The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has brought significant changes to our schools. If your child has a learning disability, NCLB’s increased emphasis on the quality of public education means both opportunity and challenge in meeting his or her needs. Your role as an involved, well-informed parent is essential to your child’s success.
What is NCLB?
NCLB is the most recent re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and is the major federal law related to education in grades pre-kindergarten through high school. NCLB is based on four basic principles:
• Accountability
• Research-based instruction
• Expanded parental involvement
• Expanded local control and flexibility
NCLB seeks to raise the achievement of all learners. All states that accept Title I funds must bring all students to a proficient level in reading, math, and science by:
• Developing high standards that are the same for every student.
• Developing annual assessments for all students.
• Ensuring a highly-qualified teacher is in every classroom.
• Establishing annual progress targets and annual measurable objectives for student progress.
• Defining the amount of academic progress that districts and schools must achieve annually—the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).
• Ensuring that districts assess at least 95% of students.
• Determining a minimum size for required subgroups of students to be included in yearly progress calculations. Subgroups include economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, students with limited English proficiency, and students from major racial/ethnic groups.
• Ensuring the availability of reasonable adaptations and accommodations for students with disabilities.
• Producing an annual public statewide report of performance.
Annual statewide assessments of student progress are central. Data from these assessments are used to determine if schools achieve AYP.
How Can I Use NCLB To Help My Child with Special Needs?
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates that children be placed in the least restrictive environment possible. This is open to wide interpretation and results in mainstreaming. If the school recommends the placement of your child in a regular classroom but you feel that it is not in the best interest of your child, you may challenge the recommendation. You have the right to request reassessment and reevaluation. If you encounter difficulties in this process, the Oklahoma Disability Law Center, 525-7755, may be helpful.
NCLB requires districts to develop a plan to help students with learning disabilities meet academic standards. The plan specifies how assessments will be used to identify learning problems and improve instruction for individual students. The plan is a public record, so you should feel free to ask to see it. Find out if your child is receiving research-based reading instruction. Make sure your district is utilizing assessments that adequately determine any problems your child may have in reading and the potential causes of such problems. Find out if your school is providing additional educational support, tailored to specific needs identified by the assessments, in order to help your child meet the state’s academic standards.
NCLB requires that all students be assessed against the same standards. Find out if your child is provided access to the same curriculum as students without disabilities and is provided opportunities to learn the content on which the annual assessments are based. Make sure your child’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) clearly indicates how he or she will be taught grade-level content in the core academic areas. Advocate that your child be provided the necessary accommodations in order to learn grade-level content. Because your child’s academic performance is being measured and reported as part of the total school, make sure your child attends school on the days that state assessments are administered.
Well-trained, highly-qualified teachers are essential to improving your child’s performance. To be certain your child is receiving instruction from well-trained, knowledgeable teachers, request a summary of the instructors’ qualifications. If your child receives instructional support from a para-professional or aide, make sure that the person is both qualified and well-supervised. Find out about your school’s program for the professional development of its teachers. Ask if the professional development program is designed to address the academic needs and goals of the school.
NCLB requires that schools and districts provide a variety of information to parents. Take advantage of these sources of information. Understand the performance of your child’s school, paying particular attention to the school’s performance by subgroup, including the subgroup of special education students. This will let you know if your school or district is teaching all students to high academic standards. Find out if your child is progressing adequately on NCLB assessments of reading, math, and science. If you do not understand the test results, ask for a written interpretation.
Don’t be afraid to ask for an appointment with your school to discuss your child’s progress. At the beginning of each school year, request information on the qualifications of all who will be working with your child. Seek ways to observe your child’s instruction and inspect the instructional materials being used with your child.
NCLB was enacted to improve the achievement levels of all students including those with learning disabilities. Involved, educated parents are essential to this process. Find out about your child’s performance, along with the performance of the school, so you will be an informed consumer on behalf of your child’s needs. Your child can have no better advocate!