Dear Students, Staff, and Parents:

              On January 8, 2002, when the No Child Left Behind Act became the law of the land, we began a new era of education in our nation’s history.  Its purpose is to promote the academic proficiency of all American students by the school year 2013-2014.  In reviewing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), there are four key areas:  annual testing in reading and math, reporting of test scores to parents and the public, greater choice for students attending low-achieving schools, and highly qualified teachers for all schools and higher standards for paraprofessionals.  All schools and all public school districts are affected by mandates of NCLB.  Title I schools are subject to more requirements for accountability purposes.

            The ultimate goal of academic proficiency must be accomplished by 2013-2014.  However, the immediate goal of having a 100% highly qualified teaching workforce in every school must occur by July 1, 2006.  As I reported to you in one of my earlier communications, I am very pleased that 100% of the teachers in the Bellefonte Area School District are highly qualified.

             I thought I would use this means of communication to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

1. What is a highly-qualified teacher?  A highly-qualified teacher means that the teacher holds at least a bachelors degree and has passed a state test of subject knowledge.  Elementary school teachers must demonstrate knowledge of teaching mathematics and reading.  Teachers in higher grades must demonstrate knowledge of the subject they teach, or have majored in that subject.

2. What are my rights as a parent to know my child’s teacher qualifications?  If your child attends a Title I school, you are entitled to information about your child’s teacher.  You are entitled to know whether the teacher is certified and qualified to teach the particular subject and grade.  You are entitled to information about the teacher’s college degree and major.

3. How do I know how my child is doing?  No Child Left Behind gives parents new tools to help their children learn and to help improve America’s schools.  No Child Left Behind is designed to highlight success and shine a light on failure.  It will give you objective data.  Every state will test students in grades three through eight on what they know in math and reading.  And by 2007, students will be tested in science, too.  Many parents have children who are getting straight A’s, but find out only later that their child is not prepared for college.

4. What are the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act for states and school districts to publish “report cards” on school performance?  School districts must prepare annual reports for parents and the public on the academic achievement of all schools combined and of each individual school.  The school district report cards will include the same information in the state report card.  In the case of an individual school, the report card will include whether it has been identified for school improvement and how its students performed on the state test compared to the school district and the state as a whole.  

5. How can I see these school report cards?  The Bellefonte Area School District report cards can be found on our website at http://www.basd.net/nclb/.  We are currently working on the report card based on the test scores that were just received from the 2004-2005 school year, and as soon as that is finished, we will post that report card on our website, too.

6. How will measuring “adequate yearly progress” (AYP) help improve my school?  Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) is an individual state’s measure of yearly progress toward achieving state academic standards.  It sets the minimum level of improvement that states, school districts, and schools must achieve each year.  No Child Left Behind raises the bar of expectations for all students—especially those ethnic groups and those disadvantaged students who are falling farther and farther behind and who are most in danger of being left behind.

7. What if a school fails to improve?  Parents will get options for their children and districts will have ways to get children extra help.  Schools that have not made state-defined adequate yearly progress for two consecutive school years will be identified as needing school improvement before the beginning of the next school year.  Immediately after a school is found to be in need of improvement, officials will receive help and technical assistance.  These schools will develop a two-year plan to turn around the school.  Every student in the school will be given the option to transfer to a better public school in the district.

8. What effect will testing have on my child?  For some parents, testing causes stress and anxiety.  But in reality, children have always been assessed throughout the year to ensure they know the academic content taught in the classroom.  Testing once a year using a standardized test gives an independent insight into the school’s progress in order to ensure that your child isn’t left behind or trapped in a failing school before it is too late to face the real tests in life.

9. Will the results of my child’s test be private?  Absolutely.  Only you and the school will get to see how your child is improving and progressing.  Although states and districts have to release report cards on their student test results, individual student scores will not be made public.

10. Some people say that testing will make teachers “teach to the test.”  Are those people right?  No Child Left Behind does not encourage teachers to cover the exact test questions.  The state tests are expected to measure the state’s academic standards.  The material should be taught in the classroom.  If teachers cover the subject matter required by the standards and teach it well, students should do well on the test.  It’s like taking a driver’s test.  The instructor covers all the important content that the state wants you to know and much more.

      I hope that the above information has provided you with a better understanding of the No Child Left Behind Act.  If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s building principal or myself.  We would be very happy to answer any additional questions or concerns that you may have concerning NCLB.

                                                              Sincerely yours,

                                                               BELLEFONTE AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

                                                               James T. Masullo, Jr., Ph.D.

                                                               Superintendent of Schools

An Equal Opportunity Employer                                                                                                   www.basd.net

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