Implications of No Child Left Behinds Adequate Yearly Progress

THE IMPLICATIONS AND IMPACT OF ADEQUATE YEARLY PROGRESS ON THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM

Abstract

This focuses on the performance of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 , which was signed into public law by President George W . Bush on January 8 , 2002 , and the resulting implications and impacts of the adequate yearly progress (AYP ) on the public school system . In addition the AYP will be critiqued as a measure of school success , and show the importance of shifting from an achievement-based model to a growth model . This composition begins first

by identifying that the AYP is not a reliable indicator of student achievement in schools , and that it is actually widening the achievement gap between the majority and minority students

Introduction

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was signed into public law by President George W . Bush on January 8 , 2002 . The law has been reauthorized and amended since it was first introduced , by the Kennedy-Johnson presidency , as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 . Since then the law has broadened in scope to now include a system of accountability that focuses on academic standards and annual testing . States are required to identify adequate yearly progress (AYP for all students in public schools . The federal law provides a framework as to how states should define AYP , thus providing flexibility to the rigor of the academic assessments measuring proficiency . The No Child Left Behind Act requires that all students be proficient in mathematics and English language arts by the year 2014 as measured by levels of proficiency on high-stakes exams (No Child Left Behind [NCLB] , 2002 All students regardless of race , socioeconomic status , or disability must attain proficiency in content areas tested . As stated , the law sets out to raise expectations with higher standards and to close the achievement gap , thereby ensuring that no child is left behind

President Bush recently discussed the American education system in his State of the Union Address . The President addressed Members of Congress affirming that the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a bipartisan achievement . It is succeeding . And we owe it to America 's children their parents and their teachers to strengthen this good law (Bush 2008 . In opposition , are public school teachers and administrators who state that NCLB is not succeeding with the primary concern being the testing component of the law (Teachers Network , 2007 . Likewise politicians are troubled by the accountability component of the No Child Left Behind Act , more specifically concerns on how the adequate yearly progress (AYP ) is measured and defined (Klein Hoff , 2008 ) However political pundits , including the President and the United States Secretary of Education elucidate that the law is functioning , as evidenced by the Nation 's Report Card (Bush , 2005 . The United States Congress will be faced with a decision whether to consider the reauthorization of this law before it expires September 30 . It is perceived that the law requires a complete overhaul , since it has failed to enable the...