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NCLB Works!

A broad coalition of business, education, community and civil rights groups working in support of efforts to strengthen and reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, share the common belief that this law has been instrumental in focusing our nation on improving academic achievement for all students.

As Congress begins consideration to renew this historic law, we urge Members to maintain and strengthen the fundamental principles and goals of NCLB, specifically:

  1. EXPECTATIONS. All students have the ability to learn and to reach grade-level proficiency in core academic subjects.
  2. STATE STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENTS. States must retain their flexibility to develop standards in math, reading and science and to create and use statewide annual assessments to measure the extent to which students are proficient in these subjects.
  3. HIGH SCHOOLS. States should be given incentives to set more rigorous standards – particularly at the middle and high school levels – to ensure that high school graduates have the skills necessary to continue their education or move into today's competitive workforce. Schools and school districts should be held accountable for improving high school graduation rates.
  4. ACCOUNTABILITY. Schools and school districts must be held accountable for helping all students to reach proficiency in math and reading by a specific date. The original goal of NCLB – 100 percent proficiency in math and reading, based on current standards, by 2014 – should remain. While states can collect information on additional measures, such measures must not undermine the existing accountability system.
  5. ACHIEVEMENT GAP. Schools and school districts must be held accountable for raising math and reading achievement for all groups of students – major ethnic and racial groups, students with disabilities, limited English proficient and economically disadvantaged students. Schools and school districts must also be held accountable for reducing academic achievement gaps between groups.
  6. RESOURCES AND RESTRUCTURING. Schools unable to reach annual student proficiency targets must be provided with additional support and resources. Schools persistently unable to improve must be dramatically restructured.
  7. PARENT OPTIONS. Parents with students in struggling schools must not be forced to wait years for improvement, but instead be given the opportunity to transfer their children to higher -performing public schools or to select a tutor to provide additional academic assistance for their children.
  8. TEACHERS. Teachers should have the skills, knowledge and support necessary to help all students reach proficiency. Minority and economically disadvantaged students should not be taught more frequently than other students by novice and under-qualified teachers.

For more information go to www.nclbworks.org

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