Maine Department of Education - Informational Letter 31: 2005-2006 School Year Reporting Requirements and Procedures for No Child Left Behind, “Highly Qualified Teacher” and Paraprofessional Data

INFORMATIONAL LETTER: 31
POLICY CODE: CM/DDA

TO: Superintendents of Schools, Principals, and “HQT” Coordinators

FROM: Susan Gendron, Commissioner

DATE: October 3, 2006

RE: 2005-2006 School Year Reporting Requirements and Procedures for No Child Left Behind, “Highly Qualified Teacher” and Paraprofessional Data

It is time again for the Maine Department of Education to compile local “Highly Qualified Teacher” data. Last February, we successfully collected data for the 2004-2005 school year through the MEDMS system. Data for the 2005-2006 Title IIA “Highly Qualified Teacher” (HQT) Survey will again be web-enabled through the MEDMS database.

In order to facilitate the Department’s reporting to the U.S. Department of Education, I ask that this data be submitted for each school in your district via MEDMS, no later than October 30, 2006. The “HQT form” will be available on October 16, 2006.

Directions for completing the “Highly Qualified Teacher” data survey are included as an attachment to this letter and are available on line at http://www.maine.gov/education/hqtp/forms.htm
Once each school’s data is collected, the data will need to be entered by an authorized central office official through your district’s MEDMS account for each of your district’s schools. The survey form can be accessed in MEDMS at the superintendent level, in the drop down field under “FORMS.” Select the action “HQT form”. NOTE: this survey is for the 2005-06 school year data only.

It is important that this data be entered into MEDMS and submitted by October 30, 2006, so that we may prepare the State’s data to be sent to Washington. Please direct any questions regarding The No Child Left Behind Act, “Highly Qualified Teacher” reporting and other related matters to Daniel J. Conley, 624-6639, dan.conley@maine.gov, Crystal D. Polk, 624-6881, crystal.polk@maine.gov, or the MEDMS Help Desk 624-6896.

PLEASE NOTE: With the reauthorization of IDEA 2004, and changes in U.S. Department of Education regulations, some changes in reporting must be addressed. Please carefully review the new August 2006 NCLB Federal Non-Regulatory Guidance at http://www.maine.gov/education/hqtp/USDOEguidance.pdf
It is written in “question and answer” format by category, and should help to answer many common questions.

SAG/DC