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Only 53 pct. of school counselors highly qualified
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Posted on Jul 18 2011
Only a little over half of school counselors in public schools have so far complied with the requirements of the Board of Education to become highly qualified.
In a presentation to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan during a 30-minute conference call last Wednesday, Education Commissioner Rita A. Sablan reported that 53 percent of current school counselors are highly qualified for the job.
Saipan Tribune learned that the Public School System employs 32 counselors. Like teachers and administrators, they too are required to meet the federal mandate of being highly qualified by the July 31, 2011, deadline.
In an early interview with Sablan, she told Saipan Tribune that non-certified counselors will need to step down from their post if they fail to complete the requirements after the end of this month. They can go back to the position where they are certified, such as classroom teachers.
The number of certified counselors is expected to go up within the month because many counselors have taken the test in June and awaiting the results of the examination.
Still based on the commissioner’s July 13 report, 83 percent of classroom teachers in public schools are now considered highly qualified after satisfying the requirements: having a degree, valid certifications, and passing the Praxis tests. The school system had 530 teachers when the school year ended last month.
For school administrators, Sablan reported that 90 percent of school principals and 92 percent of vice principals are now highly qualified.
Like school counselors, the number of highly qualified teachers and administrators are expected to increase prior to the deadline this month.
