No Child Left Behind
- 1. What is “No Child Left Behind” and What Does it Mean for Westfall Local Schools? On January 8, 2002, President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This legislation includes the federal support that states and local school districts receive for eligible schools know as Title 1. NCLB requires that every state and school district develop and implement standards, assessments and accountability system in Reading and Mathematics. Because the federal law focuses on many concepts and instructional strategies that the Westfall Local School District has put in place, Consider these current district practices, which are the main elements of the NCLB law: 1. A strengthened district-wide core curriculum aligned to state standards and testing in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, and standards-based instruction in all subject areas; 2. Investing in high-quality professional development for all teaches to ensure that Westfall Local School teachers meet the definition of highly-qualified according to federal guidelines, as well as an aggressive teacher recruitment programs; 3. An emphasis on accountability and assessment. These elements have been in place in the state of Ohio through its Department of Education’s State, District and School Report Cards, annual Value Added Growth Measures, and the state’s list of schools that are low performing, improving, or in good standing. 4. A focus on proven strategies that work such as the districts Balanced Literacy Framework, School Improvement Plans and academic Intervention Programs. 5. Expanded options for parents, such as the district’s Open Enrollment Process which now gives priority to the most academically challenged students in the lowest performing schools, the recently introduced Public School of Choice, which offers student options for enrolling in neighboring district/buildings not in school improvement and the Parents’ Right to Know about the status of their children’s schools and teachers. 6. Schools are monitored annually on the Ten Components of a Title I Schoolwide Program. These are: 1. Comprehensive Needs Assessment; 2. Schoolwide Reform Strategies; 3. Instruction by Highly Qualified Staff; 4. High Quality Professional Development; 5. Attracting Highly Qualified Teachers; 6. Assistance to Preschool Children; 7. Transition: Assisting Children to the next level; 8. Teachers in Decision Making; 9. Timely, Additional Assistance to Students Experiencing Difficulty; 10. Coordination and Integration of Federal, State and Local Programs.