A California activist group has sued the state commission on teacher credentialing, contending it is misleading the public by enabling teachers with emergency credentials to serve as 鈥渉ighly qualified鈥� educators under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
The lawsuit focuses on the commission鈥檚 creation of the 鈥渋ndividualized internship certificate鈥� three years ago. The policy allows teachers with emergency credentials who have demonstrated subject-matter competence鈥攂ut not yet completed all their pedagogical coursework鈥攖o teach and be considered highly qualified under the federal law.
Mary C. Armstrong, the general counsel for the credentialing commission, said the state board of education approved the certificate as a way to recognize a subgroup of emergency-certified educators who had reached a certain level of skill and were working toward full credentials.
The suit, filed in superior court in San Francisco by the group Californians for Justice on Aug. 2, says the commission has issued more than 2,800 such certificates. Ms. Armstrong said the latest figures she has show that 2,600 had been issued by June 2004.
鈥楻eally Misleading鈥�
Michelle Rodriguez, a lawyer from San Francisco-based Public Advocates Inc., which is representing the plaintiffs, said the teachers working with the new certificate fall short of the federal law鈥檚 requirements because they are not in a rigorous credentialing program with classroom supervision. 鈥淚t really is misleading to call these people 鈥榟ighly qualified鈥� teachers,鈥� she said.
Ms. Armstrong said the aspiring teachers do receive supervision in the classroom. 鈥淲e stand behind the certificate,鈥� she said.
The lawsuit is the latest development in an ongoing controversy in California over the definition of 鈥渉ighly qualified鈥� teachers. In 2002, the state proposed a definition of 鈥渉ighly qualified鈥� that included emergency-certified teachers, sparking opposition from activists and some lawmakers, and, ultimately, rejection by the U.S. Department of Education. Tougher rules adopted in 2003 prohibit application of the label to educators with only emergency credentials.
