DRCNH Home > Issue Areas > Special Education > highly qualified teachers

Find out if your child’s teacher is highly qualified

Under federal law, in public schools, teachers are required to be “highly qualified special education teachers”, and paraprofessionals must work under a teacher’s supervision and a plan designed by the teacher. The rules describing who is a highly qualified teacher are lengthy but generally require at least a bachelor’s degree and full certification in good standing, or active pursuit of an alternative route to certification with intensive supervision and high quality professional development. If you ask, the school must provide you with information regarding the teacher’s qualifications. The school has an obligation to tell you if your child is being taught for four or more weeks in a row by a teacher who is not highly qualified.

More about highly qualified teachers can be found here:

US Department of Education website

Wrightslaw: What You Need to Know About IDEA 2004: Highly Qualified Special Education Teachers

NH Department of Education: Highly Qualified Teacher requirements

Home | About the DRC | Issue Areas | If You Need Legal Assistance | Information About Your Rights | Legislative/Rulemaking Action Center | Get Involved! | News | Donate to the DRC | En Espanol | Links | Contact Web Administrator