By AP/KWMU
Jefferson City, MO – Missouri education officials say nearly all educators in the state are already strong in the subjects they teach.
States must report to the federal Education Department the percentage of teachers that are considered "highly qualified."
To meet that definition, teachers must have a college degree, state certification and demonstrate content knowledge for the subjects they teach.
State education officials say Missouri's certification process is rigorous, so the other two criteria are generally covered. They say that's why Missouri has reported nearly 95 percent of its K-12 classesare taught by teachers in the "highly qualified" category.