Brush Up On 7 NCLB Terms

Don't become flustered by the many terms and abbreviations from the No Child Left Behind act. Brush up on your NCLB terms by learning them right here.

Title I focuses on improving academic achievement for the economically disadvantaged. Title I funds are given to the states to give to school districts based on the number of low-income families who enroll. These federal funds are available to help failing schools provide tutoring, after-school services, and summer school.

Standardized tests are administered to schools to determine which schools are improving and which schools need more help. Students take these tests once every year in 3rd through 8th grade and at least once in high school.

Have you ever heard the phrases "the school has met AYP" or "the school did not make AYP" being thrown around? The NCLB term Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) describes how your child's school has met state reading and math standards. Check your school's report card to see if your school has met its AYP goals.

Safe Harbor is a term that can be used to describe if a school has met its yearly AYP goal. If the school as a whole and its subgroups do not make AYP, the school can still make AYP by making significant yearly progress. A school can meet standards through "Safe Harbor" AYP - which is when the percentage of students who are not proficient is reduced by 10% from the previous year.

Schools who have not yet met math and reading AYP goals for 2 years are labeled "Schools in Need of Improvement," which are also known as Title I schools. These schools are provided resources to help them improve. Children attending these schools are given the choice to transfer to another public school, and they may also qualify for free tutoring.

Supplemental Educational Services (SES) is the extra help and tutoring given to failing schools to help them meet standards. Low-income families may be eligible to receive additional tutoring and academic help for free. These extra services usually take place during the summer or after school.

The NCLB term Highly Qualified Teacher means that all teachers are certified to teach, have a college degree, and they are highly qualified in their core academic subjects. Teachers must pass subject-specific, state tests to become certified in a subject or specialization.