Who’s teaching that?
Of the 13,520 teachers in the Palm Beach County School District, 551 are teaching out-of-field.
That’s just over 4 percent – slightly more than last year which clocked in at 3.9 percent, according to an annual report due to be presented to the school board next week.
These teachers are teaching courses from Algebra Honors to elementary basic reading skills without a certificate in that field, according to the list provided in the report.
When you break out district-run schools and compare them to charters, the district schools are home to 3.33 percent out-of-field teachers compared to just more than 10 percent in charter schools.
Nationally, the problems with out-of-field teaching have been most acute in the subjects of math, science and special education and particularly in schools with a majority of students who are poor or minorities.
Some of the biggest out of field courses in Palm Beach County?
Autism classes – 58
Sciences from 5th grade science to chemistry, physics and marine science – 52
Gifted -50
Math from elementary grade math to honors algebra – 47
Special education classes – 32
Intensive reading 27
English – 22
Palm Beach Post researcher Michelle Quigley contributed to this report.
