Publications About the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)

EdSource offers a wide range of publications that provide background information about the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and how it affects public education in California. This page lists recent EdSource publications, including comprehensive EdSource Reports that you can order through our secure e-commerce system, online articles, and briefs you can download free.

Note: Downloadable publications are available as PDFs. You will need Acrobat Reader to view and print them.

NAEP and the California Standards Tests: A Case of Apples and Oranges (May 2008) The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and California Standards Tests (CSTs) appear to offer conflicting reports on the academic performance of California’s students. This 12-page report explores some of the factors that explain why the two tests yield different but valuable portraits of student achievement. READ MORE     qty: Buy to download now (select Qty. 1), $5.00     qty: Buy to receive by mail, $5.00

Frequently Asked Questions About the No Child Left Behind Act or NCLB (August 2007) A comprehensive list of questions and answers about the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Updated August 2007. (Available free online.) READ MORE

California's School Accountability System Under the Federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) (August 2007) This publication describes Adequate Yearly Progress as defined by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and how it affects California. Updated August 2007. (Available free online.) READ MORE

Quality Education Investment Act embodies a new approach to interventions (February 2007) The QEIA is California’s latest intervention program to help low-performing schools. This two-page brief explains the selection and funding processes, details the expectations for schools and districts, and discusses implementation issues. Free download. READ MORE

Worthy Goals, Limited Success: Intervention Programs in California (February 2007) This EdSource report looks at the history of the state's interventions programs, reviews the evaluations that have been completed, and contrasts those programs with federal requirements including new interventions for school districts. Free download. READ MORE

A Glossary of Accountability Terms (February 2007) This handy, one-page resource is a guide to state and federal accountability programs. Free download. READ MORE

The Academic Performance Index (API) (May 2006) The API is used to compare the performance of California schools and is the centerpiece of the state's accountability program. However, the enactment of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) in 2002, caused the API to take a back seat to NCLB’s “adequate yearly progress (AYP)” approach. This publication describes both the API and AYP and explains why the former is still important to California's school accountability system. View free online. READ MORE

Alternatives to the CAHSEE were considered (February 2006) While many feel that the CAHSEE is a good measure of what students should know to graduate from high school, others believe that alternatives should be provided. Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell’s office developed a chart of alternatives and their advantages and disadvantages. READ MORE

The California High School Exit Exam Gets Real (February 2006) The California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) holds students, rather than schools accountable for performance. Debate continues over whether the exit exam requirement is fair for all students. This report maps out the history and status of the exam and addresses key issues surrounding it. READ MORE     qty: Buy to download now (select Qty. 1), $5.00     qty: Buy to receive by mail, $5.00

How Hard is the Exit Exam? (February 2006) The California High School Exit Exam is a pass/fail test consisting of two parts—English language arts and math. These sample questions offer clues about the exam's difficulty. READ MORE

School Accountability Under NCLB: Ambitious Goals and Competing Systems (August 2005) Two years before the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) became law, California passed its own Public Schools Accountability Act (PSAA). Both programs aim to improve student performance, but they differ fundamentally in the way they define school success. The California Department of Education has developed a proposal in which a modified PSAA would serve as California's sole accountability system going forward. This 16-page report describes the proposal, summarizes similarities and differences between PSAA and NCLB, and highlights key related issues. You may download this publication for free or buy it to receive by mail. READ MORE     qty: Buy to receive by mail, $5.00

Executive Summary: No Child Left Behind in California? (January 2004) This two-page summary of EdSource's report, No Child Left Behind in California: the impact of the federal NCLB Act so far, highlights the changes California has made in state education policy to comply with NCLB and the impact of those changes on the state's schools. Free download. READ MORE

No Child Left Behind in California? The impact of the federal NCLB Act so far (January 2004) This 20-page report offers a broad look at the impacts of No Child Left Behind in California by examining the intent of the law’s major provisions, the federal requirements for compliance, and how California is changing its school improvement and accountability programs in response. Free download. READ MORE

Update: California's Education Reforms (October 2002) This 16-page report summarizes California's standards-based reform efforts to-date and looks at what's in store, including possible impacts of the federal No Child Left Behind Act and the proposed California Master Plan. Free download. READ MORE     qty: Buy to receive by mail, $3.00