States have fashioned wildly different ways of judging whether teachers already in the classroom meet the federal standard of "highly qualified," raising the possibility that teachers in some states will not face the high hurdle that Congress intended. However, to be deemed highly qualified under the federal law, teachers must hold a standard license and demonstrate knowledge of the subject they teach. New elementary teachers must pass a test of core subjects; those beginning careers in middle or high school must either pass a test or have a major, a graduate degree or advanced certification in the subjects they teach. Veteran teachers may show content knowledge in those ways or by meeting special requirements set by each state within broad federal guidelines. Those requirements for veteran educators are known by the acronym HOUSSE, for "high, objective, uniform state standard of evaluation." In this article, the author describes how a current teaching license (HOUSSE) suffices in some states as a means to award "highly qualified" status to veteran teachers who do not want to take a test or pursue a college major in the subjects they teach.