fact sheet #1 standards€¦ · (see fact sheet on “standards”). under the previ-ous version of...

What does NCLB say?Academic standards are open

and public statements aboutwhat all students should knowand be able to do in each state. Atypical mathematics standard, forexample, states that all studentsshould be able to solve multi-stepmathematics problems andexplain their answers in writing.

Since 1994 all states have beenrequired to adopt challengingacademic standards in the coreacademic areas of mathematicsand reading/language arts, andmake them available to the pub-lic. No Child Left Behindrequires states to adopt standardsin science by 2005–06.

Before statewide standards,expectations for learning variedgreatly across schools and dis-tricts. Even within schools, dif-ferent groups of students havetraditionally been held to differ-ent standards. This has oftenworked to the disadvantage oflow-income students and stu-dents of color.

With state standards, thereare consistent goals for theknowledge and skills studentsshould learn in school.Teaching styles and methodswill vary, but the educationalgoals remain constant.

Now parents and communitygroups can know what studentsshould know at the end of agrade, or at the end of a gradespan – i.e., elementary, middleand high school.

Why is this important?We need standards for excel-

lence and for fairness and equi-ty. For too many poor andminority students, school hasbeen like trying to bowl with acurtain in front of the pins. Noone told students—or their par-ents—what they should be aim-ing at. Standards tear away thecurtain and make the goals clearto everyone.

For example, if a child has ateacher who uses standards toensure the curriculum and assign-ments are challenging and ongrade-level, the child will proba-bly learn up to grade level (or willbe identified for additional assis-tance). Another child, with ateacher who does not teach to thestandards, might not be taught upto grade level. Both children,however, could get an “A” ontheir report cards. Without stan-dards and assessments linked tothem there would be no way toknow that the first child learnedmuch more than the second.

Standards give us a way to knowthis because they tell us what thechild is supposed to be taught. If achild falls behind, standards helpteachers and parents to find thatout and do something about itbefore too much time passes.

What can I do?Start by getting a copy of your

state’s academic standards. Youshould be able to get them fromyour local school or district.State standards are also availableon the internet.

Once you have the standards,read them. Sometimes it is easierto understand them with a groupof people, but you can also do iton your own.

Then look at your children’shomework and class work andsee how they are aligned to thestandards. You can ask yourchild’s teacher, “What are thechildren supposed to be learningthrough this assignment?”

The Education Trust has devel-oped a resource for helping parentsuse standards to judge the qualityof their child’s assignment.1

It will not always be easy tounderstand how assignmentsrelate to standards. But trying todo this is a good way to getinvolved in your child’s education.

Fact Sheet #1

Standards

The Education Trust • 1725 K St. NW, Suite 200 • Washington, DC 2006 • (202) 293-1217 • www.edtrust.org

1See the Education Trust’s brochure called “Does My Child’s Homework Meet High Standards?” available on the internet athttp://www.edtrust.org/main/main/homework_eng.asp.

What does NCLB say?Assessments and tests are

necessary in order to find outwhether or not students arebeing taught to the standards(See Fact Sheet on“Standards”). Under the previ-ous version of the law, statesonly had to assess studentsonce in elementary, middle,and high school.

Under the old system, teach-ers, parents and students couldnot judge whether students were making continu-ous progress toward meetingstandards.

No Child Left Behind estab-lishes new requirements for test-ing. Beginning in 2005-06, allschools will measure studentachievement yearly in readingand math in grades 3–8, and atleast once during the highschool years.

Some educators complainthat it is too much to test children every year. But mostparents disagree. If theyreceive information that theirfourth grader is not reading atgrade level, they don’t want towait another four years to findout whether their child hascaught up!

Annual assessments allowteachers and administrators tokeep better track of studentprogress and to intervene quick-ly to make changes in instruc-tion to fix problems early on.

Although some states haveimplemented high stakes tests,these tests are not required by

NCLB. NCLB does not requirethat children pass any tests inorder to go on to the next gradeor to receive a diploma.

Why is this important?Testing is important to a good

education system because itprovides information about howstudents are doing. The morewe know, the better position weare in to fix problems whenthey occur.

Tests should be used to providefeedback to administrators,teachers, parents and studentson the students’ academicstrengths and weaknesses. Thisinformation is important forplanning instruction because ithighlights concepts and skillsthat students may need morehelp learning. Principals andteachers should also use thisfeedback to target areas wherethey may need additional profes-sional development.

Since tests required by NCLBmeasure student progress towardmeeting standards, results aregenerally reported in the form ofthe percentage of students incategories equivalent toAdvanced, Proficient, Basic andBelow Basic, although the termsvary by state. Information abouthow your state defines perform-ance levels should be availableat your school, district, or on thestate department of education’sweb site.

The purpose of instruction is tomove students from the BelowBasic and Basic categories into

the Proficient and Advancedlevels. Given highly qualifiedteachers, challenging curriculum,extra time and lots of support,virtually all students can achieveat proficient levels. This is thewhole purpose of NCLB!

What can I do?Here are some questions you

can ask to inform yourselfabout your state and districttesting program.

• Are the tests aligned withstate standards? Do they testthe concepts, skills andknowledge contained in thestate standards?

• Does the district have a cur-riculum that is aligned withthe concepts, skills andknowledge required to dowell on the tests?

• Do teachers receive testresults on student perform-ance in a timely fashion sothat they can be used toimprove instruction?

• Are test results reported tothe students, parents andcommunity in a timely fash-ion so that they can monitorstudent progress towardmeeting standards?

• Are test results reported toparents and students in away that is easy to under-stand?

Remember, one of the bestways to reduce test anxiety is tomake sure students are well pre-pared with the concepts, skillsand knowledge on which theywill be tested.

Fact Sheet #2

Assessments


What does NCLB say?No Child Left Behind requires

schools to make a great deal ofinformation publicly available,in a simple format and in lan-guages that people can under-stand. Beginning with data fromthe 2002-03 school year, eachschool district must issue a“report card” for each school.The school reports must contain:

• Student achievement levelsoverall, and reported sepa-rately by race, poverty level,disabled students and limitedEnglish proficient (LEP) stu-dents as well as by genderand migrant status.

• Student achievement levelscompared to the district andthe state, by subject and stu-dent group.

• Student achievement levels compared tostatewide goals.

• Two-year trends in studentachievement, to see if theschool is making progress.

• Whether the school hasbeen identified as needingimprovement.

• Information documenting theschools’ teacher qualifications,including the percentage ofclasses taught by unqualifiedteachers or teachers teachingoutside of their subject area.

Districts and states must alsoissue reports. These contain thesame information as the schoolreports, but for the whole dis-trict and state.

Why is this important?Information about schools is

important for many reasons,including:

• Providing parents withimportant information abouttheir child’s school, includ-ing how their school com-pares to other schools in thedistrict and other schools inthe state.

• Helping parents make goodchoices about where to sendtheir children to school.

• Helping voters choose wiselyabout school issues likeschool funding and schoolboard elections.

• Involving everyone inimproving education for allchildren.

What can I do?• Pick up the publicly avail-

able report cards that will bepublished every year. Findthem at your school, schooldistrict or your state educa-tion agency. Most likely theywill also be posted on theinternet. Generally, you cango to your public library anduse the computers there togain access to the internet.

• Use the Education Trust’sParent and CommunityData Guide to collect andanalyze information. TheEducation Trust web site andstaff can help.

• Share the report with otherparents and child advocates.

• Pay attention to local news-paper and TV stories aboutschools. The media play akey role in shaping publicopinion about schools. Asyou become more familiarwith the issues, you will beable to tell when newsreporters are painting anaccurate picture and whenthey are not.

• Write to your local newspa-per to respond to articles,both when you agree andwhen you disagree. You canalso submit an Op-Ed pieceto the editorial section ofyour local newspaper toexpress your views.

Remember the most importantissue about your school is: Howwell are the children learning? Thepurpose of public information is tohelp you determine that.

Other Public ReportingIn addition to report cards,

NCLB requires lots of informa-tion to be made public:

• Parents must be notified iftheir child is taught for fouror more consecutive weeksby a teacher who is nothighly qualified.

• Principals of Title I schoolsmust certify every yearwhether they have metteacher quality goals,including hiring highlyqualified teachers and pro-viding high quality profes-sional development.

Fact Sheet #3

Public Reporting


What Does NCLB say?Data is the driving force

behind No Child Left Behind.Data allows us to make clear andaccurate conclusions about theperformance of our schools andidentify areas of specific needs.The new NCLB requirementsenable educators, parents, andadvocates to get informationabout the groups of students thathave historically been short-

changed by theopportunity gapincluding theteacher qualitygap. Data can tellus where the mosthighly qualifiedteachers are teach-ing, which studentsare being exposedto the best curricu-lum, and where themost resources are

provided. Without data we haveopinions. With data we havefacts – facts that can help usmake better decisions to helpstudents and schools improve.

No Child Left Behind says thatpublic education must reportmore information and make itmore available to the public.Here are some examples:

• Individual reports to parentsdescribing their children’sachievement and specificareas of need.

• Achievement levels for spe-cific groups of students—ineach state, district, and eachschool.

• Teacher quality and the dis-tribution of qualified teach-ers among different schools.

• Lists of all schools in need of

improvement, and theirplans for improvement.

• Notice of school transferchoices parents have withdata on the sending andreceiving schools.

• Information about free tutor-ing services for some childrenand data on the tutoringprovider, especially theprovider’s success rate in help-ing children to meet standards.

• Information for parents ofEnglish-language learners,including:

• A description of the programfor teaching English to limit-ed-English proficient students.

• A timetable for when thestudent is expected to jointhe regular English-languageprogram.

• If the student is in middle orhigh school, the expectedgraduation rate for studentsin the program.

You can learn more about allthese topics throughout this guide.

Why is this important?Data is a tool not only for

school districts and states, butis also a tool for parents to usein determining the quality ofeducation their children arereceiving.

No Child Left Behind recog-nizes parents as consumers ofeducational services providedby public schools. The moreyou know about your children’seducation, the more you can bean informed consumer. Thismeans making good choices foryour children, and beinginvolved at all levels of theireducation.

What can I do?Collecting and analyzing data

sounds like something you usedto have to do in math class, andsome people don’t have pleasantmemories of their math classes.But collecting data about schoolsdoes not need to be complicated.Once you see how important itis, you will be eager to do it.

Here are some tips about howto collect data and information:

• Be persistent. Sometimespeople will tell you theydon’t have what you arelooking for. If you know youare in the right place, tell theperson that you have a rightto this information. If youfind you are not in the rightplace, ask where you can getthe information you need.

• Do your homework. Themore you know exactly what to look for, the easier itwill be.

• Keep records. If you send arequest by writing, alwayskeep a dated copy for yourpersonal records, so you canprove what you asked for. Ifyou speak to someone byphone or in person, always askfor their name and keep trackof the date. If that personrefers you to someone else, usethe first person’s name whenyou make the next call. “Mr.Jones at My Town Elementaryreferred me to you.”

• Don’t give up. It won’t alwaysbe easy, but don’t lose hope!

• Work in teams. More handsmake lighter work.

If you want help collecting oranalyzing school data, contactthe Education Trust.

Fact Sheet #4

Using and Collecting Data


Without data,

you are just

another person

with an opinion

What does NCLB say?Under NCLB, each state sets aca-

demic standards that all schools areexpected to meet. Accountabilitymeans that educators take responsibil-ity for teaching all students up tothese standards.

If schools don’t meet the state stan-dards, NCLB requires the state to setup a system for helping to changewhat’s going on in that school.• The NCLB Act requires all stu-

dents to take their state’s test inreading/language arts and mathonce a year from grade 3 throughgrade 8, and at least once duringhigh school.

• States must set goals for what con-stitutes Adequate Yearly Progress(AYP) based on the results of thesetests. (see Fact Sheet on “AdequateYearly Progress.”)

• If a school doesn’t makeAdequate Yearly Progress for twoconsecutive years, it is identifiedas a school in need of improve-ment. In that case, the school,district, and state must develop aplan for raising student achieve-ment. In addition, parents mustbe notified and given the optionto send their children to a higherperforming school in the district.

• If a school continues to not meetgoals, different strategies must beconsidered. The aim is to help theschool more successfully educate itsstudents. Ultimately, after six yearsof not meeting goals, the schoolcommunity must decide on a planfor “restructuring” the school. Thestate, school district, and local com-munity are responsible for choosingthe restructuring plan.

Why is this important?For too long, our society has

blamed children and their families

when children have not done wellin school. Of course parents andchildren have to meet their educa-tional responsibilities; however,schools must be held accountable forteaching students well, and NCLBgoes further than any other law inmaking sure that will happen.

Public schools in the UnitedStates have consistently put theleast amount of educationalresources into areas where theyare needed the most. Schools serv-ing low-income and minority stu-dents usually get the fewest quali-fied teachers; they are issued theoldest textbooks and otherresources and are generally housedin the worst facilities. This createsan “opportunity gap.”

No Child Left Behind accounta-bility helps advocates who want tochallenge these opportunity gaps.All schools have to make sure thatall students are taught to highstandards. And states and schooldistricts need to own up to theirresponsibility to provide the sup-port and assistance schools need toimprove teaching and learning. Noexcuses. No exceptions.

It is important to know that thereare no financial penalties in NCLBfor schools that fail to make AYP. Infact, the law requires states to setaside a portion of funds receivedunder the federal Title I program toprovide additional assistance toschools that have been identified forimprovement. In 2003, $234 milliondollars will be given to states toassist schools in the improvementprocess. Because of a formula in thelaw, that amount should double for2004 and succeeding years.

NCLB does not penalize schoolsfor low student achievement—but itdoes require states to measure stu-

dent achievement, hold schoolsaccountable for results, and helpstruggling schools to improve.

What can I do?NCLB pushes all schools to

improve, but parents and communityleaders have a responsibility to help aswell. Public schools are public institu-tions, and we all must get involvedto make sure our schools meet theirresponsibilities to our children. • Get the data and know what’s

going on in your school.• Make sure that when a school

is identified as needingimprovement that the processis taken seriously. Demand thatreal changes be put into place.

• Find out how the state anddistrict will support improve-ment efforts. Advocate formore help and more resourcesfrom the district and state.

• Be an active participant in theschool improvement process. It isa lot easier to write a plan thanto change what has been goingon in a school, so stick with it.Go to Board of Education meet-ings and ask whether the Boardis getting updates on theimprovement process.

• Help your school identify suc-cessful strategies for improvingteaching and learning. Call orvisit schools that are havingmore success in raising achieve-ment. (You can find them on the“Dispelling the Myth” website atwww.edtrust.org.). Share what youlearn with others who are con-cerned with school improvement.

• Work in your community toorganize outside services—tutoring, counseling, and thelike—that can help strugglingstudents improve.

Fact Sheet #5

Accountability


What does NCLB say?Adequate Yearly Progress

(AYP) is a signaling system. Ittells whether schools are on-track to teach students whatthey need to know. UnderNCLB, states set the same goalsfor all schools and students. Thegoals increase over time withthe ultimate goal that all stu-dents will meet the state’s stan-dards for "proficient" in readingand math by 2014. AYP is theformula for telling us whetherschools are meeting these goals.1

Setting the same high stan-dards for all students and schoolsis crucial for fairness and equity.You can’t close achievementgaps by having lower expecta-tions for previously low-performing schools.

There are two ways for aschool to make AYP:

• If a school’s actual achievementis at or above the state goal in agiven year, the school is desig-nated as making AYP.

• The AYP formula also givescredit to low-performing schoolsthat have made significantprogress. If a school or group ofstudents within a school doesnot meet the goals, but thenumber of students below profi-cient is reduced by 10 percentfrom the year before, the schoolstill makes AYP.2

There are two important dis-tinctions between AYP underNCLB and most previous schoolaccountability systems:

First, AYP is not only based onoverall proficiency percentagesbut also on the performance of

low-income students, racial andethnic minorities, students withlimited English proficiency, andstudents with disabilities. If aschool does not make AYP forone of these subgroups, it doesnot make AYP.

Second, under NCLB, allschools in a state are held to thesame standards. It is no longeracceptable to say that schoolseducating low-income studentsand students of color are doingall right if they’re not beingtaught to the same highstandards as other schools.

Why is this important?Adequate Yearly Progress is the

cornerstone of a new way ofdefining success in schools.From now on "all students" real-ly means all students, and"progress" means progress towarda clearly defined goal.

By basing the decision ofwhether a school needs toimprove on the performance ofits least-advantaged students,AYP promises to move achieve-ment gaps front and center inour conversations about whetherschools are making the grade.

When state goals aren’t metand schools have not madeadequate progress for two yearsin a row, the school is identifiedas a school "in need of improve-ment." The law demands thatthe state, the district, and theindividual school describe thespecific steps they will take toraise student achievement. Thisis what is called a "SchoolImprovement Plan" (See Fact

Sheet on "Schools inImprovement"). It gives youmore information than everbefore about your schools. Stepsare taken to help students inschools that do not make AYPand timelines are set withstronger interventions for schoolsover time when Adequate YearlyProgress is not met.

What can I do?Adequate Yearly Progress is a

crucial element in determininghow well a school is doingtoward improving its academicinstruction and meeting statestandards. If your school is identi-fied as in need of improvement,find out why. The answer will bethat one or more groups ofstudents have not made AYP.The No Child Left Behind Actallows you to see precisely whichgroup or groups of students arenot making progress and in whatareas.

• You can work closely with yourchild’s teachers and other perti-nent school personnel to addressyour child’s needs.

• You can become part of the teamdeveloping the SchoolImprovement Plan, whichaddresses how to improve thearea of need, and help with theimplementation of that Plan.

• Counselors, resource providers,tutors and others may be instru-mental in helping children makeprogress. Get to know them andwork with them as full partnersin the process of improving theacademic performance of yourschool.

Fact Sheet #6

Adequate Yearly Progress


1For more detailed information on how AYP works, see ABCs of AYP at www.edtrust.org2To see how this is working out with real school examples, see, What New AYP Results Tell Us About States, Schools, and Student Performance atwww.edtrust.org

What does NCLB say?When schools do not make AYP

(see Fact Sheet on “AdequateYearly Progress”) for two years in arow, they are identified as needingimprovement. From a parent’sperspective this is a good thing. Itmeans the school district andstate have greater obligations tohelp this school and its students.In Fact, states get federal fundsspecifically to help schools inimprovement.

Once a school is identified asneeding improvement, it mustsend a written notice to all par-ents at the school about the needfor improvement and about howparents can get involved inimprovement efforts. The schoolmust also begin immediately todevelop a plan for improvement,and it must work with manypartners in developing the plan,including parents. This plan mustinclude:

• Specific data that showsexactly what areas need to beimproved;

• Strategies that the school willuse to raise achievement;

• Strategies for training andsupporting teachers andprincipals;

• A description of how thedistrict and state will help theschool to improve; and

• Strategies to increase parentalinvolvement.

In addition to notification andthe opportunity to participate inschool improvement efforts, par-ents must be informed of theirright to transfer their childrento a better performing school. Ifthe school is in its second yearor more of school improvement,students from low-income fami-lies must be offered supplemen-tal services such as tutoring.These supplemental services areprovided outside the school dayby state-approved companies ororganizations. Transfers andsupplemental services are pro-vided at no cost to parents.They are paid for entirely withfederal funds.

Why is this important?Many parents have known for

a long time that their schoolsneeded improvement, but havenot felt that their schoolsreceived the help or supportthey needed.

The school improvementprocess under NCLB is designedto compel school districts andstates to make much neededimprovements in the instruc-tional program of underperform-ing schools. It is also designed tomake sure that students who arebehind get extra help. This isthe only way these students willbe able to catch up and to meethigh standards.

What can I do?The most important thing to

do is to be there when yourschool needs help. The schoolimprovement plan is a wonder-ful opportunity to get involved.The law says that schools inneed of improvement must takesteps to include parents.

Some states or districts seem toalmost panic when they find outthat many or even a few schoolswill be given this “label.” This“label” is simply a way to identi-fy problem areas and to set upplans to take care of those prob-lems. No Child Left Behind doesnot label schools as “failing,”even though the media likes touse this term. If your car’s engineis not working properly, youneed to find out what is wrongand to figure out a way to fix it.This law does the same forschools.

It is of course possible thatsome schools will not improve,even with an improvement plan.There are times when moredrastic measures will have to betaken. No Child Left Behindsays that if a school still has notmade progress after six years, theprincipal and the main staff canbe replaced, or the school can becompletely reorganized. If thishappens, parents can and shouldbe part of the restructuringprocess of the school.

Fact Sheet #7

Schools In Improvement


What does NCLB say?NCLB is the first federal edu-

cation law to demand thatstates define what it takes to bea qualified teacher and takesteps to address the unfairassignment of the least quali-fied teachers to the schoolseducating the most disadvan-taged students.

Although states define a “high-ly qualified teacher,” NCLB setsa minimum standard:• All teachers must meet state

certification requirements andhave a license;

• All teachers must have at leasta college degree;

• All teachers must demonstratethat they are knowledgeablein each subject they areassigned to teach: • New elementary teachers must

pass a test of subject knowl-

edge and teaching skills.

• New middle school and high

school teachers must

demonstrate knowledge in

every subject they teach,

either by earning a college

major in the subject or by

passing a rigorous academic

subject test.

• Veteran teachers also need to

demonstrate subject matter

knowledge (if they have not

already). Veteran teachers can

take the state tests, or the state

can develop alternate meas-

ures of subject knowledge for

veteran teachers.

States have promised that allnew teachers hired in Title Ischools will meet the state’s

definition of “highly qualified.”By 2005-06 ALL school teach-ers are expected to meet them,including veteran teachers.

Under NCLB, states andschool districts must publiclyreport on the distribution ofhighly qualified and experiencedteachers. This should helpensure that schools serving poorand minority students get theirfair share of these teachers.

Why is this important?Teacher quality is the most

important factor affecting stu-dent achievement. Parentsknow this, which is why theyfight to have their childrentaught by the best teachers.

The last decade of researchleaves little doubt: Students whohave several strong teachers in arow will soar no matter whatneighborhood they come from.On the other hand, the resultsare devastating for students whoare taught by three ineffectiveteachers in row. Yet students ofcolor and low-income studentscontinue to be short-changedwhen it comes to qualified andexperienced teachers.

If we took the simple step ofmaking sure that all poor andminority students had teachersof the same quality as otherchildren, about half theachievement gap would disap-pear.1 If we went further by put-ting our most expert teacherswith the children who needthem most, we could close thegap entirely.

What can I do? Look at the school and district

report cards to see the qualifica-tions of your school’s teachers.You are entitled to informationabout the qualifications of theteachers in your school, and spe-cific information about yourchild’s teachers.

Check with the school to seewhat your child’s teachers studiedin college and what subjectsthey’re licensed to teach. Are theyteaching the subjects they stud-ied? If not, what qualifications dothey have? Have they takenexams to show that they are quali-fied to teach this class? Schoolsare required to have teacher quali-ty information on site.

Look more widely to see howteachers are distributed, bothwithin schools and within dis-tricts. Remember, students whoare behind need to catch up andthe best way to do that is forthem to have excellent teachers.

Make sure your school districtis helping to get the best teach-ers for your schools. What sup-port do teachers get? Whatkinds of ongoing training andprofessional development areprovided by the school district?

Ask your school district andstate for their plans for raisingteacher quality. NCLB requiresstates and school districts topublicly report progress towardensuring low-income and minor-ity students get their fair shareof qualified and experiencedteachers. Request copies ofthese reports.

Fact Sheet #8

Teacher Quality


1For more information about the importance of teacher quality, read “Good Teaching Matters,” available at www.edtrust.org.

What does NCLB say?Standards set up an education-

al destination, but how studentsget to the destination is equallyimportant. No Child LeftBehind insists that all childrenshould be taught up to the samestandards. They need goodteachers, challenging coursesand rigorous assignments—thatis, the work they do in class orfor homework.

Why is this important?Students can only learn

what they are taught and cando no better than the work theyare assigned.

Standards tell us whatstudents should know and beable to do at every grade level.And it is the curriculum andassignments that provide thefoundation for learning andbuilding skills. What classesare students enrolled in? Whatmaterials—textbooks, readingmethods, etc.—are being used?Are their assignmentsdesigned to help them meetstate standards?

A sad fact about Americaneducation is that students areoften sorted, often at a veryearly age. Some children aregiven challenging classes andare expected to reach high lev-els of achievement. Others areexpected to learn only the mostbasic and most rudimentaryskills, and are assigned to low-level classes. This is sometimescalled “tracking.”

All children should be taughta college readiness curriculumin core academic classes. Intoday’s and tomorrow’s econo-my, ready for work and readyfor college mean the samething: ready for life.1 Coursestraditionally thought of as“college prep” are essential intoday’s workplace, where mostjobs that pay a family-support-ing wage demand high skillsand the ability to continuelearning on the job. Achallenging curriculum is theonly way to ensure that all stu-dents are prepared to pursuetheir ambitions after highschool graduation.

What can I do?Look at the materials your

children are being taught with,and the classes they are taking.

• In elementary school, makesure the materials used inyour child’s classes areappropriate for their gradelevel. Are some children,for example, reading“below grade level?” If so,ask what the teachers aredoing to make sure theycatch up.

• In middle and high school,look at what classes yourchild is taking. Get to knowyour child’s guidance coun-selors from the very begin-ning, and make sure that theclasses your child is takingprepares him/her to be suc-cessful in a challenging cur-riculum.

• Learn about the coursesrequired for college and fordifferent jobs and careers.Make sure your children arein courses that adequatelyprepare them to pursuetheir dreams.

Fact Sheet #9

High Quality Curriculum


1For more information about the importance of a core curriculum, read “A New Core Curriculum For All,” (Thinking K-16, Winter 2003)available at www.edtrust.org.

What does NCLB say?No Child Left Behind gives

you, the parent, important newrights to receive informationabout your own children in TitleI schools. All information shouldbe in a simple format and in alanguage that you understand. Student Achievement:

• You have a right to receive areport of how your child per-formed on the state’s aca-demic achievement test,with clear information aboutany needs which may havebeen identified for yourchild. You can then talkwith your child’s teachersabout how to help themaddress those needs.

• The state and district mustrelease report cards, which youcan use to compare yourchild’s achievement levels tothose of other children in yourschool, district, and state.

Teacher Quality:• At the beginning of each

school year, you shouldreceive a notice explainingthat you have the right toask for information aboutthe qualifications of yourchild’s teachers. (See“Teacher Quality” fact sheet)

• You have a right to know ifteachers have emergency ortemporary credentials.

• You have a right to know ifteachers in your school arecertified in the subject areasthey are teaching.

• If your child is being taughtby a teacher who is not fullyqualified for four weeks ormore, the school must sendyou a notice (even withoutyou asking).

• You have a right to see theprincipal’s declaration ofcompliance with the teacherquality provisions of NCLB.

• You have a right to see thedistrict’s plan for increasingteacher quality and how thedistrict will make sure thatqualified and experiencedteachers are fairly distrib-uted among all schools inthe district.

Programs for English Language Learners:

• If your child is designated asan English-language learner,you have a right to knowthe level of your child’sEnglish proficiency, whatprograms are used to helpteach your child English,and how those programs willmeet your child’s education-al needs. You also have aright to know how long theprogram is expected to lastand what it will take to exitout of the program. Thismust be written in a lan-guage you can understand.

• You also have a right todecline enrollment in theprogram, or to remove yourchild from the program, orto enroll in another pro-gram if available.

School Improvement:• If your child’s school has

been identified as “in needof improvement,” you shouldreceive a notice explainingexactly why this happenedand what the school is doingto improve. (See “Schools InImprovement” fact sheet)

• When schools are “in needof improvement,” youshould receive a notice say-

ing that your child might beeligible to transfer to anoth-er school or for free tutoringservices. (See “SchoolChoice” and “SupplementalServices” fact sheets)

Why is this important?There’s no question that par-

ents can be an important voicein accelerating school improve-ment. It’s useful to understandpolicies and get involved in thedecision making process at theschool and district levels andalso to monitor legislationimpacting education policy atthe state level.

What can I do?Work with your children. Ask

them about school. Listen towhat they say. Follow what theyare learning. Get to know yourchild’s teachers. Sit in andobserve your child’s classes ifyou can.

Check their homework.Compare homework assignmentsto state standards: are the twoaligned?

Get the information you areentitled to. Look at schoolreport cards and improvementplans. If you receive anythingthat you do not understand, goto the school and find out more.If you receive anything in a lan-guage you do not understand,contact the school and makesure you get what you need.

Get to know other parents andmake sure everyone is beinggiven the same information andis being treated the same way.Find out what school commit-tees you can join and serve as ameaningful partner.

Fact Sheet #10

Parents’ Right to Know


The No Child Left Behind Actwon’t meet its full potential forimproving schools without par-ent and community groupsorganizing and pushing to makesure that policies are implement-ed according to the intent of thelaw. When parents combinefacts with their passion toimprove their child’s education,they become a powerful force.No Child Left Behind providesdata (hard facts) that parentscan use to evaluate the academ-ic progress of their children.

Each school district is requiredto develop an effective process formeaningful parental involvement.Each school district receivingTitle I funds must have a writtenparent involvement policy andthis policy must be developed inpartnership with parents.

What is new?No Child Left Behind has put

some meat on the bones of par-ent involvement by mandatinginformation that parents are enti-tled to. The school district parentinvolvement policy should speci-fy how districts and schools willprovide this information to allparents—in a language and for-mat parents can understand.Under NCLB; Parents have aright to:

• See information aboutteacher qualifications.

• Know if teachers haveemergency or temporarycredentials.

• Know if teachers are certi-fied in the subject they areteaching.

• Know if your child is beingtaught by a teacher’s aide, andif so, with what qualifications.

• Know if your child has beentaught for more than fourweeks in a row by a teacherwho is not highly qualified.

• See the principal’s declara-tion of compliance with theteacher quality provisions ofNCLB.

• See the district’s plan forincreasing teacher qualityand how the district willmake sure that qualifiedteachers are equally distrib-uted among all the schoolsin the district.

Schools have an obligation to encourage parentalparticipation. They can:

• Use NCLB funds for parenttraining to understand stan-dards, assessments, reportcards, data and other infor-mation you are entitled to.

• Promote broad representa-tion of parents on schoolimprovement committees.

• Assure parents that commu-nications will be in the lan-guage spoken in the home.

• Hold meetings with flexiblehours to accommodate work-ing parents’ schedules.

• Use Title I funds to providetransportation and child carefor parents, or home visits pro-viding these services are relat-ed to parent involvement.

• Offer classes for parents whospeak English as a secondlanguage or parents whowould like to improve theirown literacy skills.

Why is this important?Most school systems and

schools won’t change the waythey do business without outsidehelp and pressure. No Child Left

Behind provides some leveragefor parents and advocates.

Schools and school districtsbenefit when parents areinformed advocates.

What can I do?Join a parent group, get

informed—become active! You can:

• Visit high achieving schoolsin your district and/or statewith populations similar toyour school and see howthey improved academicachievement.

• Get copies of the standardsand sample copies of testsand learn how they are usedin the classroom.

• Find out how tests andother assessments are usedto evaluate and improveinstructional practices.

• Monitor your child’s home-work to see if it’s on gradelevel (See the EducationTrust’s brochure called “DoesMy Child’s Homework MeetHigh Standards?” availableon the internet athttp://www.edtrust.org/main/main/homework_eng.asp.)

• Get to know your child’steachers.

• Go to meetings, talk withother parents.

• Learn about school issues.• Study school report cards

when they are released. • Attend district school board

meetings.Talk to your child’s teacher. You

don’t have to wait until “Back toSchool Night” or parent confer-ences. Your children will benefit iftheir teachers know that you arebehind them every step of the way.

Fact Sheet #11

Parent Involvement


What does NCLB say?No Child Left Behind

(NCLB) recognizes that stu-dents who are not nativeEnglish speakers (LimitedEnglish Proficient “LEP”) needadditional academic support.NCLB says that these studentsmust be taught the same aca-demic content their classmatesare learning, at the same timeas they are learning English.The type of language instruc-tion program is determined bythe school, but regardless of thetype of program, the programmust have as a goal developingstudents’ English proficiencywhile also helping them tomaster academic standards.The programs may use bothEnglish and a child’s nativelanguage.

The expectation in the law isthat LEP students should be ableto participate in traditionalclasses after three years in a lan-guage instruction program. Onceyour child has been transitionedout of a language instructionprogram, the district has aresponsibility to monitor yourchild’s English-language devel-opment for two more years toensure that they are able to fullyparticipate in the regular aca-demic program.

No Child Left Behind alsogives important rights to theparents of LEP students. If yourchild has been identified as LEPyou have a right to know thelevel of your child’s English pro-ficiency and what programs yourchild will be enrolled in to learnEnglish, as well as how thoseprograms will meet your child’sneeds. This notice should be

provided no later than 30 daysafter the beginning of the schoolyear and be in a language youcan understand. The noticeshould include:

• Your child’s level in English(such as Novice,Intermediate, or Advanced),the defining characteristicsof each language proficiencylevel, and how their levelwas determined.

• The teaching methods of theprogram your child is beingassigned to.

• How the program will helpyour child learn English andat the same time meet aca-demic standards.

• The requirements for exitingthe special English-languageacquisition program and anestimate of how long thatshould take.

• If a student is in secondaryschool, the school should tellyou the expected graduationrate for students in the pro-gram they are recommend-ing. If your child is notexpected to graduate, youshould request additionalsupport or a different pro-gram that will prepare yourchild to graduate.

Parents also have a right todecline enrollment in the pro-gram selected by the school, toremove a child from the pro-gram, or to choose a differentlanguage instruction program ifavailable. Note that if youdecide not to enroll your childin the program recommendedby the school, the district isstill obligated to work to over-come language barriers faced byyour child.

Why is this important?The basic idea of NCLB is that

students should receive the typeof instruction necessary to helpthem meet academic achieve-ment goals, so that all studentsare ready to continue learning incollege or the workforce by thetime they finish high school.Students who are not nativeEnglish speakers need additionalacademic support in order totransition from their primary lan-guage to English. It is extremelyimportant that LEP students arenot only given the help theyneed to learn English as quicklyas possible but also have access tothe regular curriculum.

What can I do?Request all school reports in

your native language. Get to know other parents

whose children have beenthrough the same school or thesame programs. They should beable to help you to understandhow the different programoptions work at your school andhow you can best support yourchild’s education.

Talk to your child’s teacheroften about your expectationsand ask questions so that youhave a clear understanding ofwhat program your child is in,what language your child islearning in, and how your childis being taught English. Taketime to visit your child’s class-room during the school day tosee what they are learning.

If you cannot communicatewith your child’s teacher, findsomeone on the school staff whocan serve as a translator or whocan answer your questions.

Fact Sheet #12

Students with Limited English Proficiency


What does NCLB say?Parents have the right to change

schools if their child’s school hasnot met goals for two consecutiveyears and has been identified as inneed of improvement. (See FactSheet on “Schools In Need ofImprovement.”) Federal funds areprovided to cover the costs ofthese transfers. No state or localeducation funds are used.

Parental choice means:• Parents have the right to

transfer to a higher per-forming school in the sameschool district. As long asthe original school remainsin need of improvement,the school district mustprovide transportation tothe new school.

• If student achievementimproves at the sendingschool and the school is nolonger in need of improve-ment, the family has theright to keep their child inthe new school, but theschool no longer has to pro-vide transportation.

• When adequate spacesaren’t available, prioritymust be given to the lowestachieving children in low-income families. School dis-tricts are encouraged tomake arrangements to allowstudents to transfer to neigh-boring districts.

• If transfer options aren’tavailable to accommodate alltransfer requests, the schooldistrict should offer supple-mental services to childrenfrom low-income families inthe first year of schoolimprovement. (Usually sup-plemental services aren’tavailable until the secondyear of school improvement.See Fact Sheet on“Supplemental Services.”)

Why is this important?All parents want their children

to go to successful schools andto get a high quality education.In the past, parents often feltthat their children were stuck inunsuccessful schools, and theyhad no choice but to stay. NoChild Left Behind tries to makesure that families have choiceswhen their neighborhood schoolis not successfully educatingtheir children.

What can I do?Be aware of your rights under

the law and make careful deci-sions about what is best for yourchild. If you learn that your child’sschool has been identified as “inneed of improvement,” you shouldfind out why, what the school isdoing to address its problems, andwhat choices you have. Here aresome things to look for when you

think about choosing a newschool for your child:

• Does the school have a recordof success with all its students,or only some groups?

• What are the achievementlevels at the new school?How do different groups ofstudents do on the tests? Forexample, look to see if cer-tain ethnic groups do muchbetter on the tests than oth-ers. A good school shouldhave narrow if any gaps.

• Visit the school. Talk toschool officials, teachers,and students if possible.Talk to parents of childrenat that school.

• What is the atmosphere likein the school? Were youwelcomed?

Remember that even if youhave the right to move yourchild to a new school, the deci-sion is still yours. Just because aschool is in need of improve-ment does not mean that it isnot good for your child.

You should find out as muchas you can about your rightsand about the choices availableto you. Get as much informa-tion as you can; think aboutthe possible benefits and thepossible difficulties. And final-ly, you should make the deci-sion that seems best for theneeds of your child.

Fact Sheet #13

School Choice


What does NCLB say?Under No Child Left Behind,

low-income parents can get freeafter-school or weekend tutoringfor their children when theirschool has not met goals forthree or more years.

The school or school districtmust let you know if your chil-dren are eligible for this pro-gram. They should send you anotice, and this notice shouldbe easy for you to understand.The notice should give you alist of all the accredited tutor-ing programs near where youlive. The programs on this listhave to be approved by thestate. There should be adescription of each program onthe list. If you want supplemen-tal services for your child, theschool district will make thearrangements at no cost to you(federal funds are used to payfor supplemental services).

If your child does begin atutoring program, the programmust work closely with theschool and with you to makesure that it is helping your child

with the specific difficulties heor she is having in school.

Why is this important?Children who are having a hard

time in school need extra help.Schools should provide help, butsometimes that is not enough.

Free tutoring for strugglingstudents in underperformingschools is one way that NCLBfocuses extra attention on thestudents who are not yet profi-cient in reading and math.

What can I do?Be very careful in choosing a

program for your child. Here arethe kinds of questions youshould ask before deciding:

• How long has this tutoringprogram been in business?

• Has the company or tutor-ing service been successfulwith students who arebehind in school?

• How are the services linkedto the school curriculum? Isthe tutoring focused onstrengthening basic skills inmath and/or reading?

• What does the provider doto coordinate their effortswith the students’ teachers?With their schools? Is therea plan to share informationthroughout the tutoring?

• How will the providerexplain to you what yourchild’s problems are? (It isnot helpful to say that astudent is having troublereading—that is alreadyknown. They should tellyou why your child is hav-ing trouble reading, andwhere the problem is com-ing from.)

• What does the provider dothat is different from howthe student was taught inschool?

• Will you be able to followthe progress of your childthrough regular progressreports?

• What feedback/progressreports will you receive?How often?

• What can you do if you arenot satisfied? Who can youtalk to?

Fact Sheet #14

Supplemental Services


Check Out the Education Trust’s Web-Based Data ResourcesDispelling the Myth and Education Watch Online


Online Tools and Resources

Education Watch Online,

a user-friendly source of national

and state data on achievement

patterns and educational opportu-

nities by race and class, kinder-

garten through college.

Dispelling the Myth,

an easy-to-use data base on high-

performing, high-poverty and

high-minority elementary, middle

and high schools in every region of

the country.

To visit Dispelling the Myth and Education Watch Online, go to the Education Trust’s Web site at www.edtrust.org.

The Education Trust works for thehigh academic achievement of allstudents at all levels, kindergarten

through college. While we know that allschools and colleges could better servetheir students, The Education Trustfocuses on the institutions most often leftbehind in plans to improve education—those serving concentrations of low-income, Latino, African American orNative American students.

The Education Trust staff brings to ourwork a unique combination of experiencefrom a wide variety of backgrounds: K-12,postsecondary education, advocacy andcommunity-based organizations. Our insis-tence on high academic achievement forall students at all levels K-16, our team-work with local education and communityactivists, and our single-minded attentionto what is best for students—especially low-income students and students of color—setsThe Education Trust apart from the manyother Washington-based education groups.

Our WorkThe Education Trust identifies six

essential elements needed for systemic K-16 improvement. These are:

• clear, coherent and rigorous aca-demic standards for all students atall levels, kindergarten through col-lege, that are understood andembraced by the public;

• curriculum aligned with standardsfor all students;

• ongoing assessments to monitor theprogress of students and of schools andcolleges toward meeting the standards;

• extra instructional time for studentswho need it to meet standards;

• mechanisms to help faculty deepentheir knowledge, evaluate the effectsof their instruction on student work,and improve practice; and

• accountability systems that demandresults for and from all students; thatassure change in schools and colleges

that resist improvement; and thatreport regularly to the public withhonest data on the progress of allgroups of students.

What We DoRegardless of where it occurs, our work

maintains a relentless focus on improvingthe education of all students, and partic-ularly those students whom the systemhas traditionally left behind.

The Education Trust provides:• assistance to school districts, colleges,

and community-based organizationsto help their efforts at raising studentachievement, especially amongminority and low-income students;

• research and wide public dissemina-tion of data identifying achieve-ment patterns among differentgroups of students;

• writing and speaking for profession-al and general audiences about edu-cational patterns and practices—both those that cause and thosethat close achievement gapsbetween groups of students;

• analysis and expert testimony onpolicies intended to improve edu-cation; and

• advocacy that encourages schools,colleges and whole communities tomount effective campaigns so thatall their students will reach high lev-els of academic achievement.

DataThe Education Trust believes that the sin-

gle best place to begin the job of improvingeducation is to take a long, hard look at thedata. We analyze and report national, stateand local data about student achievementand the institutional practices that help orhinder students’ chances for success.

Putting Standards Into Practice

While most states and school districts

have developed standards, many educatorsneed help putting those standards to workin real classrooms. Our Standards inPractice (SIP) professional development isan ongoing, on site process in which teamsof teachers analyze the effectiveness oftheir assignments by examining studentwork. We also help districts with strategiesfor detracking curriculum; for aligningstandards, curriculum and assessments; andfor using data to drive instruction andinform decision making.

Parent & CommunityEngagement

Parents and communities are crucialplayers in making sure their schools workfor their young people. The EducationTrust works with parents and community-based organizations to become advocatesfor high standards for all students.

Federal & State PolicyThe Education Trust staff work with feder-

al and state policymakers on designing moreeffective strategies to improve achievementand close gaps between groups. Thesestrategies are informed by data and ground-ed in the efforts of communities, schoolsand teachers to make sure all students meethigh standards of performance.

Reports & PublicationsThe Education Trust offers a variety of

publications on topics that range from howto use data effectively to strategies for put-ting standards to work. We also publish theperiodic series of reports, Thinking K-16,which explores education issues in depth.

Education Trust–WestSince opening its doors in 2001, The

Education Trust–West has exploded onthe California circuit as a powerful voicefor California’s neediest students.Recently, we were described by a promi-nent policymaker as the “conscience ofthe state.” We wear that label with pride.


About The Education Trust

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