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April 6, 2008 |
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The No Child Left Behind Act, often abbreviated as NCLB, is a 2001 federal law designed to improve the quality of American education. The Act required all states to design basic assessment tests to be administered to students statewide. Technically, NCLB is an optional program, and each state is free to decline. However, states that do not participate in the program will not be given federal funding. This practice was previously used to push through a mandatory national speed limit (later repealed), and to date, all states have chosen to adopt NCLB rather than lose much-needed federal funding. Each state is free to develop its own assessment test and set its own standards. All public schools are required to participate in the program, although private schools and homeschooled students are exempt. In addition to requiring basic skills testing for students, the Act also requires that teachers demonstrate a high level of competence in their subjects. This can be demonstrated in various ways. Finally, the Act requires schools to release student information to military recruiters unless the student or parent specifically opts out. |
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