At the heart of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a promise to raise academic standards for all children and to help all children meet those standards. In support of this goal, President George W. Bush is committed to promoting the very best teaching methods. Well-trained teachers and instruction that is based on research can bring the best teaching approaches to all children and help to ensure that no child is left behind.

As a result, each year, school district are required to report the percentages of Highly Qualified Teachers that are currently on staff in the district. The criteria for Highly Qualified Teachers include:
- Hold at least a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education
- Hold a valid New Jersey teaching certificate for which no requirements have been waived(i.e., no emergency certification)
- Demonstrate their content preparation/expertise for each core academic subject they teach by either: Passing a rigorous state test in each core academic content area the teacher teaches (i.e., the Praxis II content knowledge exam(s) for middle or secondary grades; or Having an undergraduate major in the core academic content area(s) they teach; or
. Having 30 credits equivalent to a major (at least 12 credits at the upper division level) in the core academic content area(s) they teach; or
. Having a graduate degree in the core academic content area(s) they teach; or Holding National Board certification in the core academic content area(s) they teach; or Accruing ten points on the NJ HOUSE Standard Content Knowledge Matrix for each core academic content area they teach.
In September of 2005, __________% of Warren County Technical School's teachers met these criteria.

In order to assist district teachers with keeping current with the latest scientific research, WCTS develops an annual Professional Development plan based on identified student needs. Throughout 2004-2005, the district offered extensive in-service training on differentiated instruction and preparing lesson plans that fully engage all students in the learning process. Additionally, the staff of WCTS has access to technology-based professional development through the Warren County Educational Technology Training Center, which is located on our campus. Sample courses offered in the ETTC in 2004-2005 related to improving instruction and integrating technology included:

All students from all groups listed above must score either proficient or advanced proficient on the assessments to be counted toward meeting the benchmarks. Schools are evaluated using adequate yearly progress (AYP) indicators. When a school does not meet AYP, it may be designated as a school in need of improvement.

In 2005, all but one sub group enrolled in Warren County Technical School made AYP. However, students with disabilities did not. As a result, because this is the district's first year of not meeting the AYP standard, WCTS is considered a school in Early Warning Status. In order to address this issue, WCTS will be focusing on ways to close achievement gaps and bring every student to proficiency in both language arts literacy and mathematics.

WCTS recognizes that parents are the first and most important teachers of their children. Therefore, we welcome your partnership and will be inviting you to important parent training sessions throughout the year. Please check our web site or watch for flyers about free technology training programs and other important educational programs for parents.