No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)
Executive Summary
PREMISE: All students will reach proficiency or better levels of achievement by school year 2013-2014.
Standards and Assessment
Accountability and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
Corrective Action
Staff Qualifications
Parental Involvement
Standards and Assessment
* States must adopt challenging academic standards that apply to all children
* Standards must specify what children are expected to know and be able to do
* Standards must describe advanced, proficient, and basic levels of achievement
* Standards for math, reading, and language arts must be in place by July 1, 2002
* Standards for science must be in place by school year 2005-2006
* Yearly academic assessments in math, reading and language arts must be administered at least once between grades 3 and 6, grades 7 and 9, and grades 10 and 12
* Beginning 2005-2006 annual assessments must be given every year between grades 3 and 8
* Beginning 2007-2008, assessments must be given in science
* Students with limited English proficiency (LEP) must take their reading/language arts assessment in English if they have attended schools in the United States for three consecutive years
* All students with LEP must take an annual English proficiency assessment beginning in 2002-2003
Accountability and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)
* States must develop a single statewide accountability system that applies to all public schools and all students regardless of participation in the Title 1 program
* AYP is the minimum level of improvement that school districts must achieve every year
* The state will develop a definition of AYP (In PA 45% will achieve proficiency(p) in reading/language arts(r/l), 35% will achieve proficiency(p) in math for the year 2002-2003; 54% p in r/l, 46% p in math 2004-2006; 68% p in r/l, 62% p in math 2007-2009 )
* AYP is reported for each school as a whole and broken out into the following subgroups:
o economically disadvantaged students
o students from major racial or ethnic groups
o students with limited English proficiency
o students with special needs
* Each state will determine the number necessary to qualify as a subgroup(in PA N=40)
* At a minimum, schools must meet two requirements to make AYP. Schools must ensure that 95% of students take the assessments and the school as a whole and each subgroup must meet the measurable objectives established by the state(in PA 45% p in r/l; 35% p in math) and meet one other factor established by the state (in PA attendance rate in elementary and middle; graduation rate in high school)
* Schools and school districts can still make AYP if they achieve safe harbor, reducing by 10% the number of non-proficient students and meeting the threshold for the other indicators ( in PA attendance or graduation rate)
Corrective Action
* Schools that fail to make AYP for 2 consecutive years are identified for corrective action
* The family is offered the option to transfer to another public school of its choice within the district
* The district must pay for transportation
* The lowest achieving students from low-income families must be given first preference
* Lack of capacity does not excuse an LEA from operating a choice program
* Supplemental educational services from an approved list of providers are arranged if the school fails to make AYP for 3 years
* Providers are exempt from certain requirements applicable to schools such as ?highly required? requirements
* If a school fails to make AYP for 5 years, the Lea must restructure the school and if the school fails to make AYP for a sixth year, alternative governance must be implemented
Staff Qualifications
* Teachers of core academic subjects must earn state certification or achieve the qualifying score on the appropriate content test
* All public school teachers teaching core subjects must meet these requirements no later than the end of the 2005-2006 school year
* A paraprofessional must have completed 2 years of higher education, earned an associate?s degree or passed a formal state or local assessment
* NCLB increases its emphasis on professional development
Parental Involvement
* Families must be given more information about the achievement of their children
* Families must be given more information about the performance of the schools
* Families must be notified when the children are taught for more than 4 weeks by teachers who are not highly qualifies
* The families have the right to demand information about the credentials of the teachers
* Families of LEP children must be promptly notified when their children are recommended for inclusion in language instruction programs
* Families have the right to opt out of language inclusion programs at any time
http://www.asha.org/about/legislation-advocacy/federal/nclb/exec-summary.htm
