Does NCLB apply to all schools?
Yes. A few of the provisions of NCLB only apply to schools that receive Title I funds. Nearly 60 percent (1,320) of Missouris 2,300 public schools are Title 1 schools. NCLB, however, specifically requires each state to have a “single system of accountability,” with uniform standards for all students in all public schools. Will NCLB override state standards? No. The Missouri School Improvement Program (MSIP) is the states accreditation system for school districts. Through the MSIP standards (first adopted in 1990), the State Board of Education has already established school-improvement policies similar to those included in NCLB. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) intends to incorporate the requirements of NCLB into the accreditation process, to the degree possible, so there will be “one set of rules” for Missouri school districts. What is “adequate yearly progress” (AYP)? This is one of the key elements of the new law and probably the most complicated. To achiev
