Schools for the Deaf and the No Child Left Behind Act.

THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT OF 2001 (NCLB) emphasizes educational accountability for all students. Twenty-eight states have policies to aggregate student participation and proficiency data for schools for the deaf in NCLB reports. The remaining states account for these students in other ways: referring student data to "sending" schools and aggregating data to the district or state level are most prominent. In reports of student assessment results for academic year 2002-2003, three schools for the deaf made "Adequate Yearly Progress" under NCLB: These schools demonstrated at least a 95% participation rate in assessments, and at least 95% of their students met or surpassed state proficiency benchmarks in reading and mathematics. Proficiency levels for other schools varied by report, but were often comparable to those of students with disabilities. Challenges and strategies for capturing the impact of NCLB accountability policies on deaf students are discussed. With implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the Bush administration has placed accountability for student achievement at the forefront of education policy. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is a system of accountability measures that include guidelines for assessment, standards-based curriculum, teacher quality, and added resources for students in schools that do not meet annual benchmarks. The present study focuses on two components of NCLB: participation in assessments and academic proficiency. (There are other components of NCLB, such as teacher quality, school safety, and graduation rates, that may also affect schools for the deaf. The present study, however, focuses on assessment and proficiency as starting points in research on this law.) What do the priorities enunciated in NCLB mean for students with disabilities? What impact will NCLB have on the education of deaf students? The purpose of the present study was to investigate how schools for the deaf are faring in the early stages of NCLB accountability reform. I build the rationale for this research with an overview of NCLB legislation, current findings on assessment participation and academic proficiency for students with disabilities, and the specific focus on schools for the deaf. I then establish the study research questions, describe the data sources, and present the results. The discussion section includes strategies for capturing NCLB data for deaf and hard of hearing students in a variety of educational settings. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: An Overview NCLB is the most recent reauthorization of the Elementary and secondary Education Act, the federal funding mechanism for education first enacted in 1965. Following on the heels of Goals 2000 and standards movements in states across the country, NCLB is the latest in a series of standardsbased reform efforts with the goal of improving student achievement. NCLB's vision is for schools to make significant progress toward proficiency goals for their students within the next 10 years. In the meantime, schools, districts, and states are called upon under the legislation to meet three requirements: * At least 95% of students must participate in assessments that measure academic proficiency. * At least 95% of students must meet state benchmarks for proficiency in core academic areas. * Both participation and proficiency goals must be met by significant subcategories of students, including students with disabilities. Participation in Assessment Reporting assessment participation rates for subcategones of students represents a shift in data reporting practices for schools, districts, and states. Under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997, states were required to assess students with disabilities and to document decisions on matters such as how they are included in assessments and with what accommodations. NCLB applies a more rigorous policy, requiring assessment data reports for students with disabilities at the state, district, and school levels. …