K-12 Education: Highlights of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110)
Released: 2008-01-07T00:00:00

Introduction

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), signed into law on January 8, 2002 ( H.R. 1 , P.L. 107-110 ), extended and amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). ESEA programs are authorized through FY2008, and the 110 th Congress is considering whether to amend and extend the ESEA. This report outlines major highlights of the NCLB. Only the most basic provisions of this act are briefly described in this report; other CRS reports provide more specific and substantial analyses of the major provisions of the NCLB.

Major features of the NCLB include the following: (a) states were required to implement standards-based assessments in reading and mathematics for pupils in each of grades 3-8 by the end of the 2005-2006 school year, and at three grade levels in science by the end of the 2007-2008 school year; (b) grants are provided to states for assessment development; (c) all states are required to participate in National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests in 4 th and 8 th grade reading and mathematics every second year; (d) states must annually apply adequate yearly progress (AYP) standards, incorporating a goal of all pupils reaching a proficient or higher level of achievement by the end of the 2013-14 school year, to each public school, local education agency (LEA), and the state overall; (e) a sequence of consequences, including public school choice and supplemental services options, must be implemented for schools and LEAs that fail to meet AYP standards for two or more consecutive years; (f) ESEA Title I-A allocation formulas have been modified to increase targeting on high-poverty LEAs and to move Puerto Rico toward parity with the states; (g) by the end of the 2005-06 school year, all paraprofessionals paid with Title I-A funds were to have completed at least two years of higher education or met a "rigorous standard of quality"; (h) several new programs aimed at improving reading instruction have been initiated; (i) teacher programs have been consolidated into a state grant authorizing a wide range of activities including teacher recruitment, professional development, and hiring; (j) states and LEAs participating in Title I-A were to ensure that teachers meet the act's definition of "highly qualified" by the end of the 2005-2006 school year; (k) almost all states and LEAs are authorized to transfer a portion of the funds they receive among several programs; (l) federal support of public school choice has been expanded in several respects; (m) several previous programs have been consolidated into a state grant supporting integration of technology into K-12 education; (n) the Bilingual and Emergency Immigrant Education Acts have been consolidated into a single formula grant, with previous limits on the share of grants for specific instructional approaches eliminated; and (o) the 21 st Century Community Learning Center program has been converted into a formula grant with increased focus on after-school activities.

Major provisions that were in the House- or Senate-passed versions of H.R. 1 (107 th Congress) but were not included in the final legislation include the Senate bill's provisions for mandatory funding at specified levels for Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part B grants to states, discipline provisions for children with disabilities, authorization for up to seven states to eliminate a wide range of program requirements in return for increased accountability in terms of pupil outcomes, and pest management in schools; and the provisions in both the House- and Senate-passed versions for aggregate (i.e., not program-specific) performance bonuses or sanctions, especially for states.

Major features of the NCLB, as well as brief references to relevant provisions of previous law, are compared in the following table.

Major Provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), P.L. 107-110

Aggregate Structure and Funding Levels of the NCLB

Assessments, Adequate Yearly Progress Standards, and Outcome Accountability Under ESEA Title I, Part A

Teacher and Paraprofessional Programs and Qualification Requirements

Reading Programs

Special Flexibility Authorities

Education for Limited English Proficient Pupils

Other ESEA Title I Provisions

Other ESEA and Related Programs