| What is No Child Left Behind or NCLB? No Child Left Behind or "NCLB" as it is commonly called, is federal legislation passed in an effort to bring every child in this country to a meaningful level of proficiency in academic areas. There continues to be much controversy over some aspects of this legislation, but in concept it is meant to assure quality education for all students.
As our previous Commissioner of Education Theodore Sergi wrote, "NCLB focuses on the themes of improving student achievement, closing the achievement gaps, increasing parental involvement, and using research based approaches to improving school quality and student performance. It requires an expansion of the scope and frequency of student testing, a new accountability system, and assurance that every classroom is staffed by a highly qualified teacher. It also requires us as a state, and each district, school and sub-group of students to make 'adequate yearly progress (AYP),' increasing the percentage of students proficient in reading and math. The heart of the new legislation is testing in grades 3 - 8, beginning in 2005 - 2005. In addition, science will be assessed in grades five, 8 and 10, beginning in 2007 - 2008."
What does this mean for students in New Fairfield? Connecticut is a national leader in development and assessment of education standards. The Connecticut Mastery Tests (CMT) already given for years in grades four, six and eight to assess student mastery will be given to all students in grades three through eight, beginning in 2005 - 2006. We have begun this process by administering an "off year" CMT to students in grades three, five and seven for the last two years. Therefore, we are prepared to administer the official CMT to all grades in the year 2005 - 2006.
How will AYP be determined?Adequate yearly progress (AYP) for NCLB for students in Connecticut, will be based on the CMT proficiency levels. School improvement plans will then be developed for any area where students are not reaching proficiency.
Clearly we are committed to maintaining high standards of education for our children. It is important to remember however, that there are many ways to assess students, beyond and in addition to formal tests. For example, students at Meeting House Hill School have learning portfolios with work samples that follow them from year to year. This gives teachers valuable information on students from previous years and allows for comparisons of student work over time. Informal assessments such as IRIs (Informal Reading Inventories) and math assessments are given frequently to assess ongoing learning and determine instructional needs. We cannot wait for a formal test score to arrive once a year to determine students' instructional strengths and areas of need.
Finally, it is important to remember that increased testing increases our budget needs in this area. No federal or state funds are given for implementing any aspects of NCLB.
NCLB at MHHSWhat steps have we taken at Meeting House Hill School to address NCLB? Actually, we began addressing assessment and instructional changes several years ago. The following steps have already been taken to assure we are in compliance with NCLB legislation and to assure our students are making adequate yearly progress. We have been very pleased with continued student progress.
Formal and informal assessments are used on a regular basis to assess student learning.
Staff training through staff development days and staff meetings to address instructional needs.
District wide curriculum committees review and assess curricular needs and incorporate the latest state and federal mandates.
Off year CMTs have been given to grades three and five for the past two years in preparation for formal CMTs in all grades in 2005-2006.
District and school goals are developed each year and include NCLB
A school improvement plan is developed after receiving CMT scores each year, to address weak areas.
NCLB Related Websites |
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