{"id":354844,"date":"2016-04-04T11:01:41","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T16:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/education\/curriculum-standards-school-funding\/no-child-left-behind-act-of-2001-provisions.html"},"modified":"2024-04-10T13:54:20","modified_gmt":"2024-04-10T18:54:20","slug":"no-child-left-behind-act-of-2001-provisions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/education\/curriculum-standards-school-funding\/no-child-left-behind-act-of-2001-provisions.html","title":{"rendered":"No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: Provisions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: Provisions<\/h1>\n
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\n By Jade Yeban, Esq.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Susan Mills Richmond, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last reviewed\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) is a law the government created to help students and schools perform better. President George W. Bush signed this act into law in 2001. It was a big change in education policy in America.<\/p>\r\n

The NCLB Act was a significant reform that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965<\/a> (ESEA). ESEA began to give more federal funding to schools that needed them and to help children from low-income families. NCLB aimed to take this further by introducing stricter accountability measures. It focused on student performance and teacher qualifications. But after years of feedback and changes in educational policies, President Barack Obama introduced the Every Student Succeeds Act<\/a> (ESSA) in 2015 to replace NCLB.<\/p>\r\n

Congress passed the ESSA to give states more flexibility in setting educational standards. ESSA helped states maintain a commitment to equal opportunity for all students. This transition shows how educational policies evolve to meet the needs of students and educators better.<\/p>\r\n

This article gives a brief overview of the titles of the NCLB Act. It also discusses the changes and current state of ESSA in American law.<\/p>\r\n

Goals and Mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act<\/h2>\r\n

The following are the goals and mandates of the NCLB Act:<\/p>\r\n

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  1. Accountability systems:<\/b> Public schools had to set up systems to check student progress. They used state tests to measure student progress.<\/li>\r\n
  2. High academic standards:<\/b> States had to set standards for language arts and math. The goal was for students to reach proficiency by a certain school year.<\/li>\r\n
  3. Report cards: <\/b>Schools had to give out report cards so parents could see how the school and groups of students were doing.<\/li>\r\n
  4. Teacher quality:<\/b> School teachers had to be "highly qualified" for their subjects. This was to ensure the best education for students.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

    Schools also had to ensure special education students were making adequate progress. Other schools, organizations, laws, and regulations might refer to these students using the outdated term \u201cspecial needs.\u201d But, the preferred terminology is education services for students with disabilities.<\/p>\r\n

    Schools had to track how certain groups of students, like those based on race or income, were doing. This was to close the "achievement gap," where some students were behind others.<\/p>\r\n

    The Role of the Federal Government with NCLB<\/h2>\r\n

    Through the U.S. Department of Education<\/a>, the federal government had a big role in NCLB. The federal government made sure schools followed the rules. Schools faced sanctions or penalties if they didn’t do well for several consecutive years. This could mean corrective action or restructuring. It could also mean losing Title I funds. These are special funds for schools with many students from low-income families.<\/p>\r\n

    Parents could also choose another public school for their child if a local school was failing. Students in failing schools also qualified for extra help, like tutoring.<\/p>\r\n

    Titles of the NCLB Act<\/h2>\r\n

    NCLB has hundreds of pages of text. The law has 10 sections called titles. The titles and summaries of the law in each of these titles are:<\/p>\r\n

    Title I: Improving Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged<\/h3>\r\n

    Title I focused on serving the educational needs of students from low-income families. With federal funds, public schools aimed to close the achievement gap. Particularly, they aimed to close the gap among specific subgroups of students. The use of research-based school programs helped students achieve state academic standards.<\/p>\r\n

    Title I authorized the federal and state governments to set aside funding for schools that follow NCLB requirements. It also created challenging statewide assessments for its students’ academic achievement and included submitting plans to the state and federal education departments. These plans aimed at improving student scores on these assessments.<\/p>\r\n

    Under NCLB, states could also choose to set other goals for school improvement. For example, this could include increasing high school graduation and attendance rates. Teachers must be "highly qualified." Yet, the law didn’t fully explain this until Title II.<\/p>\r\n

    School districts must file annual reports with the federal and state education departments. These reports were to test whether the district has made adequate yearly progress<\/a> (AYP). Also, schools were to work to inform parents about students’ academic achievement. Schools also ensured teachers and administrators were accessible to parents who wished greater input.<\/p>\r\n

    Title I describes the consequences of failing to meet adequate yearly progress<\/a>. These consequences did not apply to schools that did not make AYP. Instead, they applied to students who could improve proficiency in core subject areas. It also allocated extra funds to those who were particularly struggling.<\/p>\r\n

    Under NCLB, the government funded many other programs designed to raise student achievement, including:<\/p>\r\n