No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was passed by the U.S. Congress with broad bipartisan support and signed by President George W. Bush on January 8, 2002. The most comprehensive education legislation in a generation, it is founded on the major themes of school choice, accountability through the implementation of high standards, public reporting of test results, research-based reforms for ineffective schools, and a guarantee of yearly progress. The law necessitates substantial changes in state assessment and accountability systems to ensure alignment with federal guidelines.

NCLB mandates that schools:

• Design curriculum and instruction to ensure that all students meet clear and challenging academic standards.
• Develop teacher preparation and professional development programs that ensure teachers are prepared to teach the standards.
• Conduct assessments that measure how well students are meeting the standards.
• Implement an accountability system determining whether students make adequate yearly progress toward meeting the standards.

A school demonstrates adequate yearly progress when at least 95% of the students (and 95% of each major subgroup of students) take the assessment and the proportion of students (in total and in each major subgroup) who demonstrate proficiency on state assessments of reading and mathematics meets or exceeds a state-established minimum.

NCLB holds each state, school district, and school accountable for the academic achievement of its students, with a particular emphasis on closing the achievement gap between minority and nonminority students and those living in low-wealth and high-wealth districts. This is partly accomplished by [Page 351]insisting that schools measure the performance of advantaged and disadvantaged subgroups of students, including those with limited English proficiency (flexibility in defining this group of students is given to the states), diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds, disabilities, and low income. NCLB also targets students who need reading assistance and those who are homeless, migrants, neglected, and/or delinquents. NCLB requires that schools develop plans to have highly qualified teachers teaching core academic subjects. Each school must take steps to ensure that in the 2006–2007 school year “poor and minority children are not taught at higher rates than other children by inexperienced, unqualified, or out-of-field teachers” (20 U.S.C. § 6301).

NCLB requires schools to develop challenging academic content standards and assessments. A central principle of the Act is that all students, including those with disabilities, learn more when they are challenged to meet high expectations for their performance. Schools are classified as in need of improvement when they have not made adequate yearly progress for at least two consecutive years in getting all students to achieve proficiency at the state's established standards. Each major subgroup of students must meet these criteria. Schools may also be allowed to meet another indicator of academic success established by the state as an alternative to the adequate yearly progress guideline. NCLB mandates that minimum percentages of all students in grades three through eight demonstrate proficiency in reading and math each year, increasing incrementally over a 12-year period until 100% of students are proficient by 2014. The U.S. Department of Education has considered allowing states to permit some students with significant disabilities to meet alternative standards for achievement, but it recommends that this group should not exceed 0.5% of the total student population.

...