Changes to NCLB Help, But More Needs To Be Done

U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige has now made four substantive changes to regulations that govern implementation of the so-called "No Child Left Behind" federal education law.    

The latest change relaxes the requirement that 95 percent of all students in each subgroup in a school must take the test in order for the school to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).    

NEA has welcomed the Department of Education's recognition that the law as written is inflexible and needs to be changed. But much more remains to be done.    

None of the announced changes addresses a fundamental flaw of NCLB -– measuring schools and holding them accountable based just on two test scores on one day.    

There is no flexibility to utilize multiple measures of student achievement. Even in basing accountability just on test scores, NCLB limits how tests scores are utilized, basing everything on a snapshot on one day of what percent of students are proficient. Growth or value added models are not allowed.      

NCLB also fails to give schools credit for moving students from below basic to basic, or from proficient to advanced. NCLB is still too focused on punishments and sanctions, treating a school that falls just a bit short on one of the 37 required criteria the same as a school that fails to meet all 37.      

Moreover, none of the announced or proposed changes ensure that paraprofessionals will not have to pay out of their own pocket for college courses or tests required of them. The changes also fail to ensure that civil rights laws apply to supplemental service providers.     And, finally, NCLB still fails to provide the resources necessary for improving student achievement.

The following are brief summaries of the first three changes, along with NEA's concerns about each.

Assessing Students with Disabilities
Assessing Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students
Highly Qualified Teachers

Read about NEA's response to changes in NCLB test participation rules here.

March 2004