What is No Child Left Behind (NCLB)?    

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is a federal law covering public schools that went into effect on July 1, 2002 . The goal of No Child Left Behind is to have ALL children performing on grade level within 12 years.

Some of the major themes are:

•  Schools must show improvement each year. This is called adequate yearly progress . If a school does not meet improvement goals after two years, it is placed on a "Needs Improvement" list.

•  Parents of students in "Needs Improvement" schools can send their child to another school and transportation may be provided.

•  Low-income parents in "Needs Improvement" schools also can request supplemental educational services such as free tutoring for their students. If parents transfer to another school, they will not be eligible for the supplemental educational services.

•  Schools must hire "highly qualified" staff and must tell parents about the qualifications of the staff.

What is Title I?   

  No Child Left Behind applies to all public schools. However, i n its first years of implementation, many of the NCLB rules apply only to Title I schools. Title I provides f ederal support for schools with a high percentage of low-income students. In Fulton , 33 elementary and middle schools qualify for this additional support.

What is Adequate Yearly Progress and Needs Improvement?

  Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) refers to the improvements made each year in local schools. The federal law requires each state to develop guidelines for determining if makes improvement. Title I schools must meet the guidelines. If the school goes two years without making Adequate Yearly Progress, the school is placed in Needs Improvement . To come out of Needs Improvement, the school must make AYP for two consecutive years.

How is AYP determined?

   In the first year of NCLB implementation, Georgia looked at Criterion Referenced Competency Tests scores for 4 th and 8 th grade students. The CRCT is reported as levels-Level I means the student is performing below grade level, Level II means the student is on grade level, and Level III means the student is above grade level. Using that criterion, Fulton had 10 schools that had gone two or more years without adequate yearly progress and were listed as Needs Improvement schools. Those 10 schools offered choice transfer options beginning with the 2002-2003 school year. It is important to remember that the criteria relied only on one test, given to one grade, and the scores were not from the current class of students.

Beginning with the 2003-2004 school year, the state will change the criteria. The CRCT again will be the test that is used, but the state will no longer require a five percent move out from each subgroup. Instead, the new requirements call for at least 50% of the students in all subgroups to score in Levels II or III in Mathematics. In Reading and English/Language Arts, at least 60% of all students in each subgroup must score at Level II or III. The percentages will increase over time until 2013-14, when the goal will be to have 100% of students scoring at or above grade level. For 2003-2004, the fourth, sixth, and eighth grade CRCT tests will be used. In future years, tests will be given in grades 3-8. For the first year, the 2002-2003 test scores will be used.

   Georgia also identifies criteria for high schools; however, Fulton currently has no high school qualifying for Title I services.

Subgroups

   In order to be counted as part of AYP, a school must have at least 40 students in a subgroup. The subgroups identified by NCLB are

•  Race (American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic, Multiracial, White)

•  Disability
•  Limited English Speaking

•  Socioeconomic status

Go to http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/_documents/support/plan/nclb_ayp.pptwww.doe.k12.ga.us/ for a complete overview of Georgia 's AYP plan.

2003-2004 AYP Status

   The school system faces a challenge in its implementation of the second year of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. The federal law places Title I schools that fail to make "Adequate Yearly Progress" (AYP) for two or more years in "Needs Improvement" status. These schools must offer choice and supplemental educational services. The challenge comes in planning for next year. According to the Georgia Department of Education, 2003 CRCT scores must be used to determine Adequate Yearly Progress. However, the state education department will be unable to deliver AYP status to local school systems until mid-August.
   Fulton knows that seven schools will have to offer choice in 2003-2004. These schools have been on a Needs Improvement list for two or more years. In order to come off the list, they would have to make AYP for two consecutive years. Since they did not make AYP in 2001-2002, they will be unable to come off the list, even if AYP is earned in 2002-2003. 

  Four schools could go into Needs Improvement if they do not make AYP in 2002-2003. Seven schools may come out of Needs Improvement if they do make AYP. Without knowing which Title I schools did or did not make AYP, the school system has difficulty determining which Title I schools will offer choice and which schools will serve as receiving schools.

  The system did decide to continue with choice options for the seven schools that will definitely remain in Needs Improvement status. Parents of these schools were notified in late June and had until July 9 to make their choice options. 

  Once AYP status has been received from the state concerning the other 11 schools, the system will work quickly to notify all parents and make plans, as needed.

What about non-Title I schools?

  The NCLB law applies to every public school; however, the choice, supplemental services, and other requirements currently apply only to schools that qualify for Title I support. A statewide committee is meeting to determine sanctions and rewards for non-Title I schools.

Glossary of key terms:

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)- A determination by the state of Georgia of schools that meet established goals, determined by CRCT scores in reading and math.

Choice- The option given to parents to transfer from a "Needs Improvement" Title I school to a school, identified by the system, that is meeting Adequate Yearly Progress.

ESEA -The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. No Child Left Behind revises this federal legislation governing public schools.

"Needs Improvement"- Status given to schools that fail to make Adequate Yearly Progress for two consecutive years or more.

No Child Left Behind- Federal legislation governing Title I schools that went into effect July 1, 2002 .

Supplemental Services- Research-based extended-day programs that are proven to increase student achievement. These may include opportunities provided by the school system or private providers. The services are free, up to limits set by law, to students on free and reduced lunch in schools that have not met Adequate Yearly Progress for two years.

Title I- Federal support for schools with a high percentage of low-income students. In Fulton , 33 schools qualify for Title I services.

Summary of Key Points

•  No Child Left Behind is a federal law

•  Each state determines Adequate Yearly Progress

•  Georgia looks at the CRCT to determine AYP in elementary and middle schools

•  Schools that go two or more years without making AYP are in Needs Improvement

•  Needs Improvement schools offer choice and may offer Supplemental Educational Services

•  Currently, these rules only apply to Title I schools, but eventually all schools will be effected.

Created: 07/22/03