Understanding Data About Teacher Qualifications

Cautions | Definitions | Sources of Data | Using WINSS

Cautions:

• WINSS data about teacher qualifications are based on an audit of data submitted by Wisconsin School Districts on the Fall Staff Report and data on DPI's educator license database. Licenses issued by DPI after the date of the audit or inaccurate reporting of assignments by districts could result in some teachers erroneously listed as unlicensed or not ESEA qualified.
• Check "Total # of FTE teachers" before reaching conclusions about the significance of high or low percents. Note that "Total # of FTE teachers" is included in the table below each graph. Percents may be misleading if the total number of FTE teachers is small. One teacher may mean the difference between a high percent or a low percent. For example, if the "Total # of FTE teachers" is two and if one teacher has an "emergency license", then 50% have an "emergency license." This percent might be cause for more concern if the "Total # of FTE teachers" were 200 and 100 of these teachers had "emergency licenses."
• Scatterplots are available that provide information about possible associations between teacher qualifications and student demographics. Major changes in WI student data collection systems were implemented in 2004-05. 2004-05 student demographic data were included in this transition year collection and are not comprehensive so should be interpreted with caution.

What is the difference between full and emergency licenses in Wisconsin?

Full license means the teacher holds a regular license based on completing an approved teacher education program in their specific assignment(s).

Emergency license means the teacher holds an emergency license based on not yet completing an approved teacher education program in their specific assignment(s).

Why might some teachers with "full licenses" be reported in the "emergency license" group?

Required qualifications for Wisconsin licenses vary by type of teaching work assigned. Content areas and levels/needs of students taught are both factors. For example, a full-time teacher may have a "full license" for one assignment and an "emergency license" for another. If half the time that teacher is assigned work for which they have a "full license" and the other half the time that teacher is assigned work for which they have "emergency license" then the teacher is reported as 0.5 FTE in the "full license" group and 0.5 FTE in the "emergency license" group.

How is experience counted?

Any experience in education is counted. Experience may or may not be as a teacher. The experience includes time through the reported school year.

What degrees are counted?

The degree is the highest degree of higher learning attained by the teacher regardless of qualifications used on the job. The degree may or may not be teaching or education-related.

What does it mean to be ESEA qualified?

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) includes the term "highly qualified" to refer to teachers whose experience and training meet specific criteria. On WINSS, teachers who meet these criteria are referred to as "ESEA qualified."

What is the difference between having a full Wisconsin license and being ESEA qualified?

State licensing laws and rules are not always equivalent to ESEA criteria. Teachers who are ESEA qualified may not have a full Wisconsin license and vice versa. For example, a teacher with a degree or major in math, employed as a math teacher without a full Wisconsin license but with an emergency license, is considered ESEA qualified so long as he or she completes all licensing requirements within 3 years and is provided supervision or mentoring by the school district.

What are core subjects?

Core subjects are defined by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and include "English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, and geography." Wisconsin data are reported by Wisconsin Model Academic Standards (WMAS) subject areas. In Wisconsin, the WMAS subjects of English language arts, mathematics, science, foriegn languages, social studies, art and design, dance, music, and theatre are treated as ESEA core subjects.

Why aren't all the WMAS subjects listed in the "Subject Taught" options?

Generally, WMAS subjects were included as options if there were a sufficient number of FTE teachers teaching in those subjects to make the information more useful than individual teacher data at the school level. If the number of FTE teachers in a subject area was at least a few thousand statewide (there are 2000 Wisconsin schools), then the WMAS subject area option was provided. Even in these cases, the graphs and percents can be misleading due to small FTE counts at a particular school. See cautions above. License status of individual teachers is available from Wisconsin's Online Educator License Data Base.

What data are used in the WINSS summaries of teacher qualifications?

Qualifications are summarized based on data about assignments and the backgrounds of teachers performing those assignments as of the third Friday of September of each school year. Data about teacher assignments, experience, and degrees earned are collected from school districts as part of the annual Fall (September) Staff Report (PI 1202). Data about teacher licenses are collected from prospective and current teachers on an ongoing basis as part of the DPI teacher licensing process. Summaries are based on where a teacher works.

Why might these data be incorrect?

WINSS data reflect staff assignments reported as of the 3rd Friday of September. If assignments were not reported accurately, some teachers may be reported as having "no license for assignment." The teachers and their reported assignments are cross referenced with the DPI license database at the end of the school year. If a teacher does not hold an appropriate license for their reported assignments, or if the teacher has not yet applied for or been issued their licenses for the reported school year, the teacher would be reported as having "no license for assignment" for the assignment(s). Teachers will be listed as having "no license for assignment" and not "ESEA Qualified" unless the audit data support reporting as licensed and "ESEA Qualified."

Do these data include all schools and all teachers in Wisconsin?

Only schools required by law to submit School Performance Report data (e.g. grade advancement, dropouts, etc.) are included in these summaries. This means that, in general, teachers working in public schools are counted. This also means that teachers reported as working in Cooperative Educational Service Agencies, County Disability Education Boards, State Department of Corrections schools, or State Department of Health and Family Services schools are not counted.

All teachers working in covered schools are counted. Note that short-term substitutes (assignments less than 20 days, position code 43) and teacher interns (position code 53, assignment code 0970) are not included. Non-teaching time (position code 53, assignment code 0001) is not included in the FTE counts. Speech/language pathologists (position code 84) are included, but beginning in 2003-04 they count under Special Education Summary and Summary - All Subjects only.

Teachers working in private schools are not counted, and these data are not available from DPI.

What information do these data provide about qualifications of teachers in the state's highest poverty schools?

Wisconsin's goal is to have a qualified teacher in every classroom in every school, especially high poverty schools. 2006-07 WINSS data indicated that, at high poverty elementary and secondary schools, the percentages of core academic classes taught by teachers who are not ESEA Qualified were 2.8% and 4.8% respectively. At low poverty elementary and secondary schools these percentages were 0.7% and 0.9% respectively. See Wisconsin's Consolidated State Performance Report for Reporting on School Year 2006-07 (page 36) for more information about teachers teaching core subjects disaggregated by school poverty status.

WINSS scatterplots can be used to study associations between teacher qualifications, school poverty levels, and other variables in greater depth. These scatterplots are meant to be discussion starters. In study after study, teacher quality is found to be positively correlated with student outcomes. School improvement teams may find these scatterplots useful when working to identify possible explanations for recruitment or retention issues and ideas for improving teacher qualifications to address student needs.

Where can I get more information about using data on WINSS?

For more information about the WINSS Data Analysis Section, see Data Analysis Section - Frequently Asked Questions and/or Tips for First-time Users of the Data Analysis Section.

Where can I find more information?

Go to:
Using Teacher Qualifications Scatterplots on WINSS
Questions to Consider When Using Teacher Data
Fall Enrollment and Staff Reports
Educator Licensing
Search Wisconsin's Online Educator License Data Base
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards
Wisconsin Teacher Licensing Rules: PI-34
ESEA Regulations: Definition of "Highly Qualified" Sec. 200.56.
View relationship between teacher assignments, WMAS subjects, and ESEA core indicators (Excel)
WINSS Download Options
Teachers Teaching Core Subjects Who are ESEA Qualified Disaggregated by School Poverty Status (See page 36.)

For questions about this information, contact dpispr@dpi.wi.gov (608) 267-9619

Last updated on 6/29/2008 10:56:07 PM