THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT

1. THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT

2. Basic facts • The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB)is an act of congress concerning the education of children in public schools. • It was initially proposed by the administration of George W. Bush and received bipartisan support in Congress. • NCLB supports standards-based education reform: setting high standards and establishing measurable goals should improve students’ achievement. • The Act requires states to develop assessments in basic skills to be given to all students in certain grades, if those states are to receive federal funding for schools. But the Act does not assert a national achievement standard; standards are set by each individual state. • Since the bill was enacted, Congress has increased federal funding of education. Funding relatedtoNCLB received a 40.4% increase. The funding for reading quadrupled.

3. An obligation to score high • No Child Left Behind requires all government-run schools receiving federal funding to administer a state-wide standardized test annually to all students. • The students' scores determine whether the school has taught the students well. Schools must make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in test scores (e.g. each year, its fifth graders must do better on standardized tests than the previous year's fifth graders). • If the school's results are repeatedly poor, then steps are taken to improve the school. • Schools that miss AYP for a second consecutive year are publicly labeled as being "in need of improvement" and are required to develop a two-year improvement plan. Students are given the option to transfer to a better school within the school district, if any exists. • Missing AYP in the third year forces the school to offer free tutoring to struggling students. • If a school misses its AYP target for a fourth consecutive year, the school may have to replace staff, to introduce a new curriculum, or to extend the amount of time students spend in class. • A fifth year of failure results in closing the school, turning the school into a charter school, hiring a private company to run the school, or asking the state office of education to run the school directly. • Each state sets its own standards.

6. THE ASSETS Proponents claim that No Child Left Behind: • Links state academic content standards with student outcomes and performances. • Measures student performanceannuallyin grades 3 through 8 and at least once during high school via standardized tests. • Provides information for parents as states and school districts must give parents detailed report cards on schools and districts explaining the school's AYP performance. Schools must also inform parents when their child is being taught by a teacher or para-professional who does not meet "highly qualified" requirements. • Improves administration since the assessment data help make decisions on instruction, curriculum and business practices.

7. EFFECT • Analyses of the state accountability systems that existed before NCLB suggest that accountability for results led to faster growth in achievement for the states that introduced such systems. • Yet, the NCLB act is accused of reducing effective instruction and student learning by inciting states to lower achievement goals and of motivating teachers to "teach to the test." • Conversely, advocates of NCLB argue that systematic testing provides data that shed light on which schools are not teaching basic skills effectively, so that interventions can be made to improve outcomes for all students while reducing the achievement gap for disadvantaged and disabled students.

8. CONTROVERSIAL RESULTS • The Department of Education points to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, released in July 2005, showing improved student achievement in reading and math: • More progress was made by nine-year-olds in reading in the last five years than in the previous 28 years combined. • America's nine-year-olds posted the best scores in reading (since 1971) and math (since 1973) in the history of the report. America's 13-year-olds earned the highest math scores the test ever recorded. • Reading and math scores for black and Hispanic nine-year-olds reached an all-time high. • Achievement gaps in reading and math between white and black nine-year-olds and between white and Hispanic nine-year-olds are at an all-time low. • Forty-three states and the District of Columbia either improved academically or held steady in all categories (fourth- and eighth-grade reading and fourth- and eighth-grade math). • Many argue that these statistics are misleading. They compare 2005 with 2000, when No Child Left Behind didn't even take effect until 2003. • They point out that the increase in scores between 2000 and 2003 was roughly the same as the increase between 2003 and 2005, which calls into question how any increase can be attributed to No Child Left Behind. • They also argue that some of the subgroups are cherry-picked –– that in other subgroups scores remained the same or actually fell. • Also, the makers of the standardized tests have been blamed for making the tests easier so that it is easier for schools to sufficiently improve.

9. The downside Critics have argued that the focus on standardized testing as the means of assessment encourages teachers to teach a narrow subset of skills that the teacher believes will increase test performance, rather than focus on acquiring deep understanding of the full, broad curriculum.Thepractice of giving all students the same test, under the same conditions, has been accused of inherent cultural bias because different cultures may value different skills. Besides, because each state can produce its own standardized tests, a state can make its statewide tests easier to increase scores.

10. A race to the bottom? • NCLB puts pressure on schools to guarantee that nearly all students will meet the minimum skill levels (set by each state) in reading, writing, and arithmetic, but requires nothing beyond these minimums. There are no incentives to improve students' achievements beyond the bare minimum. Programs that are not essential to achieving the mandated minimum skills are neglected or canceled by those districts. • In particular, NCLB does not require any programs for gifted, talented, and other high-performing students.

11. MINORITY STUDENTS • NCLB seeks to narrow class and racial gaps in school performance by creating common expectations for all. • It also requires schools and districts to focus their attention on the academic achievement of traditionally under-served groups of children, such as low-income students, students with disabilities, and students of "major racial and ethnic subgroups". •  Each state is responsible for defining major racial and ethnic subgroups itself. Many previous state-created systems of accountability measured only average school performance, allowing schools to be highly rated even if they had large achievement gaps between affluent and disadvantaged students.

12. OBAMA’S reform of nclb • President Barack Obama released his blueprint for reform in March 2010. • Specific revisions include providing funds for states to implement a broader range of assessments to evaluate advanced academic skills, including students’ abilities to conduct research, use technology, engage in scientific investigation, solve problems, and communicate effectively. • In addition, Obama is proposing that the NCLB legislation lessen its accountability punishments to states by focusing more on student improvement. Improvement measures would encompass assessing all children appropriately, including English language learners, minorities, and special needs students. • Obama’s objectives also entail lowering the achievement gap between Black and White students and also increasing the federal budget by $3 billion to help schools meet the strict mandates of the bill. • The Obama administration is also proposing that states increase their academic standards as opposed to weakening school curriculums, re-classifying failing schools, and creating a new evaluation method for educators. • The federal government will provide grants to states to help them develop and implement assessments that are based on higher standards in order to more accurately measure school progress.

16. SUMMARY • Whatis the aim of the NCLB act? • Whatisitbased on? Whatdoesitmeasure? • How are states encouraged to increasestudentachievement? • What are the main arguments of the opponents to NCLB?