EAST BAY - Most have probably heard of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), but when it comes to understanding what it all means, many of us feel like we're the ones who've been "left behind." The actual law is around 1000 pages (There's no need for that kind of torture). We've broken it down to the bare bones.

The No Child Left Behind Act is designed to guarantee that all students are being educated. With this act, it's not enough for children to "skate by." All children are expected to be proficient by 2014.

NCLB marks a major increase in the level of accountability required of schools. NCLB itself is new, as of 2001, but the idea isn't. The history goes back to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education when the Supreme Court decided that segregated schools were unconstitutional. NCLB builds on this concept of equal education by breaking children into subgroups based on ethnicity and socioeconomic factors. This makes it almost impossible for any group to fall through the cracks just because a school's overall score is high. NCLB is actually part of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. When it was time to look at ESEA again in 2001, the No Child Left Behind Act was added.

Here are the basics goals:

* Accountability – This is the big one. This is the reason for all the testing. Schools are required to:

* Set standards for what's expected at each grade. These should be spelled out very plainly, i.e. by the end of the year, your child should know x, y, and z. In fact, at the beginning of the year, parents are supposed to get a copy of the standards expected of the child.

* Develop a system to make sure that all students in all subgroups are meeting those standards. Usually schools have a "beginning of the year" assessment to determine each child's skill level. These assessments tell the teacher exactly where each student is in terms of progress, not only overall, but on individual skills. Teachers do these assessments periodically through the year. This type of test is for classroom purposes and helps the teacher determine what and how to teach. This classroom testing is in addition to the "big" standardized state tests most often administered in the spring. In this vein, schools offer training for teachers and remediation for students to ensure that all students are learning and mastering the material.

* Highly Qualified Teachers (HQT) – This says that your child's teacher should be highly qualified. Three things are required to make a teacher highly qualified:

1. A bachelor's degree

2. A certification or licensure to teach in the state

3. Proven knowledge of the subjects he/she is teaching (New teachers are required to take subject tests prior to being licensed.)

* Parents must now be notified if their child has a teacher who is not highly qualified. For example, if there were a long-term substitute who did not meet these standards, parents would have to be notified.

* By June 2006, all teacher aides are required to have at least an associate's degree.

* 100% Proficiency by 2014 – All students at all schools are required to be proficient

* Adequate Yearly Progress – You will see this one as simply "AYP." Schools are expected to make progress every year on the way to 100% proficiency by 2014. If a school misses its AYP target for two years in a row, it can be penalized. The AYP score is based on the yearly standardized test.

* Choice and Options – If a school misses its AYP targets for two years in a row, it goes into "choice." Parents can then choose to move their children to a higher performing public school or to a charter school within the district. This is based on a belief that no child should be stuck at a school that isn't performing up to standard. (Money the school received for that student goes with that student to the new school.)

* Communication – Schools are required to communicate with parents. Parents should receive a list of things that each child is expected to know. Parents should also be notified about a school's "report card." There may be a meeting where the school or district goes over this with parents. Report cards can also be found at the state department of education's website: www.ridoe.net.

Things parents can do

* Ask questions. If you don't know what a standard "looks like," ask.

* Understand that school today isn't like it was when you were in school. This isn't about the kids being different. This is also about content. A lot more is expected of children, and it's expected a lot sooner. For example, what used to be taught in eighth grade is now taught in sixth. Material is being taught an average of two years earlier than in years past.

* Know that kids today are not only expected to know the material, they are also expected to be able to explain how they know. They must demonstrate a deeper level of understanding. They not only do the math problem, they may also have to write a paragraph or two about their thinking as they solved the problem.

* Be patient with your child's teacher. Most teachers are in the profession because they love it and are doing everything in their power to help your child succeed. There is a lot of pressure with NCLB, not only in terms of accountability, but also in practical terms like paperwork. —www.ed.gov

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Fran Nunes - teacher's aide, Hugh Cole School

"(NCLB) is a very good theory, but they don't make accommodations for severely involved kids."

About the new requirements for teacher's aides - "We've just been notified that we have 'til June 30 (to take care of the requirements - test or associate's degree.) They gave us more time. It'd be too disruptive in the middle of the year."

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Silva Mitchell - parent, Warren

"I don't know anything about No Child Left Behind. Is that a local group? Seriously, what is it. I've never heard of it."

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Dr. Edward R. Mara - superintendent, Bristol-Warren School District

"I am a supporter. It was a step that was needed. We need to be accountable to our students. We need to be accountable to our parents, and we need to be accountable to our community. It has driven us to look at curriculum and the way we deliver curriculum and look at differentiating instruction to meet the need of all kids. Now, it's everyone's kids. It's made us look at student work, examine student work, and say, 'What is good work?' These are all positive things. We're collecting good date and monitoring progress all the time."

The negative side - "It's put on an awful lot of pressure. It took on a very punitive role in the beginning."

He said that people wonder why teachers need help. His answer" "There's so much new. The math alone has changed greatly." For example, the math had changed greatly.

Rhode Island ahead of the curve - "Our community had already started to categorize schools. Our tests were very rigorous." He said it was good that Rhode Island was already addressing this issue. However, when NCLB cam about, it was an immediate change. They had to go from one reporting system to another. In some cases, schools that were high performing one year, were low performing the next. The test scores may have stayed the same, but under NCLB if even one target is missed, the overall school rating suffers.

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Elliot Kreger - spokesman for the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

"I generally direct people to the federal education site, www.edu.gov. It explains many aspects of the law."

"Since '01, every publication from this office has made a reference to this law."

Some of the things that have changed or been added:

High Quality Teachers: "We have very specific criteria for determining high quality teachers in Rhode Island. We've had to modify criteria fro teacher certification."

"We've had to add tested grades (three through eight and high school grades.) Previously, it only included three grades.)

"We've had to adopt and apply specific targets. There are eight groups. More performance of various groups is measured."

"We've had to revise and expand our standards in English and math and add a new science assessment. The science assessment starts in 2007 for three grades."

"We've had to expand our reporting system for information to the public. Most of the communication about the law comes from the district. We do give guidance to the district about communication if a target is missed."

Choice schools - "We've had schools miss targets and had to allow parents choice about schools in the district. The previous year, thirty-nine students opted to transfer. None in East Bay." (No schools in choice.)

Special need children - As of May, the federal government allows a little more flexibility regarding special needs children. The states have to request it. "We haven't asked for any flexibility. There is an alternative assessment for these children. Only one out of 200 take it. They still have to meet a standard."

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Understanding scoring and goals

Target goals can vary from school to school. The formula is calculated so that there should be progress every year, and so that, by 2014, all students have reached 100% proficiency. The requirement is to make incremental progress each year on the way to 2014. If sufficient progress is not made for two consecutive years, then interventions are investigated and implemented.

Possible interventions:

* After two years – students may transfer to other schools in the district

* After three years – students may receive free supplementary educational services

* After four years – the school may be subject to various forms of corrective action, such as restructuring

When looking at a school's rating, it is important to look at the scores and understand how the school was rated. Schools are judged on variety of factors:

1. Test scores in English and math – known as assessment targets

2. Scores are by subgroup – Possible subgroups are: African-American, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, White, students with disabilities, students with limited English Proficiency, students who are economically disadvantaged.

3. Number or percent of students tested. (This is to prevent students who might adversely affect overall scores from being removed through a waiver process or omitted from scoring.)

4. Attendance rate – attendance affects student learning.

In the "classified as" section, schools will get two ratings. One from the school performance list and one from the improvement list.

* School Performance List:

1. High Performing School

Met all targets

Achieved the 2011 target goals in both English and math

2. Moderately Performing School

Met all targets

3. High/Moderate Performing School with Caution

Missed only one non-assessment target. Can only be in this category for one year only

4. In need of improvement

Missed more than one target

Missed one or more assessment targets (i.e. English or Math)

n Improvement List:

1. Improving

Met all targets (as in high or moderately performing)

Increased scores for school by 2 points in English and Math

2. Sustaining

All other schools that met all targets

3. Making Progress

Missed one or more targets but are moving toward those targets at a rapid rate (i.e. they could close the gap between last year's score and a score of 100 by improving ten percent.)

4. Insufficient

Missed more than one target or one or more assessment targets

A school may meet its overall target goal and still be rated as needing improvement. The reason for this is that NCLB gives an overall score and a score for each subgroup within a school. In this way, NCLB monitors each group to make sure that all are making progress and that the overall score doesn't hide those who may be falling behind. They also give target scores for things like attendance and number of students tested.

For more information go to: www.ridoe.net or www.infoworks.ride.uri.edu.

By Sandra Gahlinger