The No Child Left Behind Act is an extremely complex Act that was signed into law by President Bush on January 8, 2002. The key components of the No Child Left Behind Act are having highly qualified teachers, having schools meet adequate yearly progress, test students’ knowledge using standardized testing, having statewide report cards, and much more.
Under the authorization of No Child Left Behind, teachers are required to be highly qualified. This means that teachers need to have a teaching license in the state they are planning on teaching in and must have passed the certification examination in the specific state. In addition, teachers must have a bachelor’s degree and pass the state examination on the subject area in which they are planning on teaching. Teachers need to be highly qualified in order to teach in a public school system, whether they are elementary or secondary teachers.
The next major component regarding the No Child Left Behind Act is adequate yearly progress (AYP). Schools must reach adequate yearly progress or else have to face harsh consequences. Each individual state sets a standard as to what they feel its students should be achieving on standardized tests in school, so adequate yearly progress is based on standards set by the state. If a school fails to meet adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years, the school will have to refer students to other schools that have meet adequate yearly progress and have a means of transportation for students to the school which has met AYP for the year. The school will also have to develop a plan on how they are going to improve their district in order to meet AYP for the next years. The consequences get worse for the number of consecutive years that a district does not meet AYP.
One of the biggest components of all in the No Child Left Behind Act is the huge amount of standardized testing this is required. There is a test for reading, math, science, social sciences, and most of the major subjects. The students have to receive a certain score or else the district is in trouble. Students have to be at least proficient in their knowledge of the subject area in order to meet the standards outlined as part of AYP.
Yet another component of the No Child Left Behind Act is annual report cards. The schools have a report card showing where they lie in meeting all of the components of No Child Left Behind. These report cards are easily available to anybody who desires to see the results and how the school and students measured up to the No Child Left Behind Act for the year.
Overall, the No Child Left Behind Act is quite complex. The points outlined are just a few of the major components that make up the NCLB Act.
