 Reauthorization of ESEA
Features of the law
NCLB programs
NCLB's impact on California
For more on NCLB
In January 2002, President Bush signed a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. Known as the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the reauthorization strengthens the federal pressure on all states to pursue a standards-based reform agenda. This includes high academic standards for all students, extra support to help students and schools meet those standards, increased flexibility for local schools in order for them to do so, and greater accountability for the results, particularly as measured by student performance on standardized tests.
NCLB includes block grants to states for innovative education programs and sweeping requirements for states to demonstrate by 2013-14 that all students meet their state's definition of academically "proficient." To show progress toward that goal, districts must publicize school report cards and test 95% of third through eighth graders in reading and math against state standards. States are also required to show that all teachers in core academic subjects are "highly qualified" as defined by the state. (States were supposed to achieve this standard by June 2006, but when no state was able to meet this requirement, the government extended the deadline in exchange for plans from the states on how they would achieve the goal.) NCLB also includes a strong parental choice component, giving parents the right to transfer their children out of chronically low-performing or dangerous schools.
The No Child Left Behind Act is organized into 10 sections called "titles." Each title establishes the requirements of a program or set of programs. In California, funds from NCLB's programs are generally channeled through the California Department of Education to districts and schools.
California receives about $3 billion in NCLB program funding, with Title I grants to local education agencies representing about two-thirds of that amount.
Title I: Extra support for students who live in poverty. Along with basic grants to local education agencies, Title I also includes the Reading First, Early Reading First, Even Start, and Comprehensive School Reform programs. A large portion of Title I funding is aimed at schools serving students living in poverty. However, funding under other titles is not necessarily based on income criteria.
Title II: Preparing, training, and recruiting high quality teachers and principals. This provides funds to school districts to improve training and development, hire new educators, and retain highly qualified ones.
Title III: Language instruction for limited English proficient (LEP) and immigrant students. This state-administered grant program provides funding to districts based on the number of LEP and immigrant students they serve. It includes specific assessment and parent notification requirements.
Title IV: 21st Century Schools. This title provides grants for out-of-school programs aimed at keeping students safe and supporting academic achievement.
Title V: Promoting informed parental choice and innovative programs. This provides federal grant support for Innovative Programs (Part A) and Public Charter Schools (Part B) (both previously existing programs). It also includes an incentive program to help charter schools meet their facility needs.
Title VI: Flexibility and accountability. Part A of Title VI provides funds for states to improve the quality, validity, and reliability of their testing systems. Title VI also includes a demonstration project that provides an opportunity to experiment with and evaluate additional flexibility. Part B provides extra grant funds and flexibility to school districts that are located in rural areas and serve fewer than 600 students.
Additional elements of NCLB existed prior to this ESEA reauthorization and continue largely unchanged. Title VII covers Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native Education; Title VIII, Impact Aid; Title IX, General provisions; and Title X, Repeals, Redesignations, and Amendments to other statutes.
Components of NCLB touch and interact with virtually every area of California education policy. And, to qualify for funding under NCLB, the state had to meet certain regulatory requirements and procedures. California already had many of these in place, but to fully comply, it realigned some of its programs and policies. Following are the major areas of California policy affected by NCLB.
Standards
California's approach to standards and curriculum satisfies NCLB requirements. However, NCLB's new emphasis on using "scientifically proven" reading and instruction programs means that districts have to select from a list of state-approved materials that meet this requirement in order to continue to receive federal Title I funding. To learn more about California's standards, see our Standards section.
Assessment
California's testing system was already consistent with most NCLB requirements, including participation in the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) and testing all third through eighth graders annually in reading and mathematics. However, the state did have to expand its science assessments to meet NCLB's requirements for administering a science test, based on core science standards, to all students in at least one grade at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. To learn more about California's assessment system, see our section on Assessment.
Accountability
NCLB and California policy both emphasize regular assessment of students and making the performance of schools very public. However, the two accountability systems differ in how they define success. California's system emphasizes improvement while the federal system focuses on whether a specified percentage of students have attained proficiency in math and English in a given year. Some say that the two systems help the public by offering different perspectives on school performance, but others see them as sending mixed messages. To learn more about California's accountability system, see our Accountability section.
Teacher quality
NCLB puts attention on the pressing need for qualified teachers in every school. The federal law set guidelines for states to use in defining a "highly qualified" teacher, and mandated that only teachers fitting that description were to be hired at schools receiving Title I funding as of the 2002–03 school year. Teachers in all schools were to meet those same qualifications by the end of the 2005–06 school year. California has aligned state credentialing requirements with NCLB and has put other systems in place for NCLB certification of all teachers. However, along with the other states, California is working toward the goal of having 100% highly qualified teachers.
To learn more about teacher quality issues, see our Teacher Quality education issue.
Choice
California has long had intradistrict choice, by which students can choose to attend any public school in their district as long as it has room to take them. NCLB gives parents the right to transfer their children out of low-performing or dangerous schools. To learn more about choice provisions in California, see our section on Choice. Also see the EdSource NCLB FAQ for this and other subjects of particular interest to parents.
EdSource has prepared more in-depth materials on NCLB, which include publications and related data.
Go to the California Department of Education's NCLB website at www.cde.ca.gov/nclb because it serves as a clearinghouse for information on California's ongoing implementation of NCLB.
To read the text of The No Child Behind Act of 2001, see related budget documents, view non-regulatory guidelines, find out the latest federal news on NCLB, and more, go to the U.S. Department of Education's NCLB website at www.ed.gov/nclb
To read analysis of the federal law and to find out how other states are implementing NCLB, check out the following websites:
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