Almost every teacher in public schools in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and southern Ocean counties has met the federal requirement to be "highly qualified" under the No Child Left Behind Act.
The state Department of Education announced Wednesday that 99.7 percent of all teachers statewide had met the criteria for the 2008-2009 school year. Just 263 teachers of 87,972 surveyed were not considered "highly qualified." Local district data was released today.
Highly qualified teachers must have a degree or at least 30 credits in each content area they teach, and have passed the Praxis II content exam in that area. Elementary school teachers must pass the Praxis for Elementary Content Knowledge.
Local district data shows a majority of area schools are at 100 percent. Just a handful of local schools fell below the state average. Most often the gap was in the area of special education or world languages and applied to just one teacher.
Locally the following schools fell below the state average.
- Hammonton High School: 98.4 percent
- South Main Street School in Pleasantville: 95 percent
- Millville Memorial High School: 98 percent
- Vineland Rossi School: 97.6 percent
- Vineland Sabater School: 97.3 percent
- Stow Creek Township School: 92.3 percent.
- Maurice River Township School: 97 percent
- Lawrence Township, Powell School: 97 percent
Look for more coverage in Friday's Press of Atlantic City.
