No Child Left Behind Act (continued)

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Enhanced Parental Choice.  NCLB gives parents of children in low-performing schools several options. Parents with children in schools that fail to meet state standards for two consecutive years may transfer their children to a better-performing public school, including a public charter school, within their district. If they do so, the district must provide transportation, using Title I funds if necessary. Students from low-income families in schools that fail to meet state standards for 3 years are eligible to receive supplemental educational services—including tutoring, after-school services, and summer school. In addition, NCLB provides increased support to parents, educators, and communities to create new charter schools. Parents can also choose to have their students attend a safe school within their district if they attend persistently dangerous schools or are the victim of a violent crime while in their school.

Focus on What Works.  NCLB puts a special emphasis on determining what educational programs and practices have been clearly demonstrated to be effective through rigorous scientific research. The NCLB-funded Reading First programs are a prime example. NCLB provides support for scientifically based reading instruction in the early grades under the new Reading First program and in preschool under the new Early Reading First program. Reading First is designed to help states, school districts, and schools ensure that every child can read at grade level or above by the end of third grade through the implementation of instructional programs and materials, assessments, and professional development grounded in scientifically based reading research. Evidence-based instructional programs focus on the five key areas that research has identified as essential components of reading instruction—phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle (i.e., phonics), fluency with text, vocabulary, and comprehension (National Reading Panel, 2000; National Research Council, 1998).

Implications for Students with Disabilities.  It is too early to know how NCLB will affect students with disabilities and the quality of education they receive. The inclusion of all students’ scores on high-stakes tests in a school district’s report card has resulted in higher expectations for achievement by students receiving special education and increased accountability of schools to help them attain it. Some students with mild to moderate disabilities are provided with accommodations (e.g., additional time, large print) when taking district- and statewide tests. Students with severe disabilities for whom standard academic achievement tests would be inappropriate can take alternative assessments (e.g., a video portfolio demonstrating improvements in language or adaptive behavior) if their IEP team recommends them (Bolt & Thurlow, 2004). NCLB expects all students to make adequate progress, but it is not yet clear how states will define adequate progress for students with severe intellectual disabilities (Browder & Cooper-Duffy, 2003).