The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) was signed into law by President Bush in January of 2002. It challenges states and school districts to intensify their efforts to improve the academic achievement of public school students considered at risk for school failure. NCLB's new provisions for assessment and accountability are designed to focus increased levels of attention on under-performing groups of students and to close the achievement gap between them and their peers.

 For the nation's 2.9 million students with identified specific learning disabilities currently receiving special education services under IDEA, the challenging new provisions of NCLB create expanded opportunities for improved academic achievement and documentation of that improved performance.

To help parents, policymakers, educators and others interested in the welfare of students with LD fully understand the opportunities and challenges of this new federal law, the National Center for Learning Disabilities has compiled the following information and resources on NCLB.

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The Latest NCLB News:

New NAEP report Shows Gains in Reading and Math Outpace Students without Disabilities

NCLD Releases Reports on Impact of NCLB

Introduction and Background Information
Research
Policy and Advocacy
Additional Resources on the Web 

Introduction and Background Information:

Why Students with Learning Disabilities Need No Child Left Behind
A Fact Sheet from the National Center for Learning Disabilities

Making NCLB Work for Children Who Struggle to Learn: A Parent's Guide
This free publication, co-produced by the National Center for Learning Disabilities and Schwab Learning, provides information on the nation's largest federal education law and offers ways that parents can use the law's key provisions to improve the academic achievement of their students.

Understanding Assessment Options for IDEA-eligible Students provides an overview of students with IEPs participation in statewide tests required by NCLB, helps guide parents through IEP team assessments decisions, and offers questions to ask about the testing options.

Determining Appropriate Assessment Accommodations for Students with Disabilities an overview of appropriate accommodations for students with IEPs or 504 Plans that serves as a guide to choosing accommodations and suggests questions to ask when making appropriate accommodation decisions.

Making the Most of Options for IDEA-eligible Students outlines the school choice and supplemental educational services opportunities that might be available to students, and highlights important points to consider and questions to ask.

Q&A on New Assessment Options for Students with Disabilities under NCLB On April 9, 2007, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced a new policy for the assessment of students with disabilities under No Child Left Behind (NCLB).  NCLD has prepared this brief overview of several key issues related to the new policy.

The Power to Learn: A Parent's Role in No Child Left Behind: Much of the talk surrounding the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) has been about funding and school accountability, but one of the ingredients essential to improving student and school performance is an involved, well-informed parent.

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Policy and Advocacy:

Recommendations to the U.S. Congress for the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) as amended by No Child Left Behind
NCLD has a special interest in the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) as the law focuses on improving academic achievement for all children, including improving instructional practice for children who struggle with learning. NCLD has spearheaded activities in support of No Child Left Behind, including the publication of several documents that have been used to educate and inform policy makers, parents and other stakeholders about the positive and meaningful impact the law is having for students with LD. We urge Congress to make decisive changes to NCLB that will achieve several recommendations.

New Regulations Under NCLB Announced
On April 4, Secretary Spellings announced new regulations under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act that allow states to adopt modified academic achievement standards and to develop an assessment aligned with those standards for students with disabilities who are capable of achieving high standards but who may not reach grade level achievement in the same time as their peers. When calculating Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), states may count proficient and advanced test scores on the assessments for up to 2 percent of all students tested (or up to 20% of students with disabilities). The Secretary released guidance on the implementation of the new regulations, offering recommendations and non-regulatory guidance for states. She also announced $21.1 million in grants to help states develop new assessments for these students and a Special Education Partnership for technical assistance. To learn more about the final 2 Percent regulation, see NCLD's summary.

U.S. House Subcommittee on Early Childhood and Elementary and Secondary Education Holds NCLB Hearing
The U.S. House Subcommittee on Early Childhood and Elementary and Secondary Education held a hearing in late March 2007 on NCLB and its impact on students with disabilities. As Congress works to reauthorize NCLB this year, one area of particular interest to Members of both parties is the need to provide states with additional flexibility in educating students with disabilities as well as ensuring schools receive credit for the work they have done in helping these students reach proficiency. Dr. Bill Henderson, principal of the Patrick O'Hearn School in Boston, Mass., testified about students who are provided full access to the general curriculum due to NCLB’s goal to help all students achieve academic proficiency

Comparison of Recommendations by the National Center for Learning Disabilities and the Commission on No Child Left Behind
The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) provided recommendations to the Commission on No Child Left Behind (Commission) on September 25, 2006. (Full statement is available here). NCLD has produced this chart that compares the recommendations of NCLD with those made by the Commission to Congress.

Commission on No Child Left Behind Summary of Key Recommendations Affecting Students with Learning Disabilities
The Commission on No Child Left Behind (the Commission), a bipartisan, independent commission formed to develop recommendations for the upcoming reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, released its report on February 13, 2007.

NCLD Submits Comments to NCLB Commission
The National Center for Learning Disabilities recently submitted comments to the Commission on No Child Left Behind, asking the commission to make decisive recommendation to Congress in hopes of achieving five specific goals.

NCLD's Recommendations on Draft Assessment Policy
The U.S. Department of Education has issued draft regulations on a new policy that allows states to test up to 2% of all students (approximately 20% of students with disabilities) with a new assessment.  Overall, NCLD remains concerned that the new policy is not supported by relevant data and will negatively impact students with learning disabilities' access to grade level content and create barriers to graduate from high school with a regular diploma. 

Letter to U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings
NCLD expresses its concerns on anticipated changes to testing options for students with disabilities and provides an overview of issues involving such changes.

NCLB and Students with Learning Disabilities: Ensuring Full Participation & Equal Accountability A Policy Brief from the National Center for Learning Disabilities

No Child Left Behind and Students with Specific Learning Disabilities Joint Statement of the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Learning Disabilities, International Dyslexia Association, Learning Disabilities Association of America and National Center for Learning Disabilities December 2004

Roberta Malavenda, a parent of a 24-year-old with learning disabilities, testified in Atlanta before the No Child Left Behind Commission on provisions affecting the NCLB's accountability system. Click here to read her testimony.

Jane Ross testified before the NCLB Commission to speak out on behalf of students with disabilities. Read Jane's testimony.

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Additional Resources on the Web:

NCLB and IDEA: What Parents of Students with Disabilities Need to Know and Do (National Center on Educational Outcomes, by Candace Cortiella, The Advocacy Institute) (PDF)
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are two of the nation's most important federal laws relating to the education of children. While NCLB seeks to improve the education of all children — with an emphasis on children from lowincome families — IDEA focuses on the individual child and seeks to ensure specialized services for children with disabilities so that they may benefi t from education. Lately, these two laws have taken on new importance to parents of students with disabilities. NCLB provisions apply to all students, including those whose disabilities require special education. So it'simportant that parents understand the requirements of NCLB. IDEA, in its latest update by Congress, has been more closely aligned with NCLB, making it equally important that parents become familiar with the ways the two laws have been positioned to work together to improve academic achievement of students with disabilities.