Publishing Solutions Group

The current administration has said it’s time for broad changes in the No Child Left Behind law implemented in 2001. While the administration is proposing “sweeping changes”, they are not planning to abandon the primary commitments to closing the gap between white and minority students. Rather, they plan to address the parts of the law that teachers, principals, school boards, and other groups have found objectionable.

With input from both sides of the political aisle, the administration’s proposed revisions include the following:
  *  change federal funding formulas based on total enrollment and enrollment of low-income students to funding based on academic progress
  *  eliminate the 2014 deadline, and replace it with a goal that students leave high school college or career ready
  *  not just identify schools as “failing” based on Adequate Yearly Progress, but force them to change in order to succeed
  *  evaluate schools in more nuanced ways that differentiate among schools that are chronic failures, have been failing but are improving, or are succeeding overall but failing at-risk students

The administration has already had an impact on education with its Race to the Top initiative worth $4 billion that grants funds to schools based in part on teachers’ test scores. States that prohibit the use of test scores to evaluate teachers are not eligible for the grants.

My guess is that there will be much discussion, negotiation, and even resistance to these proposals as all parties weigh in on the issues. The last attempt to overhaul the law in 2007 was unsuccessful because of issues like teacher merit pay. Perhaps, now three years later with more students at risk, we can come up with a plan that works first and foremost for our children.

In your continued efforts to create effective intervention and assessment tools for students and teachers who want to succeed, you can count on us at PSG to help with your development and production needs.

NCLB Makeover for a detailed account of the proposed changes.