The
U.S. Department of
Education enacted
the
No
Child Left Behind
Act,
(NCLB) signed by the
President on January 8,
2002, ushering in a new
era based on the premise
that every child can
learn and achieve to
high standards,
regardless of race,
socioeconomic status, or
disability. The
cornerstone of
substantive education
reform rested in the
creation and application
of rigorous academic
standards, and that
schools be able to
accurately and
efficiently measure
whether or not students
are meeting the
standards of learning
expected of them,
diagnose problems, and
offer immediate
intervention. NCLB
requires schools to
fully implement aligned
academic content
standards, achievement
standards, and
assessment measures in
the core academic
subjects of
reading/language arts,
mathematics, and
science.
Students
are taught daily to master grade
level content while still being given
the opportunity that challenges all
learners to achieve at proficiency
levels or beyond.
