“ “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB) is the name attached to the ESEA re-authorization, co-sponsored by Senator Edward Kennedy, that President George W. Bush shepherded through Congress and signed into law in 2002” (ESEA/NCLB, ESEA Reauthorizations – No Child Left Behind (NCLB) section, para 1). NCLB altered the status of states from being sovereign over educational policy to essentially having a contract relationship with the federal government. “States receive funding from the government in exchange for producing certain results” (ESEA/NCLB, ESEA Reauthorizations – No Child Left Behind (NCLB) section, para 1). NCLB required academic standards created by states, administration of state-wide standardized tests each year by every public school …show more content…
When NCLB was the law, its effects reached every public school in the United States. Its goal was to level the playing field for students who are disadvantaged which included students in poverty, minorities, students receiving special educational services and those who speak and understand limited or no English. Administration of statewide math and reading assessments was required each year for students in grades 3-8 and once to students in grades 10-12. “States had to bring all students, including those in special education, up to the “proficient” level on tests. They had to set targets for improvement, called adequate yearly progress (AYP) (Lee, NCLB: Holding Schools Accountable section, para …show more content…
“The graduation rate for learning disabled students grew by 11% from 57% in 2002 to 68% in 2011” (Lee, Pros and Cons of NCLB for Students with Learning and Attention Issues section, para 3). One negative aspect of NCLB was the idea that some people believed there was too much focus on standardized testing. “Some schools end up “teaching to the test” – focusing only on what students were tested on” (Lee, Pros and Cons of NCLB for Students with Learning and Attention Issues section, para 4). Some argued that NCLB’s standards-based accountability was inconsistent with special education, which focuses on meeting a child’s individual needs” (Lee, Pros and Cons of NCLB for Students with Learning and Attention Issues section, para