Accountability

AGTS

Policy Brief

Understanding the Federal No Child Left Behind Act. A more in depth look at how this new law works and its intended results (Requires Adobe Acrobat reader, click here).

EBR-PSS

The EBR-PSS Office of Accountability handles this issue for both Federal NCLB, as well as State high stakes testing and other school Accountability programs. Click
here to link now.

Accountability

Improving education consistently ranks among the highest priorities in public opinion polls and President Bush has made Education issues a cornerstone of his domestic policy agenda. On Jan. 8, 2002, President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). This new law promises sweeping changes in Elementary and Secondary Education and has the potential of fully reshaping all of public education as we know it today. The act calls for stronger accountability through national testing schemes with clearly defined consequences for schools that fail to meet testing goals. The act is intended to foster greater local control and rapid implementation of better teaching methods with greater professionalism.

Some educators worry that the strict limits and arbitrary definitions placed into the law will result in unintended consequences. Large numbers of schools may be mislabeled as “low performing” even if those schools are actually improving by most other accountability measures. All states face a 31 January 2003 deadline for submitting their plans to implement the federal “No Child Left Behind" law. The AGTS will keep you appraised about how these implementation plans impact our local program. In addition, you can follow the links below to help become better informed about the NCLB and its potential impact on public education.

Department of education overview of the NCLB Act
and proposed accountability standards:

 U.S. Department of ed overview

http://www.nclb.gov/next/overview/index.html

  The Louisiana Department of education overview of the NCLB Act 
      and proposed accountability standards:

 Louisiana DOE Accountability

http://www.lcet.doe.state.la.us/doe/omf/sps9899/spsframe.asp

  Governor Mike Foster’s most recent statement on Accountability 
      and Louisiana’s implementation of the NCLB Act

 Governor 's statement

http://www.gov.state.la.us/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=169

http://www.gov.state.la.us/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=171

  Congressman Richard Baker’s view of Accountability and the Federal NCLB Act

 Congressman Baker's

http://www.house.gov/baker/Issues/education.htm