John Fergus has been a history teacher for nearly a decade. He has a master's degree in secondary education, is enrolled in a doctoral program, and has taken classes that allow him to teach advanced placement courses at Revere High School.

But despite his years of experience and extensive course work, Fergus, 40, has yet to prove to state education officials that he is a highly qualified teacher as required under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The law demands that states prove by June 30 that all teachers in core subjects -- such as math, science, English, social studies, foreign language, and history -- have mastered their topics, or risk losing federal education money.

The mandate has placed hundreds of teachers north of Boston and thousands more across the state under heightened scrutiny: As the deadline nears, they must scramble to prove themselves highly qualified or face the prospect of losing their jobs.

In Massachusetts, teachers are deemed highly qualified if they pass the state teaching license exam and demonstrate competency in the subjects they teach. They can show competency in several ways -- by passing a content test, participating in teacher training programs, or earning a college degree in the subjects they teach. In all, 7 percent of Massachusetts' 73,593 teachers did not meet federal standards as of Oct. 1, according to the latest data released by the state Department of Education.

North of Boston, school administrators are now deciding the fate of teachers who have not met the requirement. According to Nate MacKinnon, spokesman for the state Department of Education, his agency is leaving it up to local school districts to decide how to handle the issue. But ideally, MacKinnon said, districts should ''make a good-faith effort to assign teachers to subjects that they are highly qualified in."

Some local superintendents said they would follow the example set by Boston officials last month and dismiss unqualified teachers. In Haverhill and Chelsea, for example, teachers who are unlicensed will not have their contracts renewed. However, other superintendents said they plan to reassign teachers who failed to meet the mandate while helping them get the necessary credentials. Principals are able to secure one-year waivers for teachers in hard-to-fill subjects, with the provision that they continue to work toward licensure.

''It's a gray area, and it's very difficult to deal in gray areas," said Lynn's superintendent, Nicholas P. Kostan, who oversees the region's largest school system with 13,955 students. ''We will follow the spirit of the law, but there are practical issues that we need to address, so we are going to have to approach this with common sense and fairness."

Such an approach is necessary, Kostan said, because the federal requirement has left many school systems in a quandary. A national teacher shortage has forced many districts to offer jobs to unlicensed teachers in subject areas that are hardest to fill, most notably the sciences and special education.

''It's putting the districts in a tough bind," said Kostan, who noted that about 10 percent of his district's 867 core-academic teachers have yet to be classified as highly qualified; the figure was 33 percent in October. ''We have people who we think are excellent teachers, but don't meet every requirement of the law."

In 42 area school systems, roughly 8 percent of teachers did not meet federal standards as of Oct. 1, state records show. In all, the region employs 7,450 teachers in core academic areas.

According to state records, charter schools had the highest percentage of teachers who failed to meet the federal mandate in October, with five of the region's seven charter schools reporting that more than 20 percent of their core academic teachers lacked the required credentials. Of the other two, Marblehead Community Charter reported that 100 percent of its teachers were highly qualified, while the River Valley Charter in Newburyport had a compliance rate of nearly 95 percent.

Unlike at traditional public schools, which require new teachers to be licensed before they are given contracts, charter school teachers have a year to become licensed. Prior to 2000, charter school teachers did not have to become licensed at all.

''Part of the mission of charter schools is to encourage people from nontraditional professional backgrounds to become public school teachers, so the licensure process is different," said Marc Kenan, executive director of the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association.

''Our teachers are not any less qualified than traditional public school teachers. In fact, I would say many of them are more qualified because of their work experience, so really it's just a matter of it taking us a little longer because of all the paperwork involved in becoming licensed."

Some local educators question whether the federal designation is necessary, noting that the state's licensing process is rigorous. Others voiced concern that the federal requirement could worsen the teacher shortage by dissuading professionals in other fields from becoming teachers.

In Revere, about 50 of the district's 492 teachers must prove competency by the end of the school year or face the possibility of being reassigned, according to Assistant Superintendent Ann Marie Costa.

''If we have teachers who can't meet the requirement, we will have to shift staff and place them in a position that best suits our needs," she said.

Fergus enjoys his current teaching assignment, sharing his love of world and European history with ninth- and 10th-grade students, and hopes to secure his position by passing a content test next month.

If he is nervous about taking the exam, it doesn't show.

''I'm aware of what is required, and I'm confident that I will do well on the test," said Fergus, who passed a similar exam when he began his teaching career in New York in 1997. When he moved to Massachusetts two years later and began teaching in Revere, a separate exam was not required.

Fergus, like many of his veteran colleagues, did not foresee today's growing emphasis on standardized testing for teachers and never bothered to take a content test in Massachusetts. His main objection was the hit to his wallet: $90 to take the test, plus a $30 registration fee.

Local school administrators said many of the teachers who have yet to be deemed highly qualified are unlicensed because they failed the state teaching exam. Others are licensed veterans who lack the updated training required in the subjects they teach. And still others have participated in professional development programs, but have not submitted the paperwork to prove it.

Fergus, for example, could provide documentation of the courses he took in order to teach advanced placement history classes and be taken off the district's watch list, but he would rather sit for the content test.

''During the school year, with all that I have to worry about as a teacher, it's been hard to find the time to pull the paperwork together," said Fergus.

And he is not alone. For many teachers, proving competency is a disdainful task.

RuthAnn Puppo, 55, has been teaching in Revere for 34 years. She has bachelor's degrees in elementary education and French, and master's degrees in English and integrated studies. She started her career as a middle and high school English teacher, but switched to elementary education in 1992 in order to save a colleague from being laid off, Costa said. At the time, the district was in a budget crisis and had to trim staff at the high school.

Had Puppo remained an English teacher, she would have been deemed highly qualified based on her advanced degree in the subject. However, as a kindergarten teacher she has to prove competency in four areas: social studies, science, reading, and math.

''I am the teacher I am. Where I teach does not change that," said Puppo. ''Yet under the federal notion of highly qualified, a brand-new teacher" who passes a content test ''is deemed highly qualified before stepping foot in a classroom, whereas someone like me, with years of experience, is told, 'Prove yourself.' It's just absurd."

Several local superintendents said they understand the frustrations of veteran educators and are doing their best to help tenured teachers navigate the complex federal requirements. Most districts this year made teacher training a priority.

In Ipswich, a team of administrators has been assigned the task of ensuring that every teacher meets the federal mandate, said Superintendent Richard Korb. Today, only five of the school system's 174 teachers have yet to be deemed highly qualified; each of them has secured a waiver.

In Beverly, teachers have crafted individual development plans, so they know what they need to do to prove they are highly qualified by the end of June.

And in Amesbury, Superintendent Charles L. Chaurette is encouraging teachers to view the mandate as an opportunity to enhance their teaching skills, enrolling in college courses or taking part in other professional development activities.

''Some positive things have definitely come out of this mandate," said Robert M. Cataldo, 53, a seventh-grade math and science teacher in Revere who recently earned the highly qualified designation.

''As part of our professional development program, we've had guest speakers come in, we've learned how to use new teaching technologies, and we have mastered motivational techniques," Cataldo said.

In Haverhill, administrators have taken a two-pronged approach to meeting the federal mandate. School officials have established partnerships with three colleges, including Salem State, to give unlicensed teachers the opportunity to enroll in accelerated programs that lead to licensure, and are actively recruiting highly qualified teachers. Their efforts have included participating in regional job fairs and reaching out to the Spanish government to attract a pool of 10 highly qualified candidates from Madrid.

''We have found that we have to be very aggressive," said Richard Langlois, Haverhill's assistant superintendent for personnel and administrative services. ''This is a tough market, a competitive market. Our goal has always been to put highly qualified teachers in front of our kids."

Swampscott Superintendent Matthew H. Malone also is working toward ensuring that his district complies with the federal law. In fact, he said, putting highly qualified teachers in the classroom is his number one priority.

Still, when considering candidates for teaching positions, he intends to look at more than an applicant's degrees and test scores, Malone said, noting that the ability to pass content tests and be classified as highly qualified ''doesn't guarantee a good teacher; it just provides a good foundation.

''Teaching is both an art and a science," Malone added. ''To be an effective teacher, you not only have to have knowledge of the subjects you teach, you also have to have the creative ability to engage your students. The best teachers are able to achieve student growth by striking a balance between the two."

Brenda J. Buote may be reached at bbuote@globe.com

Race against time

Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, all core academic teachers must be certified as highly qualified by June 30, or face losing their jobs and jeopardizing federal funding for their districts. A survey of area school systems cites the percentage of teachers holding the required classification as of Oct. 1, 2005, the latest state figures available. Most districts report significant gains since then.

	Teachers in core subjects	Percent certified
Ipswich	130	100
Marblehead Charter	18	100
Nahant	14	100
Northeast Vocational	56	100
Whittier Vocational	64	100
Malden	384	99.4
Manchester Essex	89	98.7
Pentucket	209	98.6
Boxford	70	98.3
Georgetown	101	98
Melrose	217	98
Hamilton-Wenham	150	97.4
North Shore Voc.	32	97.4
Danvers	238	97.2
Lynnfield	136	97.2
Revere	348	97.2
Wakefield	222	96.9
Newburyport	158	96.6
Gloucester	254	96.5
Salem	371	96.1
Everett	292	95.8
Amesbury	201	95.7
Beverly	268	95.7
Peabody	403	95.3
Rockport	79	94.8
Masconomet	113	94.7
River Valley Charter	18	94.6
Saugus	181	93.5
Topsfield	53	93.3
Chelsea	389	91
Winthrop	135	91
Haverhill	486	90.5
Swampscott	157	89
Marblehead	210	84
Triton	202	83
Essex Agricultural	21	81.7
Salem Charter	15	79
Kipp Academy	11	78.7
Hill View Charter	9	77.1
Academy of Strategic Learning	4	75
Lynn	867	71.8
Mystic Valley Charter	75	66.7
Area total/average	7,450	92.3
State total/average	62,301	93.7

SOURCE: Massachusetts Department of Education

NorthTalk

What is the best way to judge teacher competency -- standardized tests or classroom experience? Should veteran teachers be required to jump through the same hoops as newcomers to the profession? Log on to www.boston.com/northtalk. Or write us at globenorth@globe.com or Globe North, 1 Corporate Place, Suite 200, 55 Ferncroft Road, Danvers MA 01923.