Agenda - 03-16-2004-6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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3 ?°atN wn°?,?. 2004 Congressional Issue Paper North Carolina Association of County Commissioners 0 "oy a Mailing flddiess P O Box 1488, Raleigh, NC 27602-1488 Telephone. 919-715-2893 • Fm: 919-733-1065 • Email. ncacc@ncacc oig • 6Vebsite. www ncacc. org Support Full Federal Funding for the "No Child Left Behind Act" (NCLBA) School Accountability Program Issue While NCLBA's objectives to improve student achievement and school accountability are commendable, lack of full federal funding for its implementation represents the largest federal unfunded mandate for public education in history and damages the program's credibility and opportunities for success. While the Congressional Research Service estimates that full funding of NCLBA requirements exceeds $30 billion for 2004, only $12.35 billion is being proposed. North Carolina's implementation would require $1.2 billion in additional federal dollars but only $548 million is being considered for 2004 Background President Bush announced his "No Child Left Behind" educational reform initiative immediately upon taking office and based on its tenets, Congress enacted NCLBA in late 2001 NCLBA seeks to increase accountability for states, school districts, and schools; provide greater choice for parents and students, particularly those attending low-performing schools; allow for more flexibility for states and local educational agencies (LEAs) in the use of federal education dollars; and place a stronger emphasis on reading, especially for young children. NCLBA requires annual state testing in grades 3-8 and high school with increasing penalties for schools and school districts if a given percentage of their students do not meet state standards of proficiency. Penalties escalate from required technical assistance, to parental transfer' options, to required supplemental services, to total restructuring, Accountability is measured in terms of "Adequate Yearly Progress" (AYP), which eventually requires that all students meet their state's standard of proficiency by 2012-2013 Within schools, AYP achievement is based on student subgroup performance, including those more likely to be associated with lower academic achievement, i e., children in minority populations, children with limited English proficiency, children living in poverty, and children with disabilities. Schools and school districts that fail to meet the AYP standard in a given year will be publicly identified as needing improvement and if they receive Title I funds, they will also be subject to aggressive interventions if the failure to meet AYP persists for two or more years. It is highly likely that in the first year, over half of our state's schools will be identified as not being .academically proficient, as a result of the weak performance of just one group or subgroup. These results will be featured in a public report card that will be equated with failure throughout the community North Carolina counties are constitutionally required to provide school capital facilities and also provide substantial funding for additional teachers, higher teacher salaries, and other school operating expenses Overall, counties appropriate over $2.5 billion to public schools. Congressional Action Needed The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners urges your support and advocacy to ensure full federal funding participation of the "No Child Left Behind" school accountability program. In addition, Congress or the administration should assess whether NCLBA is producing counterproductive consequences that impede school performance.