Struggling schools to lose teachers

In Prince George’s County, five schools will have new staff before next academic year begins

The schools have failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress under the Federal No Child Left Behind Act. AYP sets minimum, proficient standards of academic achievement for students across the nation.

Under the improvement plan, the Prince George’s school system will replace teachers who do not fall within the category of being ‘‘highly-qualified” in core subjects such as social studies, English, reading⁄language arts, math, science, art, music, dance and drama.

Highly-qualified teachers have at least a bachelor’s degree and hold a Standard Professional Certificate, Advanced Professional Certificate or Resident Teacher Certificate in the content area in which the teacher teaches. Teachers who have been hired since 2002 must pass a number of state tests to be considered highly qualified, according to the state education department Web site.

County schools spokesman John White said the school system wants to ensure all schools, especially under-performing ones, have teachers who are highly qualified.

‘‘We don’t want to just replace for the sake of replacing staff. We want to be strategic, and we want to be sure teachers who are in all of our schools ... have highly qualified teachers,” White said.

School board Chairwoman Verjeana Jacobs (At-large) said it is important to implement the improvement plan.

‘‘We have to have a real watchful eye on schools that are in trouble or going into trouble,” Jacobs said. ‘‘We want to make sure as we do, that we’re not only providing a plan of action for improvement, but also giving the staff and administrators the tools they need to implement those changes.”

Under state education department requirements, schools enter ‘‘School Improvement” status when they fail to meet Adequate Yearly Progress for two consecutive school years. If they fail to improve after three years, the school districts must take ‘‘corrective action,” which can include measures such as replacing staff, implementing a new curriculum or extending the school day.

If there is still no improvement by the end of the fourth year, the school district is required to initiate alternative governance, which could mean reopening the school as a charter school, replacing the principal and staff, contracting private management of the school or allowing the state to take the school over.

Carlton Carter, the first-year principal at Ernest Everett Just Middle School, said the school will be looking at several factors in rehiring teachers, among them instructional skills, learning environment, human relations and communications skills, and professionalism.

‘‘Those that are effective teachers will stay, and those who are deemed not effective will not,” Carter said.

Carter said he believes his students are improving, and the school is ‘‘heading in the right direction.”

‘‘It’s building blocks. It does take time to lay the foundation to get out of this hole,” he said.

E-mail Megan King at mking@gazette.net.