What is the ‘No Child Left Behind Act’?
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) is the reauthorization of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) with a new title. The NCLB is a source of both concern and confusion for many. It is difficult to disagree with NCLB's goal of improving student achievement. The requirements of the Act and lack of funding, however, cause major compliance issues for many states, including Oregon. A major portion of the federal legislation is aimed at increasing accountability, providing more information to parents, and giving parents more choice in selecting their child's school. Since school administrators, and primarily principals are in the position of interpreting this law for teachers, parents and community members, the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators (COSA) has provided this simple overview of some major elements in NCLB.
Testing: States must annually test students in reading and mathematics in grades 3‑8 and once in high school beginning no later than 2005‑2006. These tests must be aligned with the state's content standards either by creating specifically designed tests or modifying off the shelf tests. Further, the tests can be either criterion-referenced tests linked to state standards or augmented norm referenced tests to comply with the federal law.
States must develop science standards by 2005‑2006 and implement science assessments by 2007‑2008 in each of the spans of 3‑5, 6‑9, and 10‑12.
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP): AYP is the term used to describe the level of school improvement that must be achieved each year in order for a school to be considered successful in meeting the accountability requirements of the bill.
States must establish their definition of AYP and include a focus on disadvantaged students as well as the general school population.
Schools who have not met the state defined AYP for two consecutive years will be identified as "needing improvement."
Reporting Requirements: States and districts are required to report assessment results to the public. Reporting must include student academic achievement on state assessments disaggregated by subgroup; a comparison of students at basic, proficient and advanced levels of achievement; the professional qualifications of teachers; and the percentage of students not tested.
School Improvement/Public School Choice: Schools that have been designated as needing improvement, will receive technical assistance to improve performance and develop a two‑year plan to turn around the school.
Parents with children in schools that fail to meet state standards for at least two consecutive years may transfer their children to a better performing public school (including a public charter school) within their district. If they do so, the district must provide transportation.
Ultimately, those schools continuing to score below the AYP set by the state, will be forced into restructuring and hiring a private management contractor, converting to a charter school or staff restructure.
"Highly Qualified" Teacher: Every teacher in the core subjects must be “highly qualified” in each subject they teach by the end of the 2005‑2006 school year. At the secondary level, that means that teachers must be fully licensed in their subjects, possess undergraduate majors or the equivalent, or pass subject matter tests. This requirement also applies to those teaching students with limited English proficiency and students with disabilities if, in fact, they directly instruct the core academic subject.