States have chosen a variety of means to award “highly qualified” status to veteran teachers who do not want to take a test or pursue a college major in the subjects they teach. Below is a breakdown of approaches to what is called a “high, objective, uniform state standard of evaluation,” or HOUSSE. Not all states are represented, and some have more than one approach.
| Point system | Classroom observation or portfolio of teacher’s work, or a combination | Professional-developement requirements |
| Alabama | California | Massachusetts |
| Arizona | Michigan | Nevada |
| California* | Missouri | New Hampshire |
| Kansas* | North Carolina | |
| Kentucky* | South Carolina | Existing licensing system |
| Maryland* | Virginia | Idaho |
| New York* | Washington | Illinois |
| North Dakota | West Virginia | Indiana |
| Ohio | Nebraska | |
| Oklahoma | Student-achievement data | Oregon |
| Tennessee | Colorado (pilot program) | South Dakota |
| Texas* | Tennessee | Wisconsin |
| Virginia | ||
| *States that allow experience to count for up to 50 percent in a point system. |
SOURCE: Education Week
Photo by Arthur Rothstein/Library of Congress.
