No Child Left Behind

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act is the most significant legislation to impact K-12 education since the previous Elementary and Secondary Education Act 1965. The new law represents a major change in federal efforts to support elementary and secondary education in the United States. It is built around four major themes: 1) accountability for results; 2) an emphasis on doing what works based on scientific research; 3) expanded parental options; and 4) expanded local control and flexibility.

The law sets deadlines for states to expand the scope and frequency of student testing, revamp their accountability systems, and guarantee that every teacher is qualified in his/her subject area. NCLB requires states to demonstrate annual progress in raising the percentage of students proficient in reading and math and in narrowing the test-score gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students. At the same time, the new law increases funding in several areas, including K-3 reading programs and before- and after-school programs, and provides states with greater flexibility to use federal funds as they see fit.

Support learning in the early years

No Child Left Behind targets resources for early childhood education. Children who enter school with language and pre-reading skills (e.g., understanding that print reads from left to right and top to bottom) are more likely to learn to read well in the early grades.

Provide information for parents about their child's progress

Under No Child Left Behind, each state must measure every public school student's progress in reading and math in each of grades 3 through 8 and at least once during grades 10 through 12. By school year 2007-2008, assessments in science will be underway. These assessments must be aligned with state academic content and achievement standards.

Alert parents to important information on the performance of their child's school

No Child Left Behind requires states and school districts to give parents easy-to-read, detailed report cards on schools and districts. Included in the report cards are important information about the professional qualifications of teachers as well as student achievement data broken out by race, ethnicity, gender, English language proficiency, migrant status, disability status, and low-income status.

Give children and parents options

Under No Child Left Behind, low-performing schools must use their federal funds to make needed improvements. In the event of a school's continued poor performance, parents have options to transfer to higher-performing schools in the area or receive supplemental educational services in the community, such as tutoring, after-school programs, or remedial classes.

Improve teaching and learning by providing information to teachers and principals

Annual tests to measure children's progress provide teachers with independent information about each child's strengths and weaknesses. With this knowledge, teachers and principals can assess student progress and make informed decisions about how to run their schools.

Ensure that teacher quality is a high priority

No Child Left Behind defines the qualifications needed by teachers and paraprofessionals who work on any facet of classroom instruction. It requires that states develop plans to achieve the goal that all teachers of core academic subjects be highly qualified by the end of the 2005-2006 school year. States must include in their plans annual, measurable objectives that each local school district and school must meet in moving toward the goal; they must report on their progress in the annual report cards.

The legislation impacts newly hired teachers, experienced teachers, and paraprofessionals in many important ways. Teachers must have a bachelor's degree, achieve full state certification, and meet competency standards to be considered highly qualified.

Paraprofessionals acting in an instructional capacity must have an associate's degree, complete two years of equivalent postsecondary study, or pass a test that measures their knowledge of how to teach reading, writing, and math.

These increased requirements are leading some teachers to return to postsecondary education for further study. Other teachers are selecting to take standardized tests in the academic content areas they teach. How does this legislation impact you?

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A major objective of No Child Left Behind is to ensure that high-quality teachers are available for all students, regardless of race, ethnicity, or income, because a well-prepared teacher is vitally important to a child's education. Research demonstrates a clear connection between student academic achievement and teacher quality, yet studies also show that many classrooms and schools, particularly those with economically disadvantaged students, have a disproportionate number of teachers who teach out-of-field or are not "highly qualified."

A major aspect of the legislation that directly impacts teachers is the call for every "core academic class" to be taught by a highly qualified teacher by the 2005-2006 school year. "Core academic classes" are English, reading or language arts, math, science, history, civics and government, geography, economics, the arts, and foreign languages. This means that teachers, including Special education and ESL teachers, must be highly qualified if they teach any of these subjects to their students.

"Highly qualified" is a specific term defined by NCLB. The law outlines the following minimum requirements that teachers of core academic classes must meet in order achieve highly qualified status:

1. hold a bachelor's degree,
2. achieve full state certification, and
3. demonstrate competency for each core academic content area they teach.

Recognizing the importance of state and local control of education, the law provides the flexibility for each state to develop a definition of highly qualified that is consistent with both NCLB as well as the unique needs of each state.

The first requirement, earning a bachelor's degree or higher, is straightforward, and will not vary among states or districts. The second requirement, however, is flexible, because states have the freedom to define certification as they see fit. States can use this opportunity to streamline their certification requirements to the essential elements. They can also create alternative routes to certification.

Regarding the third requirement, the need to demonstrate competence in the subjects the teacher teaches, states are provided with significant flexibility to design ways to do this, especially for core academic teachers with experience. There are also requirements within the law to consider the differences between elementary, middle and high school teachers as well as between newly hired teachers and those with experience.

Because states have the flexibility to determine how they will define certification and measure content area competency, the options for achieving highly qualified status will vary from state to state. In fact, earning "highly qualified" status is a highly complex and individualized process that differs from person to person, depending on his or her unique background, including education, job experience, and the different state requirements he/she met for certification and licensure. However, it is important to note that not every teacher who holds a valid state certificate/license can be considered highly qualified, and not all highly qualified teachers necessarily meet state certification/licensure requirements.

Visit the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) for information specific to achieving highly qualified status in North Carolina.

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Source: SREB Electronic Campus Teacher Center