Special Education and the Law for Parents
No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
The topics listed are individual websites on No Child Left Behind that can be accessed only by members of The National Association of Parents with Children in Special Education (NAPCSE). If you are not a member of NAPCSE, and would like to join, click here to register. Members of NAPCSE, please log in above (member login and password) to activate these, and all other websites, in our database.
NAPCSE would like to thank the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities for providing much of the following material on No Child Left Behind.
- Want to read the actual law that Congress passed?
- Find the print version of NCLB where else but the U.S. Department of Education!
- How about the Federal Regulations implementing the law?
- To see or download the regulations that guide implementation of the law passed by Congress, including an Appendix containing an "Analysis of Comments and Changes" to the draft regulations initially proposed:
- The final rule for implementing Title I of the ESEA, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act, as it appeared in Volume 67 (Number 231) of the Federal Register (issued December 2, 2002):
- Additionally, the final regulations for the inclusion of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities in Title I assessments (issued December 9, 2003):
- Looking for the entire historical record of the law's passage, from Thomas at the Library of Congress?
From the link above, you'll arrive at the search page for the 107th Congress, which passed the NCLB. If you enter "PL107-110" in the first box, labelled Bill, Amendment, or Public Law Number," and click on search, the results will be a mountain of links to aspects of this law's passage, including: a summary of the bills Congress considered along the way to passage, committee actions in the House, related House Committee documents and the conference report, amendments, how Congress voted, and---finally---a link to the text of the legislation.
- NCLB at a glance.
There are 9 titles within the NCLB, starting with the well-known Title I. Wanna know what they are? Visit the link above.
- Key points of NCLB.
At the link above, you'll find two useful summaries from The Education Trust. On the right menu, you can choose the 12-page NCLB User Guide or the NCLB Fact Sheets. The fact sheets address different topics within NCLB in one-page summaries, answering the same three questions each time: What does NCLB have to say? Why is this important? and What can I do? The topics are: Standards, Assessments, Public Reporting, Using and Collecting Data, Accountability, Adequate Yearly Progress, Schools in Improvement, Teacher Quality, High Quality Curriculum, Parents' Right to Know, Parent Involvement, Students with Limited English Proficiency, School Choice, and Supplemental Services.
- Highlights from NCREL, the North Central Regional Educational Lab.
- A summary for principals.
The National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the National Association of Secondary School Principals offers K-12 Principals Guide to No Child Left Behind. Order the guide by calling the National Principals Resource Center (NPRC) at 1.800.386.2377, or online at the NPRC.
- Any summaries for parents?
The Department of Education offers a Parent's Guide to NCLB.
- Here's another summary for parents.
The United Federation of Teachers, in New York City, offers What Parents Needs to Know about NCLB/Title I.
- Need a glossary yet?
- How 'bout "A Primer on NCLB" from the National Governors Association's Center for Best Practices?
Just the facts, ma'am...
The U.S. Department of Education provides Ten Facts Every Parent Should Know About the No Child Left Behind Act.
For the same information in Spanish, read Diez Datos que Cada Padre Debe Saber Sobre la Ley que Ningún Niño Se Quede Atrás
- Visit the offical No Child Left Behind site at the U.S. Department of Education.
- Try the U.S. Department of Education's 2002 NCLB Desktop Reference
- What nonregulatory guidance has the Department of Education issued, to help folks implement the law
At the link above, choose "NCLB Policy Guidance and OMB Circulars" and then "Policy Guidance for Programs Implemented under NCLB." This will lead you to the guidances the Department has issued to date, which are intended to assist stakeholders in implementing NCLB's requirements. To give you a taste of what's currently online:
o Supplemental Educational Services Guidance (August 2003)
o Report Cards Guidance (September 2003)
o LEA and School Improvement Guidance (January 2004)
o Public School Choice Draft Guidance (February 2004)
- Explore two major NCLB issues: Annual Yearly Progress and Teacher Quality.
The link above will lead you to the Education Trust. Use the right choice menu to find out more information about the topics of Annual Yearly Progress and Teacher Quality.
- Pick your issue to explore.
The Education Commission of the United States offers a virtual ton of information and analysis on NCLB.
- Pick your issue from topics organized A-Z.
You can jump to all sorts of resources on NCLB topics, as covered by the U.S. Department of Education.
- The National Governors Association offers extensive summaries and analyses.
NGA offers links to promising state policies regarding NCLB implementation; summaries of the Department's guidance, regulations, and policy letters; and reports, issue briefs, meeting summaries, and other online documents.
- A deeper look at 11 key NCLB topics.
The Educational Testing Service (ETS) has created a Web site covering 11 NCLB topics of special interest to ETS and have summarized provisions relevant to those topics within the various titles of the law where they occur.
- Take advantage of the work done by the AASA.
The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) offers us the benefit of their work on NCLB. Visit their Web site and find useful tools, resources, and best practices, as well as articles and organizations, to better implement the provisions of this law.
- Advocacy and the NCLB.
Wrightslaw offers an advocacy book, Wrightslaw: No Child Left Behind. Order the book by calling 1.877.529.4332, or online at the link above. A companion Web site to the book is also offered.
- Extensive resources from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
And here's what the National Education Association (NEA) offers.
- How can we keep high quality teachers in rural areas?
- Want info about the 21st Century Community Learning Centers?
The 21st CCLC Program is a component of NCLB, re-authorized under Title IV, Part B, of the Act. The focus of this program is to provide expanded academic enrichment opportunities for children attending low performing schools. Tutorial services and academic enrichment activities are provided, as well as youth development activities, drug and violence prevention programs, technology education programs, art, music and recreation programs, counseling and character education. To find out if there's a CCLC in your neck of the woods, search the 21st CCLC Grantees Database.
- Choosing to change schools.
One of the parental options included in NCLB is school choice when their child’s current school isn’t performing adequately. Based on research, Critical Issue: NCLB Option—Choosing to Change Schools offers help in considering changing schools. Learn about the importance of teacher quality, class size, parent-school partnerships, and choice of reading programs. The report, a publication of the North Central Regional Education Laboratory (NCREL), also includes resources to contact for more information.
Title I provides billions of dollars in financial assistance to schools educating low-income students. Currently, about half (55 percent) of public schools receive funds under Title I. A part of ESEA and now amended by NCLB, Title I's official name is "Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged." Here are some links to information about this very important part of the legislation.
Here's a summary for parents that talks clearly about Title 1.
The United Federation of Teachers in New York City offers What Parents Needs to Know about NCLB/Title I.
- Another quick summary of Title 1.
This summary comes from the Public Education Network (PEN) and the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE).
- Much more detailed info about Title 1---but it'll cost ya.
o Title I Monitor includes an e-mail alert service and unlimited online access to a database of archived issues. Available at $277 a year from the Thompson Publishing Group. Free features on the Web site include a News Desk about Title I happenings and selected Federal resources. For more information or to subscribe, call 1.800.964.5815
o Title I Report: Another wealth of info you'll have to pay for. Cost? To quote, "A subscription to the Title I Report, which includes full access to [the] Website, costs only $239 a year or $429 for two years. Website-only subscriptions are discounted, and some additional discounts are available for members of partner associations or organizations that buy multiple subscriptions."
- Is my school a Title I school?
A Title I school receives government funding and must follow NCLB requirements. Find out if your school is a Title I school. At the link above, enter your school's name and address, and search. The results will include "School Characteristics," one of which will be "Title I School" yes or no.
NCLB and Children with Special Needs
How does NCLB affect children with special needs? This is an area of great concern to the disability community. The following resources will help you find out more about what the NCLB means for children with disabilities and the school systems who educate them:
NCLB and Its Implications for Students with Disabilities.
by Dr. Judy Schrag, the Special Edge, Spring 2003, Volume 16, Number 2.
Implementing the No Child Left Behind Act: What It Means for IDEA.
from NASDSE (National Association of State Directors of Special Education), June 2002.
- A Parent's Guide to No Child Left Behind.
by Suzanne Heath, Research Editor, Wrightslaw. - No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: A Technical Assistance Resource.
from the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), October 22, 2003. - No Child Left Behind: What's in it for Parents?
from NCPIE (National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education). - No Child Left Behind Act of 2001: Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. from the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).
- Implications for Special Education Policy and Practice: Selected Sections of Title I and Title II. from the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).
- Accountability for Assessment Results in NCLB: What It Means for Children with Disabilities. from the National Center on Educational Outcomes, August 2003.
- Special needs, common goals.
Education Week's report on the condition of public education focuses on special education. Quality Counts 2004: "Count Me In: Special Education in an Era of Standards" urges holding students with and without disabilities to the same high standards. The report explores ideas about fair ways to do this.
- Assessing students with disabilities under IDEA and NCLB. from the
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD). EdPolicy Update, January 2004.
- Aligning Special Education with NCLB. from LDOnline, May 2003.
- No Child Left Behind and Students with Learning Disabilities.
from the National Center for Learning Disabilities.
- Want PowerPoint slides?
This PowerPoint presentation, presented at the Education Trust's annual conference, can serve as a tool to talk about the major provisions of NCLB with a particular emphasis on the new requirements in Title I. From the link above, use the right menu to select "No Child Left Behind” Overview for Annual Conference," which will take you to the PowerPoint presentation.
- More PowerPoint slides.
This PowerPoint presentation of 45 slides is from the American Federation of Teachers.
- Scads of slides at the U.S. Department of Education. Pick your poison!
o State Accountability Systems
o Accountability and Annual Yearly Progress
o Strategies for Making Adequate Yearly Progress, Using Curriculum Based-Measurement for Progress Monitoring
o Evidence-Based Education
o New Flexibility Provisions under NCLB
o Highly Qualified Teachers & Paraprofessionals
o Strategies for Improving Teacher Quality
o Mathematics and Science Partnerships: Scientifically Based Research in Mathematics
o Highly Qualified Paraprofessionals
o Providing Title I Services to Eligible Private School Children
o Research-Based Instruction in Reading
o Choice Provisions in NCLB
- And yet more Power Point slides.
- Not done yet.
Although these slides are in straigh text, not in PowerPoint, you can easily copy and paste the text NCREL (North Central Regional Educational Lab) provides into any presentation tool you choose.
- Or yet.
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) has a number of Power Point presentations about NCLB online regarding implementing adequate yearly progress in state accountability systems.
- Specific focus: NCLB and the Assessment of Students with Disabilities .
The National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) offers three Power Point presentations specific to NCLB and assessing students with disabilities. These are entitled: (1) NCLB Implications for Assessment and Accountability for Students with Disabilities, (2) No Child Left Behind: Considerations for the Assessment of Students with Disabilities, and (3) Civil Rights, No Child Left Behind, Assessments, Accountability, and Students with Disabilities.
- Not just for parents and community leaders---administrators and teachers can use this Action Guide, too.
The Public Education Network (PEN) offers Using NCLB to Improve Student Achievement: An Action Guide for Community and Parent Leaders, an 80-page guide on how to use NCLB to advocate for improved public education.
- Who's Who in your state?
Use the map at the link above to choose a state and find out who to contact about NCLB, education matters in general, and disability-related issues (hey! they link to NICHCY, so you'll end up back here!). Also find state profiles presenting key data about each state's student and school population and its testing history and results under National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
- Want specific NCLB information on your state?
The Education Commission of the States (ECS) offers the above Web site, which is a one-stop shop for learning the day-to-day status of how state policies match up with NCLB requirements.
- Is your child's teacher highly qualified as prescribed by NCLB?
Read about your right to know in the Public Education Network's NCLB Action Brief.
- AFT's Making Standards Matter.
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) offers a state-by-state analysis of state efforts to implement a standards-based system.
- Check out your state's Accountability Workbook and Consolidated Plan.
At the beginning of 2003, each state submitted to the U.S. Department of Education a "Consolidated State Application Accountability Workbook." In the workbook, each state indicated their progress toward 31 critical elements in 10 categories and wrote a narrative outlining the state’s activities. See the final approved plans on the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)'s site above. The Consolidated Plan for your state is available on the Web site of the Education Commission of the States.
- More on the CCSSO's site.
The link above will take you to a page of state-level resource information, where you can investigate: North Carolina's Plan to communicate about NCLB with various audiences; state report cards on various SEA Web sites; and state press releases and news coverage (for Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming).
- Try the School Information Partnership.
Here, you can find out the school, district, and state information required to be publicly reported under NCLB. State snapshots are also available.
- The School Evaluation Services (SES) database.
Use Standard and Poor's (S&P) database to view academic, financial, and socioeconomic indicators, benchmark comparisons and trends. Also read S&P’s written reports on your district’s strengths and challenges.
- Reflections on implementation: Two years and counting.
This October 2003 InfoBrief from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) takes a national look at our progress under NCLB.
- Sign up for NCLB action briefs.
The Public Education Network (PEN) and the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE) offer an email service to keep you on top of NCLB action.
- Webcasts for parents!
The Department of Education offers Education News Parents Can Use, a Web cast series about ways to ensure children's educational success. Learn more about the program, view previous Webcasts, see what's on the schedule for 2004, and sign up.
- Sign up for a Title I Part A listserv.
The titleilocals listserv is a free service offered by OESE's Student Achievement and School Accountability Programs. The information that subscribers to the "LEAtitleIdirector" listserv receive is intended to help them administer their programs and learn about new information regarding Title I Part A.
And a wealth of information about Title 1 is available for a few $$.
See above, under "What's Title I?" for two Title 1 services that keep administrators informed: the Title I Monitor and the Title I Report.
- Try the TitleIOnline News Desk.
- Want the latest in education news?
- Education Week provides articles and information on NCLB.
