Experienced teachers refers to those teachers who are not new to the profession (i.e., had been hired before the first day of the 2002-2003 school year) as defined in NCLB, Section 200.56.

Core academic subjects include English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history and geography.

In 2000-2001, New York reclassified its Liberal Arts and Sciences Test (LAST) from an "other content area" to an "academic content area" assessment. The state did not add or eliminate any assessments between 1999-2000 and 2001-2002.

For HEA Title II reporting purposes, alternative routes to certification are defined by the state agency, thus the reported alternative routes may differ from other sources.

NCLB defines a "highly qualified teacher" as a teacher holding, at a minimum: a bachelor's degree, full state certification (including certification and licensure obtained through alternative routes to certification) and the ability to demonstrate competency in each subject he or she teaches. For a complete definition, see Section 9101-Highly Qualified Teacher Definition of NCLB.