• Teachers in rural school districts who are "highly qualified" in at least one subject will have three years to become "highly qualified" in the additional subjects they teach.  They must also be provided professional development, intense supervision, or structured mentoring to become competent in those other areas. 
  
  Approximately 5,000, or one-third of all school districts in the U.S., are considered rural, and, frequently, teachers in these areas are required to teach more than one subject.  Existing teachers will have until the end of the 2006-07 school year; new teachers will have three years from their hiring date.
  
• Based on their current certification requirements, states may permit science teachers to demonstrate that they are "highly qualified" either in "broad field" science or individual fields of science (biology, chemistry, physics). 
  
• States may streamline their High, Objective, Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE) by developing a single process for current, multi-subject teachers to demonstrate that they are "highly qualified" in each of their subjects.  HOUSSE recognizes, among other things, experience, expertise, and professional training garnered over time.  

The Arts and NCLB

A new publication by the Arts Education Partnership, titled "No Subject Left Behind," serves as a guide for arts education leaders seeking to learn more about No Child Left Behind and the multiple opportunities for arts education.  It offers an overview of the legislation, with specific references to the arts; a description of individual programs, with arts-specific examples that have received funding; and links to web sites for additional facts. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE GO TO http://www.aep-arts.org/PDF%20Files/NoSubjectLeftBehind.pdf.