1. No Child Left Behind The Federal Education Law and Science Education May, 2004

2. Key Provisions NCLB What is No Child Left Behind? NCLB is the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the federal law for K-12 education.

3. No Child Left Behind Key Provisions in the New Law Testing Accountability/Reporting Teacher Quality Flexibility

4. No Child Left Behind Intent: To raise the academic levels of all students especially students in schools targeted for improvement.

5. NCLB: Testing All states must develop and administer yearly tests to students in grades 3-8 in math and reading starting in 2005-06. Test data is used to measure performance of each school to determine the school’s Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). 95 percent of students must participate in the testing.

6. NCLB: Testing Science tests must be developed and administered by 2007-08 once in grades 3-5, 6-9, 10-12. Science tests do not count on school’s AYP

7. NCLB Accountability Students (disaggregated by subgroups) must meet the defined proficiency levels (AYP) in reading/math each year as judged by the yearly tests and achieve 100 percent proficiency by 2013-14 year. Subgroups include minority students; ESL students; IDEA students; low income.

8. NCLB: Accountability If one subgroup of students fails to meet the school’s AYP targets for two years, the school is tagged as in need of improvement. Sanctions after two years include public school choice. After three years, sanctions include supplemental services. After 4-5 years, school restructuring.

9. NCLB: Highly Qualified Teacher By 2005-06, all core subject teachers must be highly qualified. Teachers must have: 1) a bachelor's degree, 2) full state certification or licensure, and 3) prove that they know each subject they teach.

10. NCLB: Highly Qualified Teacher Teachers (in middle and high school) must prove that they know the subject they teach with: 1) a major in the subject they teach, 2) credits equivalent to a major in the subject, 3) passage of a state-developed test, 4) HOUSSE (for current teachers only), 5) an advanced certification from the state, or 6) a graduate degree.

11. NCLB: Highly Qualified Teacher High, Objective, Uniform State Standard of Evaluation (HOUSSE): may consist of a combination of teaching experience, professional development, and knowledge in the subject garnered over time in the profession.

12. Highly Qualified Teacher Check your state department of education website to see how your state defines and enforces the highly qualified federal definition

13. Rural Teachers Teachers in eligible rural districts who are highly qualified in at least one subject area have 3 years to become highly qualified in the additional subjects they teach.

14. HQ Science Teachers States may determine, based on their certification requirements, to allow science teachers to demonstrate they are highly qualified either in broad science field or individual fields of science (physics, biology or chemistry)

15. Participation Rate and AYP Schools can now calculate 95 percent participation rate in tests over 2-3 years in determining this factor in the AYP

16. NCLB: HQT To help states and districts ensure teachers are highly qualified, Congress created Title II Part A, Improving Teacher Quality grants.

17. NCLB: Title II Part A Teacher Quality Grants Combines Eisenhower and Class Size Reduction Program. No more set aside required for science and math education. Districts have flexible use of funds $2.9 billion went to states/districts in FY 2003.

18. NCLB: Title II Part A Teacher Quality Grants Districts must develop a Local Improvement Plan on how they plan to increase teacher quality and increase professional development of their teachers. LIP goes to the state as application for Title II A funds.

19. NCLB: Flexibility The law provides districts and states with flexibility to address their most pressing issues. Funds must still be allowed to go for science education professional development.

20. NCLB: Flexibility LEAs can transfer up to 50 percent of the funds from Teacher Quality (Title II), Title V, or two other federal programs specifically into Title I programs or any one of these programs.

21. Use of Title II Funds Can Title II A funds be used for participation at state and national conventions? Yes, IF attendance is part of the teacher’s individual professional development plan.

22. Scientifically Based Research and Professional Development All programs funded by NCLB must be grounded in scientifically based research. Guidelines on professional development programs that NCLB will pay for.

23. Math and Science Partnerships Title II Part B of NCLB. State Education Agency to issue competitive grants to partner programs specifically for math and science ed. Partners must include higher education science, engineering, math dept, and K-12 district. Also can include teacher education dept. and nonprofit or business

24. NCLB: Where are we now? Center on Education Policy Study in year two of NCLB finds Most states support the goals of NCLB 21 % of districts have at least one school needing improvement, up from 15 percent 23% of suburban schools one school identified as needing improvement up from 15 percent 50 % of urban schools identified one schools needing improvement, up from 40 percent

25. NCLB: Where are we now? CEP study found Additional support for identified schools (p.d. and support teams) Only 2 percent of eligible children took advantage of NCLB choice in 2003-04 46% of students eligible for supplemental services rec’d them States are lagging in highly qualified teacher policies

26. NCLB: where are we now? CEP study found Criticisms: Unworkable requirements (too much, too fast, too punitive) Lack of capacity among schools and states to carry out law’s requirements Lack of funding for NCLB, compounded by state fiscal problems

27. HQT Varies by State State tracking of their HQT varies Percentage of HQ teachers in these states: CA: 48 %CT: 96 Virginia: 80Indiana: 96 Arkansas: 97Maryland: 64.5 Florida: 91

28. NCLB Resources No Child Left Behind http://www.nochildleftbehind.gov Office of Elementary and Secondary Education http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oese/index.html Title II Guidance Link http://www.ed.gov/programs/teacherqual/guidance.doc NEA Great City Schools http://www.nea.org/greatschools/ Public Education Network http://www.publiceducation.org/