No child Left Behind Act

Introduction

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, signed into law by President George W. Bush, was created to close the achievement gap and ensure that every student attains proficiency in reading and mathematics. NCLB uses federal funds to encourage schools and school districts to comply with the Act. NCLB was intended to reform education through four pillars. These include improved accountability for states and schools, more options for parents and students regarding school selection and additional education resources, greater freedom for states and school districts in the spending of federal education funds, and employing proven educational methods (U.S. Department of Education, 2005). This review focuses on the approach to educational reform and the provisions provided for this reform made in the No Child Left Behind Act.

Answer 1

The problem of underachievement in public schooling has long been an issue of concern. It was then that the problem was defined as a low achievement across all children, but also did specify economically disadvantaged and English limited children not racial differences. Once standard based testing came about, observable signs became apparent of racial, economic, and disadvantaged student differences in proficiency testing his led to the reforms that we now see in the No Child Left Behind Act.

The NCLB accountability system requires states to develop content standards for what students should know and be able to do, as well as complementary state assessments. It requires states to annually test students to measure competency in the core subjects of reading and math. By the 2013-14 school year, all states are required to have all their students score proficient on state reading and math assessments. The law leaves it to the states to determine the content and rigor of these standards and tests.6 NCLB requires states to set academic standards that define three levels of achievement: basic, proficient and advanced. For each assessment, each state must then develop corresponding tests in reading, math and, eventually, science. These assessments are to be administered every year in grades three through eight and at least once in high school. States also are required to design and administer a science assessment by the 2007-08 school years and to test students at least once each in elementary, middle and high school. Adequate yearly progress (AYP) is the metric used to evaluate school and district performance under NCLB. The expectation is that all schools and districts will make AYP—or, in other words, jump over a 'bar' that represents the percentage of children that must score proficient on math and reading assessments. Over time, states must raise the bar so that, by the 2013-14 school years, it is set at 100 percent. For instance, a state could deem a school as making AYP if 50 percent of its students were proficient in reading in 2007, so long as expectations were stepped up to 100 percent by the 2013-14 school years.

The No Child Left Behind Act requires that all children, including English language learners (ELLs), reach ...