NCLB
No Child Left Behind
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 is a federal law to improve education for all children. The goal of NCLB is to have every student on grade level by 2014. NCLB was created to help all children find success in school.
Key Facts
- Schools must show that they are making adequate yearly progress (AYP) towards meeting state learning standards, which are measured by standardized tests.
- Every year, school report cards are released that show parents if a school met AYP.
- If a school does not meet APY for several years, they are designated a “school in need of improvement.
- Schools in a need of improvement are required to take steps to improve academic achievement of students. In some cases, parents can move their child to another school (public school choice) or participate in free tutoring (supplemental education services).
- Schools and school districts must create and distribute written parental involvement policies that explain how schools will involve parents in their children’s education.
- Schools must have a high level of teacher quality. Teachers must be certified in both the subject and grade they teach.
To learn more about No Child Left Behind in New York State, visit the New York State Education Department’s website at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/nclb/.
There are six key parts of the NCLB:
- Learning Standards
- School Accountability
- Public School Choice and Free Tutoring
- High Qualifications for Teachers
- Parental Involvement
For more detailed information on each of the above key parts check out the NCLB parent guide or fact sheet under Parent Resources.
Under NCLB, schools must show that their students are making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and meeting the state learning standards. Schools show AYP through student test scores, graduation rates, and teacher quality. This is reported to the public by the New York State Department of Education through the New York State School Report Cards. Ask your school for a copy of the report card or download a copy at https://www.nystart.gov/publicweb/.
A school will be identified in the Improvement phase if it does not show AYP for two years in a row in the same grade and subject. If your child’s school is identified as being in the Improvement phase, you may have options regarding extra tutoring services and school choice.
New York State Learning Standards
Learning standards describe what children should know, understand and be able to do as a result of their schooling.In New York State, there are learning standards in seven content areas.
- English Language Arts
- Science
- Mathematics, Science, and Technology
- Social Studies
- Career Development and Occupational Studies
- Health, Physical Education, and Family and Consumer Sciences
- The Arts
All public schools in New York State must address the learning standards within the curriculum.
In order to measure how well students are meeting the standards, schools are required by No Child Left Behind to administer standardized assessments.
In New York State, assessments are given on the following schedule:
- English Language Arts (ELA) – Tests given in grades 3-8
- Mathematics – Tests given in grades 3-8
- Science (written and lab) – tests given in grade 4 and grade 8
- Social Studies – tests given in grade 5 and grade 8
- High School Regent’s Exams – students take Regent’s exams every year in January and/or June (specific tests depend on what classes the student is taking).
Each year, student test scores are used to show whether or not a school district is making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) toward meeting state learning standards. The results are released to the public in annual school report cards.
For more information on the New York State Learning Standards, visit the New York State Education Department website at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/nysatl/standards
Supplemental Educational Services (SES)
Your child may qualify for free tutoring services if your child’s school is a Title I School that is identified as Improvement Year 1 and your child qualifies for free or reduced priced lunch. You may have to provide transportation to the SES services that are offered outside of the regular school day. For more information on Supplemental Education Services (SES) click here.
Public School Choice
You may request for your child to attend a different public school in the same district if the school your child attends is a Title I school that is identified as Improvement Year 2.
Additionally, schools in the Improvement phase must undergo School Quality Review, which is a school improvement support and intervention strategy. Schools in the Corrective Action phase must undergo a Curriculum Audit, which is an assessment of the school’s education program as it is written and taught. Schools in the Restructuring phase must implement a restructuring plan and undergo an Assessment of the Education Program by a Joint Intervention Team, which is a team appointed by the New York Commissioner of Education. For more information on Public School Choice click here.
Title I
The options for families described in the previous paragraph are only available to families whose children attend Title I schools. The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has 10 parts, or Titles. The first part, Title I, is important because Title I money is the biggest source of federal funding for K-12 schools. More than half of all public schools are Title I schools. The goal of Title I is to give resources to schools that have many students from low-income families. The purpose is to make sure that all students have the chance to get a high-quality education, meet the New York State Standards, and be successful in school. For more information on Title I click here.
- Write school and district parental involvement policies explaining how schools will involve parents.
- Hold a yearly meeting with parents to explain Title I.
- Give parents up-to-date information about how their children are doing in terms of meeting the standards.
- Involve parents in the decisions about how parent involvement money is spent.
- Provide after-school or summer programs
- Train parents, teachers, or other school staff
- Buy equipment and materials
- Take-home learning activities
- Support parent involvement activities
- Parent meetings
- Transportation and childcare for parents to participate in activities
- Hiring family liaisons
- Family resource centers in schools