NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND January 8 2001 A

NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND January 8, 2001 A New Era in Education “Every child matters, every child should be diagnosed on whether or not they can read and write and add and subtract. And if they can’t, we need to correct their problems early, before it’s too late. The cornerstone of reform is strong accountability measures. ” “When it comes to the education of our children……………. failure is not an option. ”

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a landmark in education reform designed to improve student achievement and change the culture of America’s schools. This new law, which President George W. Bush described as “the cornerstone of my administration, ” represents a sweeping overhaul of federal efforts to support elementary and secondary education in the United States.

The act, which passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, embodies four key reform principals: n n stronger accountability for results more choices for parents an emphasis on teaching methods that have been demonstrated to work greater flexibility for states, school districts and schools in the use of federal funds

ACCOUNTABILITY challenging academic content and achievement standards n 100 % mastery n states create annual assessments n

Annual Report Cards for Parents n n n student academic achievement on statewide test disaggregated by subgroup a comparison of students at basic, proficient and advanced levels of academic achievement (levels will be determined by each state) high school graduation rates - also, how many students drop out of school number and names of schools identified for improvement professional qualifications of teachers; and percentage of students not tested

ANNUAL ASSESSMENTS n n English language learners who have been in school in the U. S. for at least three years must be assessed using the English versions of the reading and language arts assessments beginning in the 2002 -03 school year The results of the annual assessment in reading and mathematics for children in grades 3 -8 will be disaggregated for analysis by poverty levels, race, gender, ethnicity, migrant status, disability and limited English proficiency

ANNUAL ASSESSMENTS Continued n Every other year, states must administer the mathematics and reading exams of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to a sample of their students in grades 4 and 8. NAEP is a national testing program that tracks student achievement in core subjects. This requirement is meant to serve as an independent check on the states’ own tests. Since the same NAEP exams will be given in every state, a comparison of NAEP results with a specific state’s test scores could help determine the difficulty of a state test.

ADEQUATE YEARLY PROGRESS AYP Individual state’s measure n No Child Left Behind raises the bar of expectations for all students – especially ethnic groups and disadvantaged students who are falling farther and farther behind and who are most in danger of being left behind n Over the course of 12 years, all students are to reach 100 % proficiency n

STAFF QUALITY n Qualifications and Certification: n Teachers teaching in the core academic areas will be highly qualified by the end of the 2005 -06 school year, meaning full state certification or passage of the state teacher licensing exam n All paraprofessionals will have at least an associate’s degree or the ability to demonstrate on a formal state or local academic assessment that they have the skills necessary to be educational paraprofessionals. (PARA-PRO Assessment) All newly hired paraprofessionals (after January 8, 2002) are required to meet these requirements to be eligible for hiring, while existing paraprofessional have four years to comply

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT n n Activities to increase teacher’s knowledge of the academic subjects they teach Activities that enable a teacher to become “highly qualified” Activities that are integral to both school and district improvement plans Activities that improve classroom management skills’ activities that are not one-day or short-term workshops (instead, they are to be “high quality, sustained, intensive, and classroom-focused” and have both a positive and lasting effect on a teacher’s classroom performance)

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Continued n n Activities that are developed jointly by teachers, principals, parents, and administrators; Activities that are designed to enhance the teachers’ and principals’ use of technology as it relates to improve teaching and learning in core academic subjects Activities that enhance the knowledge and skills of teachers of limited-English proficient students; Activities that are regularly evaluated for their impact on increased teacher effectiveness as measured by improved student academic achievement’

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Continued n n Activities to provide instruction in methods of teaching students with special needs Activities on how to use data to inform classroom practice Activities on how school personnel-teachers, principals, pupil-services personnel; administratorscan work more effectively with parents Other activities such as training for paraprofessional staff leading to their certification and licensure as teachers or forming partnerships with institutions of higher learning to establish school-based teacher training programs

ASSISTANCE, SANCTIONS and REWARDS n In addition to provisions depicting the accountability of schools for ensuring that 100 % of their students achieve the academic performance standards designated by each state, NCLB also specifically delineates what will happen if this does not occur according to NCLB’s timeline. Specific provisions address how and when assistance is to be provided for schools that do not make adequate yearly progress goals.

School Improvement Year One--After two years of not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) n Professional development – 10% of the school’s allocation funds for professional development n Notice to parents n Offer school choice n Transportation costs

School Improvement Year Two (After three years of not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress) n Professional development – 10% of the school’s allocation funds for professional development n School choice n Supplemental services

School Improvement Year Three—After four years of not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) n Corrective Action – State intervention n Professional development – 10% of the school’s allocation funds for professional development n School Choice n Supplemental Services

PARENTAL CHOICE Range of options for parents n Incentive for low-performing schools to improve n

WHAT WORKS rigorous scientific research n Reading First and Early Reading First Programs n After-School programs n Other programs to prevent drug/violence n “What Works” computer database www. w-w-c. org n

FLEXIBILITY Flexibility n Transferability options n

Four Reform Principles Accountability: Guaranteeing Results n Flexibility: Local Control for Local Challenges n Research-Based Reforms: Proven Methods with Proven Results n Parental Options: Choices for Parents, Hope for Children n

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 www. ed. gov/offices/OESE/asst. html Legislation, Regulations & Guidance n Programs & Funding n Topics A-Z n