In an effort to keep parents informed of the qualifications of teacher, the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) allows parents to inquire at school whether their child(ren)’s teacher(s) have met state qualifications and certification requirements for the grade level and subject taught. Parents may inquire whether a teacher is under emergency or conditional certificate through which state qualifications were waived, and they may request information about undergraduate or graduate degrees the teacher holds, including graduate certificates and additional degrees, and major(s) or area(s) of concentration. Parents can also ask about paraprofessionals working with your child in reading, writing, and/or mathematics. We can tell you whether your child receives help from a paraprofessional and whether he/she meets state qualifications and/or licensing requirements.

Vancouver Public Schools annually conducts an audit of teacher assignments to assure that no teachers are as-signed to areas for which they do not meet Washington state certification and/or endorsement requirements. Only on rare occasion does the District seek a wavier to certification. When this does occur, it is typically for a teacher who is within a few credits of completing the endorsement and is actively working on such completion.