Content Area Competency

Teachers who teach core academic subjects must display content area competency for each subject area taught.

In the past, it has been somewhat common for teachers who were trained in one academic area, such as social studies, to teach other courses for which shortages of qualified teachers existed, such as middle grades math. One aspect of NCLB tries to end this practice. The legislation requires that teachers in core academic areas have the knowledge and skill to teach the specific academic subject area(s) to which they are assigned. Teachers must now prove they are "competent," or capable of instructing, each academic subject they are assigned to teach. The law provides states with the flexibility to determine how they will define and measure content area competency, so the options for displaying competency may vary from state to state, but the legislation does provide the following general guidelines for new teachers.

New Elementary School Teachers

Elementary school teachers who are new to the profession must demonstrate competency by passing a rigorous state test on subject knowledge and teaching skills in reading/language arts, writing, mathematics, and other areas of the basic elementary school curriculum.

Links to SREB State and Related Resources

SREB State Information on Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements

New Middle and High School Teachers

At the middle and high school levels, states are asking teachers to demonstrate content area competency in various ways, including:

• passing a rigorous state test in each core subject they teach,
• holding an academic major (or course work equivalent to an academic major) in the content area,
• having an advanced degree in the content area, or
• holding advanced certification such as National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in the content area.

Link to SREB for State Specific Information

SREB State Information on Highly Qualified Teacher Requirements