Must dance, music, theater, and visual arts teachers be Highly Qualified?
The visual and performing arts are considered a “core” subject under the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB-2001). This requires that all teachers are highly qualified in the core academic content area(s) they teach. State licensure in the area taught is the first requirement for highly qualified status. NCLB places major emphasis upon teacher quality as a factor in improving achievement for all students. This emphasis grows out of the research showing that teachers’ mastery of the academic content they teach is critical to engaging students. For more information on the Highly Qualified Teacher requirements, please go to http://www.nj.gov/education/profdev/nclb/. 9. Can an elementary classroom teacher teach the visual and performing arts? Yes. Elementary classroom teachers must possess either a P-3, K-5 or N-8 license. These certifications permit the holder to teach any of the NJCCCS subjects (including the four arts disciplines) as long as such instruction does not constitute more
