Just the Facts for New York Parents

The No Child Left Behind Act—An Overview

NCLB is a federal law to improve education for all children. It holds schools responsible for results, gives parents greater choices, and promotes teaching methods that work. This overview points out parts of the law that are important for parents to know.

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School Report Cards

Every term, your child gets a report card that tells you how your child is doing in school. Under NCLB, your child's school and school district will get a report card every year. You will be able to learn how well your child's school and school district did in meeting New York State's academic achievement goals. The school report card should be provided in a language that you understand.

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Schools in Need of Improvement

All children deserve a high quality, challenging education that gives them the skills and knowledge they will need to succeed in today's world. Under NCLB, the New York State Education Department must make sure that every school is helping its students improve academically.

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Public School Choice

Children who are in failing schools are at risk of falling farther and farther behind in learning. The NCLB law gives you a new choice. If your child's school is a Title I school identified as in need of improvement, you can ask that your child be transferred to a higher performing public school in the same district. This option is called public school choice.

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Supplemental Educational Services

If your child attends a Title I school in need of improvement and the school fails to make adequate yearly progress for another year after being identified as in need of improvement, the NCLB law gives you another option. If your child is eligible for Title I services, NCLB generally requires the school district or charter school to offer students from low-income families extra help outside of school hours. This help is called supplemental educational services.

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Services for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students

To be successful in school, students need to understand, speak, read, and write English well. If your child is not using English well now, he or she may need special classes for English language learners. Under NCLB, these services are called services for limited English proficient (LEP) students.

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Teacher Qualifications

All children deserve well-prepared teachers. Well-prepared teachers know what to teach and how to teach. They have mastered the subject matter that they are teaching. Under NCLB, all school districts and charter schools must make sure that all teachers in core academic subjects are highly qualified by the end of school year 2005–2006.

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Parent Involvement Policies for Schools and School Districts

Because parents are so important for children's success, Title I schools and school districts must have a plan that makes parents partners in their children's education. This written plan, called a parent involvement policy, is required at the district and school level. Title I charter schools must also have a parent involvement policy.

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