Congress Set To Approve New Education Law, Revise ‘No Child Left Behind’

Congress is set to approve a new education law, which will revise the highly controversial No Child Left Behind Act. According to reports, the proposed legislation was approved by House and Senate negotiators on Thursday. Although Congress expected to vote in favor of the new education law next month, it is unclear whether President Barack Obama will sign it into law.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 is a revision of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which was originally passed in 1965. As reported by Education Week, the original act was designed to provide a better education to students who were disadvantaged or living in poverty.

Although the Elementary and Secondary Education Act underwent numerous revision, the 2002 revision, dubbed the No Child Left Behind Act, remains the most controversial.

Negotiators Agree to Revise Bush’s No Child Left Behind https://t.co/0APy0ozptI.@ParentsAcrossFL #BetterSchoolsFL pic.twitter.com/xa0mTZiunj

— FEA Action Center (@BetterschoolsFL) November 20, 2015

The 2002 revision includes specific guidelines, which are meant to improve educational opportunities for “English-language learners, students in special education, and poor and minority children.”

States are not obligated, by law, to implement the NCLB guidelines. However, federal funding provided by Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act is dependent on compliance with the NCLB Act.

The guidelines, which have become a point of heated controversy, include mandatory math and reading exams for all students in third through eighth grade. Students are also required to take one math and one reading exam prior to high school graduation.

To remain compliant, each school is obligated to sort the testing results into subcategories and report the outcome to the state each year.

Each state is tasked with setting annual achievement goals, and each school is tasked with reporting their progress toward those goals. Schools which are non-compliant, or fail to meet their state’s achievement goals, could face serious consequences.

Schools unable to demonstrate Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP, for a period of two or more years, must give students the option of transferring to “a better-performing public school in the same district.” After three years, the school is obligated to provide free tutoring to all students and may face intervention by the state.

The No Child Left Behind Act also requires teachers, and their assistants, to be “highly qualified.” In order to qualify, teachers must possess a bachelor’s degree and state certification in the subjects they teach. Teacher assistants must possess an associates or higher degree and must pass a skill assessment.

As reported by Carleton.com, the NCLB Act is credited with several improvements, including better test scores, the identification of students in need of extra assistance, and increased opportunities for students attending under-performing schools.

However, the act remains controversial as the drawbacks may outweigh any benefits.

The most common criticism comes from teachers, who are frustrated with “teaching to the test.” They are specifically concerned as they simply do not have the resources or time to focus on other subjects, including art, science, and social studies.

As the NCLB focuses on only on math and reading, parents and teachers are are worried that students are not receiving “a creative, personally relevant and well-rounded curriculum.”

The tests themselves are also a point of controversy, as all students are given the same multiple choice exams, “regardless of their ability level, socioeconomic status and native language.”

As the NCLB Act has received increasing criticism throughout the last 14 years, Congress is exploring a new education law that will replace the controversial act.

Although the new education law will include some revisions, some of the current guidelines will remain intact.

Kicked off the conference committee on #ESEA. We have a workable framework to fix No Child Left Behind. #NCLB pic.twitter.com/X0v2lRuSDR

— Rep. Bobby Scott (@repbobbyscott) November 18, 2015

As reported by The New York Times, students will still be obligated to take the math and reading tests. However, the revision will lift sanctions previously placed on schools that fail to to demonstrate Adequate Yearly Progress.

Although the changes appear to be subtle, the revision “allows states and local school districts to determine how to define and respond to poor performance.” Essentially, the new education law will give states and local school districts more freedom to identify and correct their own deficiencies with less federal interference.

Although Congress is expected to approve the new education law, President Obama has not discussed whether he will sign the bill into law.

[Image via Shutterstock/Ollyy]