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No Child Left Behind Act
(NCLB)
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President George W. Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act in
January 2002. According to the President, this comprehensive education
reform act calls for increased accountability, greater choice for parents
and students, and more flexibility for states in the use of Title I
dollars. Success for all students, regardless of the skills they bring
to the classroom, is unquestionably what District 279 strives for.
The problem, however, is in how the details of this plan will be implemented
without negatively impacting the education of our children.
The NCLB act requires states to adopt a prescribed approach to testing and
accountability. The information below details what we know at this time.
Increased Testing
- The new federal law requires all states to test students in more grades
than we currently test in Minnesota.
- Starting in 2002-03, states must assess the English proficiency of students
who are learning the English language.
- Beginning in 2005-06, states must assess reading/language arts and math
every year in grades 3 through 8, and in one grade between grades 10-12.
- Beginning in 2007-08, states must also assess science at least once
in each level Ð elementary, junior high, and senior high.
- Every other year, states must administer the National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) to a sample of students in grades 4 and
5.
- Each state must immediately (2002-03) establish their own standards
in math and reading, and in science by 2005-06. All tests must align
with state standards.
- Appropriate tests will be determined by each state within strict
federal guidelines.
Disaggregated Test Scores
- The law requires every school, school district and state to "break
out" or disaggregate the test results for certain groups of students.
Those groups include:
- Major racial and ethnic groups:
- African-American
- Asian Pacific Islander
- Hispanic
- Native American
- Caucasian
- students living in poverty (qualifying for free or reduced lunch)
- students with disabilities (qualifying for special education services)
- students with limited English proficiency
- The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that all schools
and every subgroup of students make "Adequate Yearly Progress" (AYP)
toward 100% of the students being proficient in reading and
math by 2013-14. It is also intended to underscore the relative
achievement levels of these subgroups and to hold schools
accountable for closing the achievement gap.
- States have 12 years (until 2014) to move every school and every
subgroup (100% of the students) to a benchmark set by each state
for proficiency in math and reading.
- States must determine even increments for increasing achievement
over the 12-year period Ð using as a starting level the
percentage of students currently reaching proficiency
level in the lowest-performing subgroup of students or school
in the state.
- States and school districts are required to report school and
subgroup scores by percentage of students reaching proficiency.
- A state and district report card to parents must describe state
test results and compare local school results with the whole
state.
- "Needs Improvement" Designation
- Every school where the student body as a whole or any of
the identified subgroups of students fails to have the required
percentage of students reach state performance objectives
will be labeled "Needs Improvement." Those
schools must submit a plan to improve the percentage
of students reaching proficiency levels (i.e. for the school or
any of its subgroups).
- 95% of all students enrolled in a school must take the
tests, and 95% of each subgroup must also take the tests Ð if not, the school
is automatically designated as "Needs Improvement," regardless
of student performance.
- An 80% graduation rate for high schools and a 90% attendance
rate for elementary and junior high schools are other indicators
of success. If these rates are not met, the schools will be
automatically designated as "Needs Improvement," regardless
of student performance.
Corrective Action in Title I Schools
- Any students attending a Title I school that has been designated as "Needs
Improvement" for two consecutive years will have the option to transfer
to another public school in the district, using 5-10% of district
Title I dollars for transportation.
- After a school's third consecutive year of failure, low-income, low-achieving
students in that Title I school, in addition to transportation costs,
are eligible to receive "supplemental educational services" provided
by the school district or by an outside state-approved group/company
up to 20% of district Title I dollars for these services.
- After the fourth consecutive year, the school must change its staffing or
make some other fundamental change.
- After the fifth consecutive year, the governance of the failing Title
I school must change - this could mean converting it to a charter school,
turning it over to a private management company, or a state takeover of
the school.
Teacher & Para Qualifications
- Teachers:
- By 2002-03, all new Title I teachers must be fully certified or licensed
and show competency.
- By 2005-06, all teachers must be fully certified or licensed, have a bachelor's
degree and show competency in subject knowledge and teaching skills. (These
qualifications should not be a major issue for Minnesota teachers.)
- Paraprofessionals:
- Starting January 2003, all new instructional paraprofessionals supported
by Title I funds must have at least two years of college.
- By January 2006, all instructional paraprofessionals supported by
Title I funds must complete at least two years of college or meet
a rigorous standard of quality, as determined by a test and portfolio.
Note: Title I is a federal program that provides funds to schools with
a concentration
of students living in poverty.
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