
on Saturday, January 20 (see details below).
According to data reported in a recent New York State Board of Regents news release,
there was an increase in the number of core classes taught by highly qualified teachers in the state. Although there was a marked
improvement overall in NYC public schools, the number of highly qualified teachers of core subjects in public charter schools was lower than
projected.
The Charter Center's certification consultant, Caryl Cohen, is actively working with 41 of the city's 58
public charter schools on certification and HQ compliance issues. She is available to assist your school. Please contact her and share the
information below with your uncertified teachers and teaching assistants.
WHAT: Teacher Certification Workshop
WHEN: Saturday, January 20, 2007
WHERE: NYC Center for Charter School Excellence, 111 Broadway, New York, NY, 10006 (Suite 604), between Pine and Thames
streets.
CONTACT: Caryl Cohen at ccohen@nycchartercenter.org
Current and
prospective uncertified teachers and teacher assistants (as well as teachers from out-of-state who need assistance with the New York State
certification process) are encouraged to register for this workshop. Each participant will be assigned a half-hour time slot between 9 am and 3
pm to meet individually with a certification specialist who will recommend a personalized education plan leading
to certification.
A hard copy
of this plan will be given to the participant and an additional copy will be mailed to the school leader for appropriate follow-up to ensure
compliance with state and federal laws.
Please
share this announcement with current and prospective hires and advise them that they need to register in advance by emailing Caryl Cohen at ccohen@nycchartercenter.org no later than Wednesday, January 17,
2007.
All workshop
participants must bring student copies of complete undergraduate and graduate transcripts (if applicable) and any other related
documents, such as test scores, copy of out-of-state certificate, completion of Child Abuse Identification and Violence Prevention workshops
and previous SED evaluations.
Please
note that all participants must show a photo ID to gain building access. Be advised that it is possible that those teachers who respond after the January 17
deadline may not be able to be accommodated at this session.
MISSION:
The mission of the New York City Center for Charter School Excellence is to stimulate the
supply of high quality charter schools and support ongoing student excellence of public education in all NYC charter schools, impacting the
effectiveness of public education. As an independent nonprofit, the Charter Center is an advocate, bridge and catalyst for the achievement of
academic and operational success and sustainability of all NYC charter schools for each young person.
