Meeting the President's Challenge: What the No Child Left Behind Act Means for Wake County
May
30, 2002 - The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is
the largest federal overhaul of public education since the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed in 1965.
After President George W. Bush signed it into law on January
8, 2002, we began poring over policy language trying to discover
its impact on the schools and students entrusted to our care.
I can now tell you that No Child Left Behind confirms
principles that we have followed in Wake County for years:
help every child excel, close the achievement gap, provide
challenges and opportunities for everyone. At the same time,
the federal act will prompt some meaningful changes to the
Wake County Public School System. Although there are still
many unanswered questions and there may be more modifications
to come, here are some early thoughts about what the act means
for your child and your public schools.
The act's goals include increased accountability for states, school districts, and schools; greater choice for parents and students; more flexibility using federal dollars; and a stronger emphasis on reading. WCPSS will see increased federal funding in Title I (Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged) and Title II (Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and Principals). With that funding comes significant new requirements. In order to qualify for federal funding -- which represents only five percent of our budget in Wake County -- state boards of education and local education agencies must accept changes in the way they measure and report their progress and ensure teacher qualification.
I am pleased to say that North Carolina and Wake County are better positioned than most states and districts to respond to this challenge. We have a track record of embracing high goals. We embraced the goal of having 95 percent of our students at grade level. When the state's ABCs of Public Education required End-of-Grade testing as a promotion requirement at certain grades, we took the initiative to extend it to all grades from 3 to 8. We know that if you don't aim high, you won’t reach the top. No Child Left Behind takes us in the same direction, but it raises the stakes. We will meet the challenge.
School Accountability
Of the changes created by the act, I find this the most noteworthy: No Child Left Behind sets a goal of 100 percent proficiency by 2012. This means that schools and school systems must aim for each student to have met his or her state’s standards for progress at the end of the school year. I remember in 1998 when we answered the challenge of the 95 percent goal. There were those who called that notion audacious or unrealistic, but the progress we have made toward that goal speaks for itself. Now the President has set before us a target -- 100 percent -- that speaks directly to our highest ideals. The mission is clear: we will reach our 95 percent goal, and we will keep going.
No Child Left Behind also extends the reach of achievement testing. Texas and North Carolina served as models for the federal legislation, so the notion of end-of-course or end-of-grade exams is nothing new. Science testing will be introduced by 2007-08, on a schedule roughly equal to once during elementary, middle, and high school. Reading and math proficiency will also be tested in high school at least once between grades 10 and 12 by 2005-06. The format of our existing testing may change somewhat, but the overall testing requirements resemble North Carolina's recent standards.
The way the tests are scored will change quite a bit, however. Progress will be judged, in each school, district, and state, against a state-defined measure called "Adequate Yearly Progress." In North Carolina, the state says that a child has achieved grade level progress if he or she has reached Level 3 on the End-of-Grade tests. No Child Left Behind now requires that we be held accountable, at every level, for whether enough of our students have achieved grade level performance. For states like North Carolina that had already established high standards, No Child Left Behind demands even higher performance. The results will be shared with parents and the community through school report cards very similar to the ones introduced by Governor Easley this year.
In addition, No Child Left Behind makes it absolutely clear that all children count. A school's test scores will be broken down by subgroups, including poverty, race, ethnicity, English proficiency, and disability status. If a school does not achieve Adequate Yearly Progress in any of the subgroups, then the school as a whole fails to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress. We have taken great strides in closing achievement gaps in Wake County's schools. Now each of our schools is even more publicly accountable for the academic progress of all students: rich, poor, black, white, Latino, Asian, multiracial, and disabled.
Any school receiving Title I assistance that fails to make Adequate Yearly Progress -- again, in any subgroup -- for two consecutive years will require "School Improvement." School districts must provide technical assistance and additional services such as tutoring. They must offer all students in that school the opportunity to transfer to another adequately performing school. If the situation persists over time, school districts must take increasingly severe steps to reorganize the schools.
Teacher and Teacher Assistant Quality
In addition to the increased demands for accountability at the school, district, and state levels, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 also makes a clear demand that all children should have highly qualified teachers and teacher assistants. Specifically the Act specifies that teachers will need state certification including passing a licensing exam, and at least a bachelor's degree by December 31, 2005. For Title I teachers, these standards are effective this fall. Charter schools are exempt from this provision of No Child Left Behind.
Title I teacher assistants also face more rigorous standards.
All Title I "paraprofessionals" hired after January
8, 2002 must have two years of higher education or an associate
degree, or must pass a formal assessment. Title I paraprofessionals
who were hired before that date have four years to meet those
standards. Exceptions to these requirements include employees
who provide translation services or work to foster parent
involvement.
If a school is unable to comply with either of these provisions,
the U.S. Department of Education can withhold its Title I
funds or seek a return of funds spent on activities not in
compliance with the statute.
I think Wake County has the best, most committed, most highly trained teachers in North Carolina. As a testament to that, we lead the state in having 336 teachers certified by the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards, with more to come. We are committed to maintaining that focus on teacher and teacher assistant quality. At the same time, the new No Child Left Behind requirements place a tremendous burden on North Carolina's school districts. Our state is facing an increasing shortage of teachers, and our student population continues to grow. The act makes meeting the teaching shortage through emergency licensure, provisional licensure, and lateral entry much more difficult. Wake County is in a far better position than many other districts in North Carolina, but we will have to compete even more vigorously to attract a shrinking pool of applicants to our county. This is a competition from which we won't shy away.
The Impact on a Successful System
With all due respect to my friends and colleagues in other parts of the state, I believe that our school system is the best large urban district in North Carolina. Our commitment to excellence has served us well. The early numbers on this year’s reading and math test scores are looking extremely promising, especially when we look at the achievement gap closing. The drive toward Goal 2003 has focused our efforts on excellence like never before.
Now we have to do it again. Through community initiatives such as the Wake Education Partnership's Voices and Choices, we will rally community involvement around shared goals and united action. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 introduces a new level of urgency to the task. The standards and stakes are now much higher for our schools.
And, along the way, we must remember that it is children -- children who need nurturing, encouragement, and attention -- for whom all of our efforts of accountability, teaching quality, and academic excellence are directed. It's not about meeting government standards. It's about helping our children grow into confident, intelligent, capable, and honorable citizens. It's about them, and their potential.
These are daunting changes. But this is Wake County, full of parents, teachers, citizens, businesses, and faith communities that have stood up for their children and schools time and again. I know that we can meet the President’s challenge.
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