Summary of Public Law 107-110 – “The No Child Left Behind Act of 2002” (NCLB)

The law requires states to implement a statewide accountability system. NCLB establishes requirements for:

1. Yearly testing and assessments of student performance;
2. State standards for and assessments of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP);
3. Local educational agency (LEA) identification of schools for improvement and corrective actions;
4. Reporting to parents and the public on school performance and teacher quality;
5. Eligibility requirements for school-wide programs; and
6. Increased qualifications of teachers and paraprofessionals.

     In addition, NCLB provides alternatives for students at public schools failing to meet AYP standards within certain periods, including:

1. Public school transfer options for all students at such schools; and
2. Supplementary educational services for low-income children who remain at such schools.

     The law requires each state to define AYP in a specified manner, which includes separate measurable annual objectives for continuous and substantial improvement for the achievement of all public elementary school and secondary school students in the state, and for the achievement of specific groups:

1. Economically disadvantaged students;
2. Students from major racial and ethnic groups;
3. Students with disabilities; and
4. Students with limited English proficiency.

     NCLB requires states, by the 2005-2006 school year, to conduct annual academic standards-based assessments in mathematics and reading or language arts in grades 3 through 8. It requires such assessments in science at three grade levels by the 2007-2008 school year. The law provides for grants to states to develop such assessments.

     Additionally, NCLB requires distribution to parents and communities of state and LEA report cards on the academic quality of all schools, including the qualifications of teachers and teachers' aides. Includes among required information in State report cards:

1. Comparisons between the actual achievement levels of the specified groups of students and the State's annual measurable objectives for such groups; and
2. Professional qualifications of teachers in the state, the percentage of such teachers teaching with emergency or provisional credentials, and the percentage of classes in the state not taught by highly qualified teachers, in the aggregate and disaggregated by high-poverty compared to low-poverty schools.

     For a more detailed summary of the bill, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:HR00001:@@@D&summ2=4&|TOM:/bss/d107query.html|

    For the actual legislation, go to: http://frwebgate1.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=83155030684+0+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve

     Below is a link to the Federal Register final rule affecting students deemed to have the most significant cognitive disabilities by their states. Under the rule, these students would be tested against standards appropriate for their intellectual development and, for accountability purposes, their scores would be counted as part of their school's performance.

http://www.ed.gov/legislation/FedRegister/finrule/2003-4/120903a.html

Update: August 2004

Education Commission of States (ECS) Report to the Nation: State Implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act.

This groundbreaking report contains information you won't find anywhere else about how implementation of NCLB is playing out in states. It includes results from ECS' comprehensive database, which tracks and reports state implementation activity on 40 NCLB indicators; trends within and across states; issues and challenges facing states; and recommendations. [more...]

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